Apricity Chef Chantelle Nicholson: ‘I Can’t Watch The Bear’

What does it mean to be a conscious chef in 2025? It’s no longer enough to serve a seasonal menu: nowadays, restaurants must go the extra mile to really make a difference. Leading the pack in this field is Chantelle Nicholson, one of the UK’s most exciting culinary figures. Born in New Zealand, she honed her craft at a string of top London restaurants before launching her first solo venture, Tredwells, in 2014. Then, in 2022, she turned her attention to a new opening: low-waste, eco-minded restaurant Apricity in Mayfair. It has been a huge hit, landing rave reviews from critics and scooping up a Michelin Green Star. And most recently, Nicholson launched The Cordia Collective, a cafe, bakery and restaurant in West Sussex centred around her regenerative farming ethos.

Now, Nicholson is continuing her impact-led work by getting involved with Belu Water’s new campaign, Served with Purpose, which brings together hospitality leaders who are delivering a positive impact. We hear more about her mission below.

Chantelle Nicholson On Regenerative Restaurants, Thai Cuisine & Food Trends

When did you first become interested in food?

Growing up in New Zealand, I was always surrounded by incredible produce, so I think it was kind of natural. My family were all good cooks, everything was cooked from scratch at home. Interestingly, in New Zealand, we only had packed lunches, so we’d make our lunch every day as kids. I think for me in particular, I was like: well, if I want something good for my lunch, I have to make it. 

What’s your food ethos?

It’s very much celebrating produce, celebrating the inherent goodness that it has, and then just trying to enhance it with maximum respect to the people that are involved in making it, producing it and growing it. 

How did you want Apricity to differ from other restaurants?

From my perspective, it was a bit of an experiment to see if things could be different from how I’d grown up through the industry. The main areas for that were the team and just the people approach, as well as our guests. The correct value was given to the team, which, obviously, is the most important for any hospitality business. And with the suppliers, we were very much looking at how it could be more of a circular, supportive relationship and actually see how that could function in a way that was supportive for both.

And then also looking at everything that came into the restaurant, as well as everything that came out of it. So how can we increase the good and decrease the lesser good? From a waste perspective, that’s food waste, time, electricity and water. We really try and distill it down to a level that means we’re having as much of a positive impact as possible – all the while being able to offer a great experience to our guests. 

Apricity

Do you have a favourite dish on the menu?

I think one of my favourites has to be our butterhead lettuce. It’s a hydroponically vertically grown whole lettuce head, we stuff it with crispy kale and dot it with miso aioli and add pickled shallots and whatever is seasonal. What I love about it is it’s just so humble. Whenever I encourage people to order it, they look at me a bit strangely and say: it’s just a lettuce. But then they’re like, no it’s not just a lettuce. It’s also grown super locally in London, so I think the whole process is just a really good summation of what Apricity is about.

What does it mean to be a ‘sustainable’ restaurant in 2025?

It’s a really interesting question. I feel like the word sustainability has lost a bit of its sparkle. I’ve always noted that we don’t really want to sustain things, we want to improve them, so I love to talk about the regenerative mindset. For me, it’s looking at that 360 approach of: what are they doing with their provenance and sourcing? What are they doing with their teams? What are they doing in terms of outputs? What does their waste metric look like? How much are they looking at in terms of their energy consumption? How deep are they diving into where things come from in their supply chain? And just trying to tread as lightly as possible in those areas that have been trodden before. 

Where do you find inspiration for your recipes?

I would say the majority of it comes from produce, the seasons, and just being able to smell and see and pick and taste. Then it’s inspiration from others – I was very lucky to be in Lisbon in Portugal a couple of weeks ago, cooking with SEM Restaurant. Just to be around like-minded people was really inspiring, to see what they do and how they do it.

What other places have impressed you with their food scene?

