Ben Spalding to take over the kitchens at The Laundry E8

Spalding, who left Islington venue John Salt in December 2012​, has spent the last two years building up his events business Stripped Back and No Rules​, but said he missed the thrill of working in a restaurant. 

"I've done a lot of private events and learned a lot about running a business over the last two years, but I just wasn't cooking any more and I missed it," he told BigHospitality. 

"I wanted to do something fresh and new. I'm always reinventing myself in different ways and when I was approached to be at The Laundry I jumped at the chance." 

Spalding and a team of 11 staff will run the canteen and bar space at the venue in London Fields for one month from Wednesday 4 February. The chef said although the initial contract was for a month, there was the potential for him to be there longer. 

Simple, accessible​

The 60-cover restaurant will be open seven days a week for breakfast Monday to Friday, and lunch and dinner Monday to Sunday. Dinner Tuesday to Sunday will be a 5-5-5 course a la carte option with either a four (£29) or seven (£49) tasting course menu available on Friday and Saturday evenings. A roast will be served on Sundays. 

Spalding said he wanted to deliver creative food in a relaxed setting and crucially make it accessible to everyone. 

"It will be a relaxed restaurant, a bit similar to what I did at John Salt," he said. "It has the potential to be one of the finest restaurants in London and I think the pricing makes it accessible to everyone. People will be able to come and eat at the bar, like they did at John Salt, for under a tenner.

"I'm really excited about cooking in a restaurant again. We'll see how the month goes first and then potentially be there for longer."