Willett’s at The Cadogan – London’s New British Bistro on Sloane Street
Written by Martin Seymour | Editor, The Mayfair Foodie | About Me
It’s a Friday, the sun is shining, and I’m lunching at Willett’s, the new British bistro in The Cadogan Hotel. Even the tube strike could not dampen my mood; in fact, having left plenty of time to get to Willett’s on Sloane Street, our journey into town was stress-free.
As I said, Willett’s was new and on my visit had only been open for 3 weeks, the ethos of the new restaurant is showcasing the very best British seasonal produce with a zero waste policy, two things close to my heart. It’s no coincidence that great produce in the right hands delivers a great plate of food. Willett’s executive chef is Michael Turner, who honed his craft within the Gordon Ramsay group, notably as Executive Head Chef at The Savoy Grill. From there, he moved to The Beaumont Hotel in Mayfair, which was where I first met Michael and his food, which is the reason I was so keen to experience Willett’s and the British menu that Michael has created.
The Cadogan (part of the Belmond group), by today’s standards, is a small hotel with only 54 rooms, it may be small, but it offers its guests unbridled luxury, and Willett’s plays a big part in the character of the hotel.
Food
Menus at Willett’s include an à la carte menu, a great value set lunch menu (3 courses £36), a Sunday lunch menu, and a breakfast menu. To enjoy the à la carte menu, you are not restricted to the dining room, you can enjoy a single course in the bar area or the terrace, unlike a lot of restaurants based in hotels. Willett’s is the kitchen for the food offering of the hotel, and I think it fits perfectly with the ambience of the hotel
As I mentioned earlier, the menu is designed to showcase the very best British produce and dishes. At first glance at the menu, this is very evident, crumpets, porridge, fish and chips all feature on the menu with a twist, of course.
Before that, I want to mention the delightful and surprising amuse-bouche that arrived. Chef Michael explained that if you visited his house, he would serve a cup of tea and a biscuit, for us visiting Willett’s, it was the same; a teapot, a tea cup arrived, and we were served with a bourbon-style biscuit. Of course, this was not tea but a rather delightful mushroom broth and the bourbon a mushroom cracker; it was a fun and delightful way to tickle our taste buds.
Onto the menu, first on the list is the crumpets, if you do visit Willett’s, you must try the crumpets. Homemade of course, served with either duck liver parfait, dressed Dorset crab, or penny bun mushroom with Wiltshire truffle. They were so good, we tried all three (the things I do for this website), and I can honestly say I could not pick a favourite. I will say that the parfait comes with the most delightful rhubarb jam.
Onto the starters, you could just order the crumpets and go straight to mains but you would be missing out. The starters continue the theme with scallops from Orkney, Scottish langoustine, Colchester oysters and English garden salad, amongst other British delights.
My choice was for a Wye Valley asparagus, fried duck egg, morels, wild garlic and hazelnut. My wife decided on Hand-dived Orkney scallop “scampi”, tartare sauce, she has difficulty moving past scallops when they are on the menu.
I’m just going to let the pictures do the talking on these two starters, no word needed from me, apart from mentioning that the “Scampi” comes from a very light crust coating on the scallop.
Onto the mains and the choices continued to cause indecision. Chef Michael’s signature beef wellington is on the menu. I was intrigued by the monkfish shank and tempted by the Sutton Hoo chicken and morel pie, but I decided on braised lamb faggot, wild garlic mashed potatoes, spring vegetables, and mint sauce. My wife went off the specials board for the sea trout, St George’s mushrooms, spring vegetables and Chapel Down sauce.
Now, a faggot is rarely seen on restaurant menus these days. It was a delightful flavour explosion, soft succulent lamb, perfectly cooked spring vegetables, and a big hit of mint and a gravy to die for. This was a delight, and I’m still thinking about it. Interestingly, this reads like a heavy winter dish, but it’s actually not at all; the freshness and the mint make it perfect for all year round. I can’t recommend it enough.
