In the Kitchen with Elliot's

At Elliot's, the focus is simple: great produce, treated with care and cooked over fire. 

 

`

In the Kitchen With is an original series from Honest Toil exploring the chefs, kitchens and restaurants using our extra virgin olive oil every day. Through conversations, dishes and behind-the-scenes moments, the series captures the people shaping thoughtful, ingredient-led cooking and the role olive oil plays in restaurant kitchens across London.

Chef Matt Tarantini has spent over two decades cooking, much of that time in London kitchens, refining a style that puts produce first. The current menu reflects that: stripped back, fire-led, and built around standout ingredients. “Each dish is focused on one thing,” he explains. “Then just lifted slightly – nothing overcomplicated.”

That approach carries through to one of Elliot's’ longest-standing dishes: the Wood-fired cheesecake, with rhubarb and olive oil.

Cooked in the wood oven, it’s a staple that’s been on the menu for over a decade – though the current iteration is the result of recent refinement. “We tweaked the recipe about three months ago,” Matt says. “We moved to British cream cheese from Longley Farm in Yorkshire, British eggs, and cream from Northiam Dairy. It’s about being more thoughtful with sourcing.”

 

The result is a richer, more savoury cheesecake – closer in style to a New York cheesecake, with depth coming from the quality of the dairy. It’s finished simply: rhubarb, Madagascan vanilla, rose – and a final drizzle of Honest Toil olive oil.

That finishing touch speaks to a broader philosophy in the kitchen. Honest Toil appears across the menu – in vinaigrettes, salads, and as a balancing element. “A lot of dishes just get a nice drizzle,” Matt explains. “It cuts through richness and brings everything together.”

It’s also used more technically: blended into oils for confit, or folded into everyday prep. After trying several oils early on, Matt landed on Honest Toil and hasn’t looked back.

“It was the best one. We’ve been using it for years now – in the kitchen and at home.”

At home, the approach is even simpler: “I mostly just drizzle it on things – tomatoes, eggs. It’s just a really lovely flavour.”

Back at Elliot's, that same restraint defines the food. The menu has recently shifted away from its more Italian leanings towards something broader – ingredient-led, produce-driven, and rooted in fire cooking. Almost everything that leaves the kitchen is touched by flame, whether from the grill or the wood oven.

“It’s a cliché,” Matt admits, “but we really do focus on the produce.”

At Elliot's, that focus is what makes the difference.

Try the Wood-fired cheesecake, with rhubarb and olive oil today at Elliot's Borough Market or Hackney!