WORK • Wednesday Routine
ED TEMPLETON • director and co-founder • Carousel
Neighbourhood you work in: Fitzrovia
Neighbourhood you live in: Highbury
It’s Wednesday morning, what’s the scene at your workplace?
There's always so much going on at Carousel, I try to be at the restaurant as often as I can. Every day is different, and I really feed off the energy of the place. Our guest chefs are evenings-only, so we work out of the chef residency kitchen during the day. My clothes often end up smelling of onions, but I love being close to the action and getting to know all the different characters who come and cook with us.
What’s on the agenda for today?
A call with a festival partner for the summer, interviewing a new hire, shortlisting dishes for an upcoming neighbourhood opening, catching up with our PR team at Gemma Bell & Company, Carousel's weekly operations meeting, checking in with the Ashcombe estate team on our upcoming WildKitchen collaboration. And right this second, typing up my notes from yesterday's strategy meeting at Shoreditch Arts Club (with a bánh mì for company).
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
My kids (2 and 4) are obsessed with Tofu Vegan, so we'll probably go there for a family lunch this weekend. I've also got dinner on Thursday at an unassuming place called Raavi Kebab on Drummond Street. We're the UK operator of Goila Butter Chicken (a happy accident born out of the pandemic). Ahead of our launch at Fulham Pier in a couple of months, my friend who's from Delhi (and a big Goila Butter Chicken fan) has vowed to take me to all his favourite Indian spots for menu inspiration.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I recently took my kids to the British Museum. They were really taken with the hieroglyphics, although the main talking point has been the chocolate muffin I bribed them with to survive the hour-long queue. My brother (and Carousel co-founder) Ollie got us tickets for Eliades Ochoa at the Barbican. He's the last remaining member of the Buena Vista Social Club. Our dad was a big fan, so we grew up listening to them.
Any weekend getaways?
I'm deep in the maelstrom of having two young children, and with another one on the way, weekend breaks have been thin on the ground. But we recently had a night at Oakley Court in Berkshire which was exactly what we were hoping for — scrabble by the fire, a long walk along the Thames and a night of unbroken sleep. I loved the contrast of the Victorian Gothic and contemporary interiors. No fries on the bar menu though?!
What was your last great vacation?
My dad lived in Andalusia, and my brothers and I have been going since we were kids. Recently, we were there as a family last summer. The coast is amazing with some properly amazing places to eat if you know where to look — Los Marinos José towards Malaga is a big favourite, and I could spend days eating my way around the freidurías of Cádiz. The real beauty, however, lies inland in less trodden cities like Jerez, where you can tour the tabancos for hours, and the incredible landscape of the Los Alcornocales Natural Park, where there are some very special walks.