Fergus Henderson | |
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 Fergus Henderson at theOxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, September 2009 | |
| Born | (1963-07-31)31 July 1963 (age 62) |
| Education | King Alfred School[2] |
| Alma mater | Architectural Association |
| Spouse | Margot Henderson |
| Children | 3 |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | British cuisine |
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Current restaurant | |
Fergus HendersonOBE (born 31 July 1963)[3] is an Englishchef who founded the restaurantSt. John on St John Street in London. He is known for his use ofoffal and other neglected cuts of meat as a consequence of his philosophy ofnose to tail eating. Following in the footsteps of his parents, Brian and Elizabeth Henderson, he trained as an architect at theArchitectural Association in London.[4][5] Most of his dishes are derived from traditionalBritish cuisine and the wines are all French.
ChefsAnthony Bourdain andMario Batali have both praised Henderson for his dishes, which optimiseBritish food while making full use of the whole animal. The criticA. A. Gill retracted his initial hostility to St John in theSunday Times.[6]
Henderson had no formal training in cooking, and has never worked under any other chef. In 1992 Henderson and his wife, Margot, opened the French House Dining Room at Soho'sFrench House pub before he left to open the St. JOHN restaurant in 1994.[7] St. JOHN was awarded aMichelin star in 2009.[8]
In 2003 he opened St. John Bread and Wine inSpitalfields, London. A second St John restaurant within the hotel in Chinatown was awarded aMichelin star in 2009. This venue is no longer open.
In 1999 Henderson publishedNose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking in which he provides recipes incorporatingtrotters,tripe,kidneys,chitterlings and other animal parts.[9] The book explains the philosophy behind his cooking explaining that "it seems common sense and even polite to the animal to use all of it. Rather than being testosterone-fuelled blood-lust, it actually seems to be a gentle approach to meat eating."[10] In 2007, he published a sequel,Beyond Nose To Tail, and in 2012The Complete Nose to Tail: A Kind of British Cooking.
Henderson opened a hotel in spring 2011 that was described by his business partner Trevor Gulliver as being 'in the St John vernacular'.[11] It was located inLondon's Chinatown district nearLeicester Square 1 Leicester Street. The hotel went into administration in October 2012, and was sold and subsequently closed.
Henderson is married to fellow chefMargot Henderson; the couple have three children.[12]
He was diagnosed withParkinson's disease in 1998.[13] In 2005 he underwent innovativeDeep Brain Stimulation which improved his mobility.[7]
He was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2005, and was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the2021 New Year Honours for services to the culinary arts.[14]
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