SALT + PICKLE, LONDON SE19

Already running the Good Taste deli in Crystal Palace, scientist-turned-food-entrepreneur Manish Utton-Mishra wanted somewhere to serve his ethically and thoughtfully sourced meats, cheeses and wines. And so Salt + Pickle was born. Here, anything that requires salting, curing or pickling in any way is on the cards.

A copper-topped bar proudly displays legs of 36-month Iberico de Bellota and 18-month Serrano ham, and a varied array of mostly British or French cheeses, room-temperature, ripe and ready to serve, while massive jars of homemade and local pickles and chutneys sit on shelves. Bread and pickles come with most courses or orders, and you can choose to have a charcuterie or cheeseboard, or a mix, or an individual piece of meat or cheese.

You can also share dishes like gin- and beetroot-cured salmon with new potato salad, pickled samphire and cucumber, or beef fillet cured with fennel and paprika, served with celeriac remoulade. The latter dish is only on the menu when Manish can buy in Lincoln Red beef, from a Colchester farm that rears a limited supply (the ancient outdoor breed only supplying 50 cattle a year). Bright-red, soft cross-sections of the fillet, including a small line of slightly smoky sweet fat, made our meal.

Blink and you’ll miss Salt + Pickle, but it’s got the makings of a real destination for preserved-food fans. saltandpickle.com (Words by Liz O’Keefe)