Simon on BBC Newsnight
Last night, Simon Rogan appeared on BBC Newsnight alongside fellow industry figures Yotam Ottolenghi, Tom Kerridge and Ravneet Gill to discuss the current state of hospitality in Britain, the pressures facing independent restaurants, and why the industry matters far beyond the dining room.
The discussion highlighted a reality that we feel daily - restaurants are not isolated businesses. They support entire ecosystems.
At our restaurants, that ecosystem stretches far beyond our kitchens. It starts with our growers at Our Farm in Cartmel and continues through the kitchens, where apprentices, young chefs and front-of-house teams learn skills that will set them up for life. It extends even further into regional communities, B&Bs and other local accommodation, transport, cleaning services, construction, laundry suppliers, florists, ceramics makers and countless independent businesses that all play a part in the story.
At the same time, hospitality businesses across the UK continue to face increasing pressure from rising labour costs, energy prices, supplier inflation and ongoing uncertainty within the wider economy. Independent restaurants often feel these pressures most sharply.
Despite the challenges, hospitality remains one of the most rewarding industries in the country. Restaurants create moments of connection and escape. They create careers, nurture creativity and help preserve food cultures and traditions.
For us, the future of hospitality is not only about protecting restaurants themselves, but protecting the wider network of people and communities that exist around them.