Chef Club Lunch: Liam Dillon's eco-friendly restaurant, The Boat, wows guests

Settled amongst the urban landscape and Staffordshire canal side, The Boat is a restaurant and micro farm by BCF friend and chef, Liam Dillon.

Since 2017, he has cultivated his surrounding land to not only grow crops but also create a sustainable ecosystem with the focus on reducing waste.

The pigs he keeps help reduce waste and ensure that nothing from the restaurant is discarded. The bees from 12 hives support the plants through pollination, whilst providing the kitchen with their own special honey.

The chickens provide a daily supply of eggs. The fish, Liam’s aquaponics project has been a long time in the making – a full eco-system that farms trout and then uses the bi-product to feed and grow crops. While the plants, the vegetable beds and polytunnels not only grow native produce that features on the menu, but allows Liam to grow his own unique crops right outside the back door.

A truly very special restaurant and grounds.

Liam has an impressive CV having worked in many renowned establishments prior to opening his own business, including Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley; Restaurant Story with Tom Sellers; Quay in Sydney; Noma, Copenhagen; 11 Madison and Gilt, New York.

Members enjoyed an outstanding lunch with a lot of attention to detail and flavours. Another key successful Chefs Club Lunch in BCF’s calendar of events.

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On arrival

Limney Estate Brut, Davenport 2018, Sussex

Cod roe doughnut

Cheese and walnut tartlet

House charcuterie

Fried chicken and N25 Kaluga hybrid caviar

Beer-soaked spelt loaf, chicken butter, liver parfait and pickles

Cornish mackerel, crab and cucumber

Riesling, Arndorfer 2023, Kamptal, Austria

Cotswold venison loin, garden beetroot, celeriac and chicory

Terrasses de Larzac, Clos Ventas 2015, Languedoc-Roussillon, France