Capturing every dish with our new Soho Recipe Journal.
The best recipes are often those that have been refined and revisited time and time again. For Thomas Straker – chef, restaurateur, and entrepreneur – the journey to the perfect dish is always ongoing, and his most trusted culinary collaborator is the page.
Whether he’s immersed in the fast-paced precision of his eponymous Notting Hill restaurant or developing new ideas in the quiet of his studio, Thomas returns to the pages of his Soho Recipe Journal to hone and reflect on his ever-evolving repertoire.
"I’ve always liked writing recipes down properly," Thomas notes, "Not just the ingredients, but how it actually felt when you cooked it. What worked, what didn’t… what you’d pair it with and what you’d change next time"
A new addition to our collection, the journal is designed as the quintessential kitchen companion, to collect and capture everything from treasured family favourites to new discoveries. Handcrafted in Panama leather with our signature blue Featherweight pages, it’s thoughtfully divided into indexed sections spanning food stores, first courses, mains, sides, and desserts, providing a structured way to capture the finer details of a dish – from seasonal ingredients to specific timings and methods.
"A good recipe isn’t really finished the first time you make it," he explains. "I keep them all together now in my Smythson Soho Recipe Journal, so it’s easy to revisit dishes and slowly improve them".
Thomas’ latest entry is a Chicken with Tarragon – a masterclass in classic cooking, combining crisp skin and glossy sauce, perfected over many iterations before earning a permanent place on the page.
