2025 award event in London hosted by the best vegetable chef in UK: Kirk Haworth of Plates
On November 11 the very best vegetable chefs of the world for 2025 will be revealed in London. Frank Fol, founder of We’re Smart World, is very proud to introduce Chef Kirk Haworth of Plates in London as the patron of this award ceremony. Kirk is a leading voice in British cuisine, in 2022, Plates appeared in the Top 100 best vegetable restaurants in the world in the We're Smart Green Guide. Two years later, the restaurant is already ranked number 16, and he is crowned ‘Discovery of the Year’. His disruptive, pure plant-based menu earned him the Champion of Champions title in the BBC series Great British Menu. Fol is adamant: “We ain't seen nothing yet. Kirk is very technically skilled. It seems simple, but there is a lot of knowledge and creativity behind it. The last time I went, I was waiting outside for my table in the second shift, and everyone who came out had a big smile on their face. The guests had nothing but praise when we asked how they liked it.”
Timeline Kirk Haworth and restaurant Plates
Haworth, born in 1990, joined at an early age his father Nigel Haworth, the chef of restaurant Northcote near Blackburn in the UK for 30 years. He then moved on to The Square in London and even to Thomas Keller's The French Laundry in Yountville, California. Then to Australia to continue his career at a more relaxed pace.
Here, Kirk's health suffered so much that he had to stop working in the kitchen. Four years, many doctors and tests later, Lyme disease was diagnosed. It prompted Kirk to drastically overhaul his diet. He stopped eating meat, then fish and eventually switched to a 100 % pure plant diet, focusing on fermentation and unprocessed ingredients. This led to a remarkable improvement in his health, and he tentatively picked up his work again. In 2019, Haworth and his sister Keeley started their first pop-up concept. During the corona crisis Kirk shifted his focus to culinary consultancy, teaching online cooking classes and competing in Great British Menu. In 2024, Plates opened in a permanent location in hip Shoreditch. The small open-plan restaurants seats 30 people, with lots of blond oak and beige tones. Think bare wooden tables, rustic crockery and chefs and waiters in loose-fitting green linen blouses.
“I want to know where and in what soil my ingredients grow and who the grower is”
Classic preparations with 100% pure plants
A dining experience at Plates intrigues and surprises. Each dish opens a new world. Beautifully balanced, yet exciting at the same time. Sour, sweet, umami. Crispy and creamy. Textures with thoughtful depth. Kirk is convinced we can reprogram our taste palate. That we can rid ourselves of the flavours that our taste buds have come to regard as truth throughout our lives. Like sugar, dairy and meat. He creates with the end in mind: “My dishes start with the best pure, healthy ingredients. I'm always looking: which ones are interesting? How do I bring out the best in them? If I use strawberries, they must be the tastiest ones. And without pesticides, of course. I want to know where that maitake (hen of the woods) comes from. In what soil it grows and who the grower is. I am on top of it. I want as much information as possible about growers, farmers and producers, to select products of the highest quality, but also to come up with new ideas. For instance, we found a very special tomato, grown from Japanese seeds. These 'amelas' cost £3 each, but they are the hero of the dish. We serve them beautifully chopped with a dressing of verjuice, radishes, sour gooseberries, creamy ricotta and icy tarragon granito. With that comes a broth of barbecued tomatoes."
On the hunt for more
Haworth explains: “My style is described as classic. With sauces and preparations usually done with meat, like stewing, roasting and marinating. I apply that to pure plant ingredients.” To push the boundaries even further, once a month, the chef organizes unforgettable private dinners for small groups in the R&D Kitchen: unf\_ck your palette. Back to your own nature. And he wants more, last spring, the restaurant closed on Sundays, and the number of covers was reduced from 50 to 40. “That allows us to raise the level of hospitality and the quality of the dishes. And a four-day week also means a better work-life balance for the whole team. I recently hired an R&D chef and a fermentation chef. I bring them into my mindset and philosophy: start with nothing, experiment and try, and above all, don't be afraid to make mistakes. It is important that the guest gets a consistent experience, with innovative 100% pure plant dishes.”
"Our success did not come out of the blue; we’ve been building for eight years"
Winning team
Kirk Haworth is the first to praise his team at every recognition and victory: "We do everything together. My sister Keeley is very strong operationally, really a brand builder and a strategic thinker. I can run a restaurant at a high level and know what's involved in that. At our previous pop-ups, we were in the floor together, now Keeley works behind the scenes to help us grow. If she has a good idea, I make sure we get it done." The success did not come out of the blue, Kirk continues. "It took eight years for it to really take off. We always believed - sometimes as the only ones - that we had something unique on our hands. All over London we hustled and pop-upped until we got the right formula. We worked day and night for that. Completely on our own. We both own 50% of the company.”
Nature is art and other motto’s
If you look on the website, you will see artwork in collaboration with Anthony Burrill, four posters which sum up Plates' philosophy: 'nature is art', 'work hard and be nice to people', 'perseverance is fruitful' and 'cook with passion'. Kirk and Keeley want to contribute to a healthier world. That is their mission and motivation in everything they do. For them, sustainability is not just about the earth or ingredients, but about a lifestyle in which everything and everyone can flourish—not least the team. They select employees with the right attitude and energy, so that cross-pollination leads to an inspiring working atmosphere.
Having a taste of Plates
The invited guests will lunch with creations of the five radishes club. As the ambassador, Kirk Haworth will ofcourse be serving one course. For those not at the ceremony, there is an alternative. You can find some of Kirk’s signature dishes in the new Radilicious II, which can be ordered here.
Photocredits : Wim Demessemaekers
Article by : Sheila Struyck