Some of the best food I’ve had is probably in Thailand. I’m a big believer in that you should eat food where it comes from, not necessarily where it’s been flown or shipped around the world. In Thailand the fruit is just… when you taste the same fruit in the UK, it’s kind of pointless. To be able to really enjoy food where it comes from is just such a joy, and needs to be encouraged a bit more. We try to shift things around the world, but they just lose their sense of flavour and taste.

You trained as a lawyer before becoming a chef. Are there any parallels between the two industries?

If you take away the food element, being a chef is really similar to a lot of other industries in some respects. Obviously it’s time management, it’s team management, it’s all of those hard skills, really. But the bit I love about the hospitality industry – and about becoming a chef – is that you get to see and experience where all your hard work has gone. It’s a tangible thing, whereas with a lot of other industries, you may never see where all your work has gone.

Are there any food trends you’re loving – or hating – right now?

It’s really nice to see all the new produce that we’ve got at the moment, and to celebrate the colour that starts to pop. For me, a trend I’d like to see is a bit more support for our farmers in this country, because they just work so hard, and sometimes they can’t compete with big conglomerates from around the world. So I guess one of the ones I don’t like is when it’s that mass market, full of UPFs. It’s nice to see people understanding a bit more about what is in their food.

What’s your go-to dinner party recipe?

It’s very much dependent on the time of year. Right now, asparagus is at its peak so it would have to include asparagus. And then for the main course, barbecuing – it’s the perfect time to do it. And I love veg on the barbecue, whether it’s asparagus or cabbage, then probably some kind of local meat as well. For pudding, it’s pavlova season – strawberries, raspberries, elderflower, you’ve got all that goodness around, so it just makes sense to be able to use it and enjoy it in the sunshine. 

Most memorable meal of all time?

In Thailand, I had a pineapple red curry. I remember seeing it on the menu and thinking, I’m not sure about this, but the flavour, the layers and the depth were just insane. It was at a wonderful restaurant I was cooking at last year called Soneva Kiri. You get to the restaurant by boat, go through the mangroves, the whole experience is phenomenal. A meal is about so much more than just the food, that was everything at once.

All-time favourite London restaurant?

I really love Supawan, it’s Thai – there’s a common thing here! 

What do you do to relax?

Holidaying is lovely, I love the ocean. For me, being in nature is a really key part for me to be able to unwind. Whether that’s foraging or reading a book in the sun, it’s that real connection to nature that brings me back to where I need to be. 

The Cordia Collective

Which chefs do you look up to?

One that I always reference is Dan Barber from Blue Hill in New York. He’s pushing the boundaries a bit further in terms of how to do things better.

Have you ever watched any cooking shows like The Bear?

I feel very conflicted about them, to be honest. Because I grew up around kitchens where that kind of behaviour used to happen, and I feel that our industry has gone through a lot, and we need new people coming into it, and I feel like it’s not the most enticing. As someone that has worked really hard to change that perception, to change the way my kitchen works, I do find it a bit frustrating that that’s what’s portrayed in the media. Although I know a lot of people love them, it’s a good glimpse into how parts of some kitchens operate, but I haven’t quite managed to find my way to watch it yet.

Top tips for being more eco-friendly when cooking at home?

The biggest thing is just buy what you need. And when you do buy it, try and understand where it comes from. And I totally get that not everyone has access to a farmer’s market or to local food, but I think just try and be a bit more conscious of it. Because once you start to realise that perhaps your herbs are from Ethiopia, then you’re like, actually do I really need to use that? Then if you buy what you need, hopefully you don’t waste it.

But also just that moment’s pause of understanding how many people have been involved in getting whatever you’re cooking with to you. It baffles me that a banana can cost what it costs when you think of the amount of people involved and how far it has come. It’s really giving due respect to everyone within that chain, which naturally will make you not want to waste it. I think that common sense approach is like, if something appears to be too cheap, then there’s a reason. And food shouldn’t be cheap – it should be affordable, but it shouldn’t be cheap. So it’s trying to show respect for those that are doing such an amazing thing by providing us food in the first place.

Chantelle Nicholson is a Tastemaker of Belu’s Served with Purpose campaign