Andrew Sawyer, Executive Chef at Brown’s Hotel in London, oversees the culinary direction across Charlie’s, The Drawing Room, The Donovan Bar and in-room dining, working closely with Michelin-starred Chef Director Adam Byatt across the property’s food offering.

Before joining Brown’s, Sawyer was Executive Chef at The River Restaurant by Gordon Ramsay at The Savoy, having previously opened Siren at The Goring and worked as Head Chef at The Capital Hotel under Nathan Outlaw.

In our interview, Sawyer discusses his approach to modern British cooking and the true importance of provenance and seasonality.

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When did you first fall in love with cooking?

I would say I fell in love with eating before I fell in love with cooking. Family gatherings were always a huge affair for us, with relatives travelling from all over the country and from Ireland to gather at my grandparents’ house. Everyone would bring something to the table, whether that was an ingredient or a dish, and my grandparents would often travel to Ireland and come back with meat from their favourite butcher.

One memory that has really stayed with me was from when I first started out as a chef. It was my first day on cold starters, and I was slicing red and yellow peppers. The sun was shining through the window, music was playing in the background, pans were clattering, the kitchen was humming around me, and there was this buzz from the other chefs. I remember feeling nervous and excited, wondering whether I would be ready in time for service. It was such a simple ingredient, but the colours, smells and atmosphere completely hooked me. That feeling has stayed with me ever since — even after I managed to cut every finger on my left hand before the end of that week. I would like to say I never cut myself again, but that would be a lie.

How would you describe your culinary style?

Our style at Charlie’s is modern British, rooted in seasonality and built around exceptional produce. We spend as much time thinking about where our ingredients come from as we do cooking them. Whether it is scallops sourced from a free diver in Devon, fish landed by small day boats in Cornwall, organic vegetables harvested from farms nearby, or meat from regenerative producers in Sussex, we want every ingredient to tell a story.

At Charlie’s, our aim has been to create a style that feels completely our own, but also very much connected to Brown’s Hotel. We want the food, the presentation and even the crockery to feel recognisable and synonymous with Charlie’s. Our dishes are seasonal and often have several variations throughout the year, allowing us to work with ingredients when they are at their very best. I believe in keeping plates focused, usually with three to five key ingredients, so that nothing feels too busy. Every element has to have a purpose. It cannot just be there for visual effect; it has to bring balance, flavour and meaning to the dish.

What is your culinary vision for the menu at Charlie’s?

Working alongside Chef Director Adam Byatt has shaped the way we think about food at Charlie’s. Adam has an extraordinary ability to take the best of British culinary heritage and reinterpret it with precision and restraint. Everything begins with flavour, exceptional ingredients and respect for provenance, and that philosophy runs through every decision we make. We work very closely together, and there are three key principles we always come back to: if it is a classic, stay true to it; it has to be seasonal; and above all, it has to be full of flavour.

Innovation at Charlie’s does not mean adding complexity for its own sake. It means finding better ways to celebrate exceptional British produce. Our dedicated fish-ageing cabinet allows us to dry-age selected fish to deepen flavour and improve texture, while herbs grown within the kitchen can be picked moments before service. These details allow us to honour classic British cooking while continually refining it. We are guided by the seasons and, really, by nature, letting the ingredients that are at their best shape what goes onto the menu.

Do you have a favourite dish on the menu?

One of my favourite dishes on the menu at the moment is Bluefin Tuna, Pea and Jalapeño Tea, Apple and Mint. It is a dish that really reflects the way we like to cook at Charlie’s — clean, seasonal and focused, but still with layers of freshness, acidity and heat. It captures a lot of what we stand for: carefully sourced fish, seasonal vegetables and clean flavours that allow each ingredient to shine rather than compete. It is a very precise dish, but it still feels generous and full of flavour, which is always the balance we are looking for.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned during your career?

Assume nothing and expect anything to happen. In kitchens, things can change very quickly, and you have to be prepared for that. The important thing is to stay calm, adapt and learn from every situation.

What are the biggest challenges faced by the hospitality sector at the moment, and how are you tackling them?

Staffing is probably one of the biggest challenges the industry is facing at the moment. With the rise in minimum wage, National Insurance contributions and the cost of living in London at an all-time high, margins are incredibly tight. I am pleased that chefs are being paid better than they were in the past. I spent years working very long hours for very little money, although I would not change that because it helped make me who I am today.

But the industry has changed, and progression can feel much quicker now. Years ago, it might take six or seven years to become a chef de partie, whereas now some chefs can feel under pressure to move through the ranks very quickly. For me, experience is still so important. Mistakes – or lessons, as we call them – are a vital part of becoming a better chef. If you do not make the same mistake twice, then you have learned from it. Those lessons give you another layer of experience that will benefit you in the future. At Charlie’s, we try to support the team by creating an environment where people can learn properly, develop their skills and feel proud of what they are doing.

Which chefs have inspired you?

Adam Byatt has obviously had a huge influence on the way we approach food at Charlie’s. I also really admire Nathan Outlaw, Fergus Henderson and Andrew Wong. They are all very different chefs, but each has a very clear identity and a deep respect for ingredients, which is something I really value.

What is your approach to sustainability in your cooking?

Sustainability, provenance and the environment are central to everything we do at Charlie’s and across the hotel. For us, it is about working closely with farmers, fishermen and producers whose standards are as uncompromising as ours, and ensuring complete traceability behind what we serve.

All of our scallops are sourced from a free diver in Devon, our fish comes from small day boats, and we work directly with regenerative farmers who care as much about the health of the land as the quality of the produce. We also use an in-house dry-ageing system for selected fish, including Dover sole, hake and bluefin tuna, which helps deepen flavour, improve texture and allow us to use each fish more efficiently. Every ingredient has a place, a season and a story, and our relationships with producers influence the menu as much as the seasons do.

What would you like your next project to be?

Ultimately, we would like Charlie’s to become recognised as one of the UK’s leading showcases for British produce. That means working directly with individual farmers, fishermen, cheesemakers and growers to develop ingredients specifically for us. The closer those relationships become, the better the food becomes. We already have a farmer who supplies us directly with eggs, and we would love to build on that model across more areas of the menu. It takes a lot of planning, but it is something we have been working on for some time, so fingers crossed.

What is your favourite dish, and who cooks it?

It would have to be an Ulster fry. It is a huge fried breakfast, and my mother and grandmother would always make one on Boxing Day, complete with a piece of fried Christmas pudding. If I cannot wait until Boxing Day, then being a Cockney, it would have to be pie and mash from R Kelly’s in Bethnal Green.