Time’s up: James Cochran’s 12:51 to close later this month
Posting on Instagram, the former The Ledbury and The Harwood Arms chef didn’t give a reason for the closure, saying that he had decided it was ‘an end of a chapter for me’.
“I opened 12:51, fresh off my win on Great British Menu, looking to share my ethos that anyone could enjoy fine dining and classical cooking techniques without the stuffiness. Seeing that realised has been a dream,” the post reads.
“We have had countless guests come through our doors, and it has been an honour to serve every one of them, as well as work alongside all the staff members who have made 12:51 possible over the years. To all of you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Cochran launched 12:51 on Upper Street in 2018 after winning Great British Menu in the space that was once home to Chinese Laundry.
At the time Cochran - who is of Scottish and West Indian heritage - was best known for his James Cochran E3 restaurant in The City.
The restaurant is offers accessibly priced yet high reaching cuisine that makes clever use of spices and fermentation.
Dishes on the current menu include cured Cornish mackerel, Szechuan, oyster emulsion, Yorkshire rhubarb, blood orange and sea herbs; roast hogget, turnip and miso emulsion, salt baked turnip and spring onion; and Elderflower mousse with English strawberries, pink peppercorn and almonds.
Following 12:51’s launch, Cochran has developed a successful Scotch bonnet-based sauce brand and a fried chicken spin off delivery brand called Around the Cluck.
In 2022, the chef launched neighbourhood-style bar and fried chicken restaurant Valderrama’s close to 12:51 but the venture closed less than a year later.
