1880’S EXECUTIVE CHEF COLIN BUCHAN SHARES HIS PERSPECTIVE ON CULTURED CHICKEN.

Why are you open to cultured chicken and how would it benefit your diners?

“At 1880, I have noticed that while diners still love their meat, there is an openness to plant-based alternatives, and curiosity about cultured meat. Lately, we have had more vegan and vegetarian menu requests – trends such as flexitarianism, and reducetarianism are definitely on the rise. Being able to make history with our diners by offering a new and more sustainable alternative is hugely exciting.

We collaborated with Good Meat on a dining experience comprising a 4-course menu starting with three unique vegan dishes that reflect the evolution of the chicken and its environmental impact as it became a key food source for humans. Following that, we served two Good Meat dishes: the Chinese bao and an American fried chicken and waffle, as these are the two nations that are the largest consumers of chicken. We want to inspire important conversations around our food sources while having a delicious and thoughtprovoking dinner. “

Did you have to change the way you cut, season and cook the cultured chicken?

“The cultured chicken by Good Meat comes in a bite-sized, breaded form which influences how the dish is prepared and presented. The texture and taste of cultured chicken is just like traditional chicken – because it is chicken. We work with it as we would with conventional chicken, just in the form of a nugget.”

How do you plan to develop your menu offerings of cultured chicken?

“The opportunity to work with an entirely new category of food and conceptualise an interactive meal to introduce the cultured chicken has been an incredible experience. Once Good Meat cultured chicken production ramps up, it will open many possibilities to create unique and traditional dishes for diners. We are looking at hosting tasting sessions in the coming months with new dishes to show the versatility of cultured chicken.”