Just behind Borough Market, Lupins continues to serve one of London’s most consistently exceptional rotating menus from its cosy, warmly lit nook on Union Street. The restaurant’s latest cycle, running from 5th to 19th August, is a two-week collaboration with Natoora, a produce supplier known for sourcing directly from small-scale growers across the UK and Europe. Here, the menu focusses on summer ingredients, satisfying dishes, and using lesser-seen produce to elevate familiar flavours with deliciously original pairings.
The collection is made up of small plates designed for sharing, giving diners the opportunity to explore its offering far and wide. Highlights include rare onglet served with flat piattone beans and anchovy, and a tender slow–cooked lamb shoulder with datterini tomato, marjoram and olive. A crostini with ricotta and chilli honey is the perfect meal opener (or indeed the ideal partner for a glass of crisp white wine), delivering sharp notes along with a rich, creamy texture.
There’s also grilled mackerel with gooseberry and jalapeño salsa; lemon sole with girolles and chive butter; and confit chicken leg served with a tangle of sweet tomato and summer herbs. Along with a choice of thick, indulgent chocolate-based desserts, a fresh peach tart with a cooling crème fraiche is also on the menu, to elegantly close off the evening.
Many of the ingredients come directly from Natoora’s network of over 1,200 farms and producers. Barattiere and Carosello cucumbers are sourced from Puglia, sentinel watermelon from Lombardy, gooseberries from Cornwall, and fragrant summer herbs from Campania and Liguria. Every dish begins with one of these raw ingredients, with the rest built around it, spotlighting the emphasis on freshness in every piece of the meal.
Lupins opened in 2017 and has quietly built a reputation for its focussed, ingredient-led cooking. Head Chef Ben Miller, who took over the kitchen in 2020, brings skill and creative flair to the food, having taken an unconventional journey to cooking, and shaped by years in Australia, York, and London. Natoora’s focus on flavour and sourcing makes them a strong partner for Miller’s kitchen, where the value is placed on the origin of the produce, how it’s handled, and the delicious comforting food that is cooked up as a result.
You’ll find Lupins at 66 Union St, London SE1 1TD, with the limited-run Lupins x Natoora menu available until 19th August. Keep up to date with its rotating menus and more right here.
