Leonel Aguirre, known as Leo, stands at the stove at Dovetale in the 1 Hotel Mayfair. In his hands are Carlingford oysters and Umay caviar, which he lays out on the raw bar. The scent of sea freshness mingles with a light smokiness from the charcoal in the pizza fritta with Cantabrian anchovies. This is not merely an appetiser: behind it lies experience from Mirazur on the Côte d'Azur, where he learned a seasonal, produce-driven cuisine.
The Dovetale menu now opens with a European palette. Risotto with provola and bottarga, steak frites, tonnarelli with Cornish crab, chilli and lemon. Corn-fed chicken al mattone and roasted monkfish for two. Aguirre came from Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at The OWO, where the restaurant received a Michelin star in 2025 and retained it in 2026. He worked in Argentina, Chile, France, the UAE and Singapore before taking charge of the kitchen in London.
On the same day, Matt Sherry returned to Northcote in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire. The Edinburgh chef, who had already worked here before, now again leads the brigade alongside chef-patron Lisa Goodwin-Allen. Northcote is marking 30 consecutive years with a Michelin star, and Lisa — 25 years at the restaurant. Sherry recalls: "There is a wonderful atmosphere here, lots of events and clear ambitions for the future." His experience at Number One at The Balmoral, where the restaurant also held a star, now enriches the region's cuisine.
These appointments reflect the movement between London and the regions. Aguirre brings to Mayfair a technique honed on the French coast and in Asia, but adapts it to British produce — Cornish crab, Irish oysters. Sherry brings back to Lancashire memories of metropolitan cuisine, joining them with local traditions and Northcote's ambitions. Both chefs work with seasonality and the quality of ingredients that define the taste of this very place: sea freshness in the south and the depth of flavours in the north.
British gastronomy is currently going through a period of reshuffling. Chefs move between hotels and independent restaurants, bringing international experience to local menus. At Dovetale, Tom Sellers stepped aside in the summer, and Aguirre is opening a new chapter. At Northcote, Sherry's return coincided with a refresh of the team and the celebration of anniversaries. These changes show how cuisine evolves through personal stories and connections to land and sea.
To try Aguirre's menu, it is worth visiting Dovetale in Mayfair on a weekday evening — then you can appreciate the raw bar and the crab pasta to the full. At Northcote, Sherry and Goodwin-Allen offer tasting menus that reveal the seasonality of Lancashire; it is best to book in advance, especially during holiday periods. These places allow you to see how chefs transfer their experience into specific dishes and atmosphere.
Such moves remind us that the taste of a dish is formed not only by the recipe, but also by the chef's journey, the soil of the region and the moment when the ingredients meet on the plate.
