Would you go for a meal in someone’s SHED?

Michel Roux Jr did when he explored the trend for quirky restaurants in his new series – and found the food was as remarkable as the settings

We’ve had supper clubs in people’s houses and pop-up restaurants, now there’s a new eating trend sweeping Britain – and it’s a world away from the fine dining scene. A fresh generation of British chefs have taken to setting up restaurants in remote or quirky locations, which not only allows them to express their inventiveness without huge expense, but also to create a unique experience for diners wily enough to seek them out.

And who better to explore this development than Michel Roux Jr, the former MasterChef judge and proprietor of Le Gavroche, the twoMichelin-starred restaurant that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Michel has travelled the country to find the best of these hidden restaurants for a new TV series: one’s in a pair of converted shipping containers, one’s in a small garden shed and another is only accessible by boat.

So why are these quirky eateries proving so popular? ‘The restaurant revolution is no longer just on the high street,’ says Michel. ‘People are setting up passion projects in some very strange places and I wanted to explore this new trend. Up-and-coming chefs need to find inventive and inexpensive places to showcase themselves, and customers increasingly want something new and off the wall.’

As a man who’s reached the pinnacle of culinary heights, did he learn anything? ‘My greatest challenge is keeping Le Gavroche fresh, and I do that partly by travelling and being inspired,’ he says. ‘All the places I visited were inspiring and I discovered that it doesn’t matter about the location – if you’re good, people will seek you out. We live in a bubble in London, but these restaurants have their own identities which draw people in. And in each place the food was unbel ievable – not extravagant, not fanciful, but I ate like a king.’

In the Ouseburn area of Newcastle, close to the River Tyne, Anna Hedworth, 37, has set up her restaurant The Cook House in two old shipping containers. She worked as an architect for years while indulging her passion for cooking on the side by doing the odd supper club. The containers, which have been spliced together, were going to be converted into an art gallery and were one of her architecture projects. When it didn’t go ahead, Anna decided to take the containers over.

‘Her container restaurant is in the middle of nowhere,’ says Michel. ‘Anna isn’t a trained chef but she’s very talented, so setting up in the containers, putting in an Ikea kitchen and borrow- ing furniture, enabled her to get away from the formal training and just go for it. And she’s getting the business.’

Anna uses as much home-grown produce as possible in her Modern British menu, which she serves on rustic boards and in terracotta flowerpots. ‘Geographically my restaurant is only 15 minutes from town but the biggest challenge was learning how to run it,’ she says. ‘But it’s like nowhere else, so it works by word of mouth. People think a shipping container will be dingy but mine have slot windows down the side and a glass entrance. Cold can be an issue so I have a wood-burning Left: Kathryn Minchew in her shed. Above: Anna Hedworth’s restaurant in converted shipping containers stove. The walls are insulated but the former MasterChef contestant Kathceiling isn’t so I may add a grass roof. ryn Minchew, who’s turned her garden

‘I put my life on the line to open this shed into an eight-seater restaurant restaurant but it was worth it. The icing called Gloucester Studio, where she on the cake was cooking with Michel cooks all sorts of food over an open – we made a gazpacho soup from courfire. ‘It’s extraordinary to see this in a gette, cucumber, pesto and nasturtium shed in a suburban back garden,’ says leaves. It was intimidating but Michel Michel. ‘Kathryn cooks meat in front was enthusiastic and encouraging.’ of you on a fire pit. It’s bonkers but

Michel was also blown away by it works. I really enjoy watching amazing food being created in the face of unbelievable challenges.’ Another memorable place for Michel was Xiringuito, a moveable restaurant created by friends Conor Sheehan and Jackson Berg. ‘When I visited it was at the back end of a parking lot near Margate,’ says Michel. ‘It’s made from scaffolding poles with a tarpaulin over it.’

The pair must use water tanks and try to hook up to the nearest electricity source. ‘They have some basic kitchenware and hire the rest as they go along. There are lots of challenges – not least plumbing and energy – before they even get cooking, but the food was sensational.’ Other finds were photographer and food writer Alastair Hendy’s seafood restaurant AG Hendy, which is hidden in the back of a homeware store in Hastings, and Spitbank Fort, a restaurant only accessible by boat on a manmade fort built to guard against attacks on the Solent and Portsmouth around 140 years ago.

Fired up from his travels, Michel throws himself into creating his own hidden restaurant in the final episode when he opens for business in an oast house in West Sussex for two nights. ‘There’s something liberating about moving away from bone china and fine dining, with no foams or jellies,’ he says. His starter of hummus served in a flowerpot is a nod to Anna Hedworth, his main course is a burger served on a wooden board, and dessert is a chocolate pudding served in a glass bowl. ‘I decided not to serve a single dish on a plate – it’s all about sharing platters and convivial dining. I loved getting rid of the pretence and stripping it all back.’

What does his father, the famous chef and restaurateur Albert, think? ‘He can’t really get his head around it, especially serving food in a flowerpot. But the food is top-notch. And we barely scratched the surface as there are so many amazing places out there run by stand- out characters. I’d definitely employ them at Le Gavroche.’

‘It’s liberating moving away from bone china and fine dining’