Britain’s First Insect-Only Restaurant is Sure to Take Care of Your Protein Intake

With the on-going beef ban controversy and people struggling to find meat alternatives, looks like India’s answer could lie in this new culinary tradition started by a restaurant in Wales. A little over a fortnight ago, St. Davids in Pembrokeshire became home to Grub Kitchen, Britain’s first insect-only restaurant.

Chef Andy Holcroft says about his restaurant, “Grub Kitchen was inspired by the need to change our views on where our protein comes from.”

Holcroft is deeply enthusiastic about entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, and has found a way to use his passion in constructive ways as he says his restaurant is a lot about,

…the need to encourage the public to look at alternative protein sources, particularly insects. We are not saying not to eat meat, but eat meat less. We do not need meat with every meal, every day. This is putting a huge strain on our already oversubscribed agricultural industry.

The restaurant teams up insects with sweet chilli and coriander, wild mushroom, cheese and peppercorn, to name a few. Some of the favourite dishes so far include onion and spinach bug bhaji, toasted cumin mealworm hummus, and the cricket chocolate and peanut butter cookies.

I believe insects are great because not only are they very sustainable to produce, they also taste great — used in the right way of course! But they are a vastly untapped ingredient in the kitchen with new tastes and textures. Until now, that is! …People are realising that as soon as you get your mind around the fact that you’re eating bugs, they are delicious, exciting and healthy…I wouldn’t expect everyone to like them, in the same way I wouldn’t expect everyone to like fish or mushrooms or pork.

Chef Holcraft at work frying them tiny buggers.

Needless to say, this could be quite a big hit in a country like India -well-supplied with its share of all kinds of insects -mosquitoes likely to be a seasonal favourite. Yet we would pass on the creepy-crawlies in our plate. What about you?