Jessica Kruger | ETHOS restaurant

My name is Jessica Kruger and in September 2014 I opened ETHOS - a fast casual dining concept just off Oxford Street, London. Since I became vegan in 2012, I found myself increasingly frustrated with the lack of exciting, interesting options when eating out, and so wanted to launch a meat-free restaurant that gave diners real choice. At ETHOS we strive to create vibrant and deliciously different food, taking inspiration from across the world, and operating a pay-by-weight system giving customers real flexibility on what, and how much, they eat. Of course, to make sure our dishes look and taste as good as they can it’s important that we work around the seasons and this is something the chefs at the restaurant and I are always considering. For the next six months I’ll be sharing some of our favourite recipes in this blog, using a star seasonal ingredient, from the delightfully crisp and crunchy baby gem in the summer to heartier leeks, swedes and turnips in the colder months.

July's star ingredient:

With the sun in the sky, July is an amazing month for al fresco dining. Whether you’re enjoying a bite on a pub terrace, or a lazy brunch in the garden, being out in the fresh air is a great way to enjoy some of the superb seasonal produce the UK offers at this time of year. At Ethos we know this only too well, and so have put together a range of picnic hampers available to pick up from the restaurant including both gluten free and vegan choices. For my first post on Staff Canteen I thought I’d share a simple recipe for one of the dishes we include in our picnics; the fresh, crisp and delicious Summer Crunch Salad. This salad champions baby gem lettuce, which is at its best in July. It’s sweet and crisp leaves make the perfect base to a summery dish and hold on to any dressings, such as the cardamom lime yoghurt in this recipe, brilliantly.

Ingredients:

Baby gem lettuce
½ of a radicchio
¼ of an iceberg lettuce
3 - 4 tbsp cardamom lime yoghurt (recipe below)
Drizzle of thyme infused honey (or substitute regular honey if not available)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
100g gluten free croutons (season and bake gluten free bread to make them yourself)
Small handful of chopped coriander

For the Cardamom Lime Yoghurt (makes 500g grams):

½ tsp cardamom seeds
½ tsp cordiander seeds
1 tsp chilli flakes
100g white sugar, or sweetener of choice
Zest and juice of 1 lime
500g Greek yoghurt

Method:

Break up the baby gem, radicchio leaves and lettuce. Wash and dry them. Set aside.
Put all ingredients for the cardamom lime yoghurt in a food processor and blitz together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a bowl, toss together the leaves and yoghurt and 3-4 tbsp of yoghurt until evenly covered.
To serve, place the leaves in a large bowl and drizzle with honey, sprinkle liberally with croutons and garnish with coriander seeds and chopped coriander.
Get outside and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy reading the recipes and please feel free to tweet us any finished dishes, questions or comments to @EthosFoods

After completing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the International School of Management, Paris, Jessica Kruger, cut her teeth in a variety of business roles including working as an analyst as well as a stint in advertising. The idea for ETHOS came about in 2012, when Australian born Jessica became a vegan and, despite her love of trying new foods and eating out, found herself increasingly frustrated with the lack of options available when dining out, especially in comparison to the rest of the world. Seeing a gap in the market, and at just 26 years old, Jessica was inspired to create a new all-day dining experience focused around a meat-free global menu that gives customers real choice in what they eat, how much they eat and how they pick and mix it. ETHOS opened in September 2014 and is a fast-casual dining concept, which focuses on deliciously different meat-free food from around the world, served in a sophisticated and contemporary setting. For more information visit www.ethosfoods.com

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