As the festive season envelops the UK, Jesse Burgess, the co-founder and frontman of the wildly popular food and travel platform TopJaw, has turned the tables. Known for grilling chefs and celebrities on their favourite haunts, Burgess now serves up his own candid take on the joys and irritations of eating out during the colder months.
The Winter Warmers: Burgess's Festive Favourites
For Burgess, British winter cuisine is epitomised by the humble pie. He dismisses queries about the definition of British food, pointing to the nation's diverse culinary scene, but champions the pie as one of the greatest dishes ever created. A chicken, rabbit, and tarragon pie with proper buttery mash and gravy is, for him, the ultimate chilly-day comfort food.
This love for hearty fare extends to game season. Burgess highlights venues like The Harwood Arms in west London and Trullo in Islington for their exceptional game dinners. He also singles out Camille in Borough Market for making game and offal both accessible and delicious.
Atmosphere is key, and Burgess extols the primitive magic of candlelight, a recent obsession reinforced by a filming trip to Paris. He pairs this ambience with a year-round preference for full-bodied red wine, embracing velvety, jammy varieties that come into their own in winter.
Socially, he adores the 'silly season' where restraint vanishes, long dinners start early due to the dark evenings, and friends reliably show up for events. He also reserves special praise for the British pub, declaring that "no building will hug you like a pub" during this time of year.
The Frosty Gripes: Winter Dining Annoyances
However, the season is not without its frustrations. Burgess coins the term 'coat fuckery' to describe the common restaurant dilemma of inadequate cloakrooms, leading to a choice between sweating at your table or risking your coat in a pile.
He also admits to getting the 'ick' from steamy restaurant windows, associating them with an infamous scene from Titanic, far preferring a crisp, frosty pane.
His most vehement dislike is reserved for Dry January. He labels it a "heinous" month that hurts the hospitality sector and argues it's a time when drinking is most needed. In protest, he and his friends run a 'Saturday Swim Club' pub crawl throughout the month.
Jesse Burgess is the co-founder and host of TopJaw, which is celebrating its 10th year. His series, Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars, is available to stream on Apple TV now.