The trout was a big hit as well, resting on lovely spring vegetables, and that Chapel Down sauce took it to another level. I get a feeling the “Special” might make it to the main menu in summer.
We also had charred Hispi cabbage and smoked almonds as a side that worked perfectly with both mains.
Now, after crumpets, starters and main, we decided to share a pudding; however, we ended up ordering Granny Campbell’s sherry trifle and Lemon posset with raspberry sorbet. My wife jokingly (I think) requested a small spoon for me, Stéphane (who looked after us so well) decided to play along with the gag!
So with a small spoon in hand, I was ready for the desserts.
The trifle brought back many happy memories, as I’m sure it will for many people of a certain age. It turns out Granny Campbell is Michael’s grandmother, and is a tribute to her and her lovely trifle.
The lemon posset with the raspberry sorbet was the perfect sidekick to the sweet trifle; needless to say, we demolished both, even with my small spoon
Drink
To continue the theme, the wine list features a healthy contingent of English wines by the glass and by the bottle, along with classic wines from around the world. In fact, I enjoyed a couple of glasses of Bacchus, London Cru, apparently the grapes for this wine are pressed down the road in Fulham. My wife enjoyed her favourite Chapel Down fizz.
Although I did not try them, the signature cocktail list at Willett’s is a love letter to British ingredients, and it would be remiss not to mention it. Eight cocktails, all priced between £14 and £16, each rooted in something distinctly of this island. The Rhubarb Punch — Hendrick’s gin, Yorkshire rhubarb and goat milk — pays tribute to the famous Yorkshire rhubarb triangle, balancing sharpness with a confectionery sweetness that works beautifully. If something more savoury appeals, the Smoked Pears & Walnut is a genuinely inventive creation, built on a Stilton-washed rye whisky with Herefordshire pears and walnuts — the kind of cocktail that makes you stop and think. Surrey’s Spring, meanwhile, brings together Silent Pool gin, Chapel Down, lavender and honey cordial, and Saicho jasmine — floral, aromatic and very English. Several cocktails are also available in non-alcoholic versions, which is a thoughtful touch.
The Cadogan Hotel
The Cadogan is one of Chelsea’s most storied addresses. This elegant red-brick townhouse on the corner of Sloane Street and Pont Street has been part of the fabric of Chelsea since 1887 — and what a history it carries. The hotel is perhaps best known as the place where Oscar Wilde was arrested in 1895, having refused to flee despite his friends urging him to do so. Room 118, where Wilde was found, today forms part of the hotel’s Royal Suite. Then there is Lillie Langtry, actress and socialite, who lived at 21 Pont Street — a property later absorbed into the hotel — her room surviving to this day as Room 106. These are the kinds of details that give a hotel genuine character.
Now part of the Belmond group, The Cadogan has just 54 rooms, two-thirds of which are suites — intimate by London hotel standards, but that is precisely the point. Guests enjoy private access to Cadogan Place Gardens, a rare privilege in the heart of the city, and the interiors — original herringbone flooring, bronze detailing, antique mirrors — feel at once historic and thoroughly contemporary. It is the kind of hotel where you check in and immediately feel that you are somewhere genuinely special.
Conclusion
Well, dear reader, the sun was shining, the food was exceptional, and the tube strike was, in the end, entirely forgotten. Willett’s delivers on every front — from the charming amuse-bouche that sets the perfect tone, to crumpets that deserve a visit in their own right, to mains that demonstrate Michael Turner’s considerable talent for making honest British cooking sing. In a city full of restaurants chasing trends, it is deeply refreshing to find a kitchen that trusts the quality of its ingredients and the craft of its cooking. Add in Stéphane’s warm and attentive service — and his splendid sense of humour with the small spoon — and you have everything you need for a very happy lunch. Willett’s is the kind of neighbourhood restaurant that Chelsea, and frankly, all of London, deserves more of. I will most certainly be back.
Willett’s 75 Sloane St, London SW1X9SG
Review Date 24th April 2026
