Hide and Seed – Putney, London

I’m a tremendous loyalist to South West London. Its leafy commons and open spaces, albeit slightly yuppie population, make for quite the pleasant lifestyle; one which I wouldn’t swap for feeling perpetually uncool in the East. Putney is a quintessentially South West district. It feels like a small village, plonked alongside the amenities of London, and is full of beautiful old riverside pubs. It only lacks, in my opinion, outlets for the forward trends of food and mixology that more urban London provides. Unlike some of the pop ups I’ve been to elsewhere, you’re never going to find some pop up in Putney where you’re served Korean hot dogs or burgers made from spaghetti buns,  all whilst inhaling nitrous oxide out of a boot. Nor is this wrong; Putney is classic, it would jar.  

So when Hide and Seed opened this Spring, there was definitely room for a restaurant that combined classic rural ambience with something a little more modern. Its décor emulates this; deer horns, hides and dusky lighting, coupled with bare bulbs, wood and vividly coloured furnishings punctuating conservative tartans. Its menus continue this theme. The bar offers natural cocktails made using berries, savoury herbs and spices that are well-made and a little bit different. Food-wise, Head Chef Ricardo Soares uses produce grown on the hotelier’s own farm to blend traditional flavours and modern techniques; cabrito goat and rosemary, beef with burnt onion, 22 hour cooked pig’s head and butternut squash crème brulee. 

Hide and Seed brings a welcome touch of creativity to Putney’s dining scene and I’ll certainly be back. Non-South West residents, make the trip and try it – the District Line isn’t that scary.