JiveVlog

The Lost Kitchen teeters on the edge of Tiverton, a town in mid Devon. Once a large farm building, some kind of shed, it’s been converted into a restaurant. 

I’d almost say lovingly, except I know that’s not the actual experience of doing these things. If you have a farm and you have a shed that you wish to use for things other than animal shelter – say as a horse arena, tennis court, swimming pool, garage for your classic cars, recording studio, artist residence, Airbnb, marijuana factory or restaurant – the process contains little in the way of love. Think frustration, exasperation, bewilderment, sleep-deprivation, bank-balance destruction and days when your overriding thought will be, why are we bothering?

So when I see something like The Lost Kitchen I’m swelling with admiration before I’ve even walked in. For this converted shed has the checklist of dreams: location (nodding to the town and country); parking; outside seating; a fun hotchpotch of chairs swiped, possibly, from every conceivable local auction house and eBay; tables made from neighbouring trees; colourful art, hanging stars and curtains; a shop selling baskets, cards, wrapping paper and chopping boards; and a vast, white-domed wood-fired oven.

The oven, and the pass with heat lamps adding a warm glow to the food, greets you at the entrance with an enveloping, welcome-to-our-cave spirit. And while the ingredients are local, of course, the inspiration is from rather further afield: North Africa, Lebanon, Turkey… it’s a grab from around the world of whatever dishes feel cosy, shareable, rustic and informal. More Shoreditch than Devon, it’s an international menu to cure a hangover. 

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