THE TELLER
theteller.co.uk // 442 Abbeydale Road, S7 1FR
One of the most anticipated additions to the Abbeydale Road dining scene in recent years has been The Teller, a joint-vision between Al Stevens, Andy Mastin and chef patron Sam Armitage. Following their opening in December, we caught up with Sam about inspirations behind the venue and what Sheffield foodies can expect…
What is the ethos behind the menu at The Teller?
We won’t put anything on this menu which we wouldn’t order or eat ourselves, and we’ve got some really great chefs on our team who’ve worked in some brilliant places. Personally, I’ve worked in Michelin-starred restaurants and was The Milestone’s youngest head chef, so some of the menu is essentially inspired by a collection of experiences in my career and life. We all have an opinion and input on the food we serve and we work hard to make sure everything is perfect. We’ve got some really good vegan dishes on there, such as my signature curry roasted cauliflower dish, and everything is made with a strict minimal waste policy – that’s very important to us.
Can you give us an example of the minimal waste policy in action?
Yes, so the cauliflower curry for example – the florets will be used, the cores get pulsed down into cauliflower rice, the leaves will be crushed up and used with the curry salt, and then it’s served with a vegan masala sauce, some tamarind gel and some chive oil. The colours on the plate together represent the Indian flag. My grandfather was a chef – the masala sauce is actually one of his recipes – and is from West Bengal, so there’s a personal touch there too.
So the vegan side is well catered for, but there’s also plenty on there for meat-eaters.
Yeah, there are a good eight or nine strong vegan dishes on there, but we also do a lot of nose-to-tail eating too. There’s pheasant and partridge from the Sedgwick Estate, from which we’ll use the whole bird – again to ensure there’s no waste. Just today I’ve made scratchings from the stale sourdough bread after the weekend – a technique learned from higher-end establishments, because that is essentially what we’re doing here: bringing a high standard of food into a relaxed, pub-like atmosphere. Plus we’ve got some great front of house staff to ensure incredible service to go with it.
We’ve heard a whisper that the Sunday roasts are bit a special too?
We do have an amazing Sunday lunch menu. We serve three main courses – porchetta pork, rib of beef and a vegan wellington of the week – where the idea is you order a main and build a family-style Sunday dinner out of it with side-dish selections. A big table can pre-order a full joint and the chef will either carve it at the table or the customers can do it themselves, if they want to have that more homely, family feel to it. We’ve had some incredible feedback on them so far.
Was the growing food and drink scene a motivation in moving to Abbeydale Road?
Oh, absolutely. The building itself is actually my grandma’s old bank! It’s funny how these things work out but there’s another little connection. We’re friends with Two Thirds and The Gin Bar, so there’s no stepping on toes and we all support each other. It’s all fallen together brilliantly, a little bit like fate, and we’ve got a wonderful kitchen to work in. We’re just keen to make good on our promise and be the best that we can be.
