Feed People Well: ROVI by Ottolenghi

Ottolenghi is not a vegetarian brand; rather, this is well considered and beautifully executed vegetable-first cooking. “We are intentional at putting vegetables at the centre of our menus and using the best ingredients we can,” Neil explains. “There is so much flavour potential — you just have to work a bit harder. This is where extra creativity and innovation comes in.” The team works to share this passion with customers through their books, their Substack and on their websites. 

Feeding this creativity is a continued commitment to ‘root-to-shoot’ cooking. “We try to use as much of each ingredient as possible to appreciate the effort that goes into producing our food,” says Andy Frantzeskos, Head Chef at ROVI. “We make as much as we can in-house, with the exception of a few things that we cannot do any better (listed in the ‘pantry’ sections of our books).” 

Menus at ROVI also feature some fish and meat, and Andy explains that these are always carefully sourced. “Last year, we relaunched the ROVI menu with an extra commitment to sourcing from regenerative producers. Supporting farmers who prioritise quality helps us to keep our standards high and our menus interesting.” He’s proud to share that the team at ROVI has been working with many of the same suppliers for a long time — including The Ethical Butcher, Lake District Farmers and Brambletye, a small Sussex business growing biodynamic fruit — and they have become meaningful partners in creating a memorable guest experience. “Our long-term partnerships allow us to source regeneratively, plan ahead and innovate together. That consistency shows up on the plate.” 

Feeding people well at ROVI 

While there is no formal policy in place for providing healthy food at ROVI, “it’s just how we operate,” says Andy, as a result of both their plant-forward approach and their cooking style. “Our kitchens naturally lean toward whole ingredients and scratch cooking. We like to indulge — with foods like cheese, butter and sweets — but we try to make those choices count.” Creating ferments and pickles from seasonal produce helps the team to reduce waste and increase flavour, while also adding gut-friendly elements to the dishes on offer. Cooking from scratch and making good use of these flavour-building techniques also means that they can achieve delicious results without any need for added preservatives and stabilisers. “We’re always trying to make the most of what we have, and to push every dish a bit further.” 

Cooking methods can also make a difference to how healthy a dish is. “We grill, roast and steam where possible, bringing out the natural character of the ingredients,” says Andy. “We aim to offer balance across the menu — including both rich, comforting dishes and lighter, fresher options.” Even ROVI desserts make the most of fresh produce: think five spiced pumpkin fritters with tangerine and Aleppo chilli maple syrup; black barley miso fudge; or fennel meringue. “Above everything else, we want to push each dish to be big on flavour and complexity,” says Andy. “Using in-season veg lets us add savoury elements to our desserts, supporting our great suppliers while we’re at it.” 

Restaurants play a big role in shaping cultural norms; by helping to normalise and facilitate alcohol-free socialising, they can contribute towards better public health, both mental and physical. Recognising this, ROVI offers no- and low-alcohol drinks that are just as considered as the cocktail list. “If someone’s not drinking alcohol, they still get a drink that’s seasonal, layered and interesting,” says Andy. Meanwhile, their wine lists celebrate organic, biodynamic producers who practise low intervention wine making.

Creative challenges 

Neil says it’s important to acknowledge that cooking from scratch takes time and skill. “You can’t rush a ferment or shortcut a marinade,” he says, “but we’ve built this into how we train, test and plan our menus.” This approach has yielded better control over both waste and cost. “It also means we’re less reliant on external suppliers for processed goods,” he says. 

ROVI also has its own dedicated growing space called Wolves Lane, where they grow a huge abundance of produce throughout the year. “Tomatoes, cucumbers, tromboncino squash, radish, different varieties of beans, loads of herbs and a variety of salad greens all year round. We have chillies, too, this year,” lists Andy. “Having our own growing space was important to us to create that farm-to-table aspect and to keep our menus in tune with the seasons.” He observes that working with seasonal vegetables places inevitable limits on availability but, rather than curbing creativity, this has the opposite effect: “It forces us to be more inventive and more connected to what’s growing. Our menus are a celebration of our harvests.” 

This growing space comes with its own logistical challenges — things like costs, pest management and labour — but Andy says that this is worth the extra work. “The effort we have seen go into the farm has made the team even more aware of using as much of the ingredient as possible. For instance, we realised last year that the tops of the courgettes were wasted, so this year our challenge is to turn them into a nibble or incorporate them into a dish. Similarly, the leaves from our chilli plant will become a preserve.” 

Bringing innovation to the table 

Innovation is a core value across Ottolenghi sites and plays a central role in keeping their dishes delicious as well as nourishing. “It’s not about mimicking — it’s about reimagining,” says Neil. “Take our butter bean aioli, for instance: it’s rich and satisfying without needing eggs. We’re always testing in the restaurants and the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen — whether it’s a new ferment, a house-made alternative to a processed ingredient, a seasonal substitute or trying to come up with a solution to a commonly wasted ingredient.” 

The team is very proud of this creative approach and of how far they continue to push the boundaries of plant-forward cooking. “Our celeriac shawarma at ROVI (pictured above) is a great example — it’s plant-based and packed with flavour, and often surprises even the most die-hard meat eaters. It’s been a best-seller from day one, and it’s changed a lot of minds about what vegetables can do.” 

Sharing all of this work with guests is important. “At ROVI, we redesigned the menu to tell the story of some of our suppliers and explain why the choices we make are important to us for flavour, for impact and for longevity,” says Andy. “Guests ask questions; we find that they’re curious about ingredients and they want to try new things. Some of our best conversations have come from surprising people — whether it’s a plant-based dish they didn’t expect to enjoy, or a flavour combination that sticks with them.” 

Food Made Good at ROVI 

ROVI completed the Food Made Good Standard in 2019 and again in 2024, earning an impressive two stars each time. “The Standard gave us a solid framework — a way to benchmark where we were, identify areas to improve and create more alignment across teams,” says Andy. “We chose to get extra support for our first round, which helped us translate what we already do into the language of the Standard and make it digestible for our teams.”  

He shares that the process helped the Ottolenghi team to articulate what they often do instinctively, and encouraged them to take a closer look at things like menu balance, communication and waste tracking. “It also helped start conversations with suppliers and staff about how we can do better — without losing what makes our food special.” 

What’s next for ROVI? 

We wrap up our conversation by asking what the next big focus for innovation at ROVI will be. “We’re focusing on where waste happens most — prep offcuts, overproduction, things that don’t get used quickly enough —and turning that into a source of inspiration,” says Andy. “We’re thinking about creating a menu centred around this to drive the conversation around the potential in ‘waste’. Some of our best ferments, sauces and dishes have come from looking at surplus differently. We’re building menus that allow us to absorb waste into new, sellable dishes without compromising quality.” 

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