The Culpeper “woodland” rooftop review

The Culpeper family of pubs has some fine establishments across London. The original pub is on Commercial Street in Spitalfields with a first-floor restaurant, five hotel bedrooms and a roof top garden and greenhouse.

I first visited back in 2021 when the roof was lined with beds growing vegetables, and panoramic views overlooking iconic buildings such as the Gherkin. The planting boxes have been removed and the space reconfigured with wispy trees between the tables and around the edges creating a rooftop woodland with silver birch, apple and hazel trees. They flutter in the sunlight on a beautiful day and provide shade for diners which I am sure will be a welcome relief come the hotter summer months.

The Culpeper Rooftop. Image courtesy of The Culpeper. Image credit Ola Smit.

While vegetables are no longer being grown, the garden is still the source of edible plants and herbs for the use of the kitchen. The concept is connected to the history of the building which is named after the 17th century botanist Nicholas Culpeper hence additionally blackberries, wild strawberries, mint woodruff and other greenery has been planted and features heavily along with produce grown at a Deptford Farm.  The team at The Culpeper appears to be a happy and cohesive one which always translates to the ambiance of the place. I so wonder if in part it is due to their sense of belonging to where they work. The team all work in rotation at the farm which is a wonderful initiative benefiting everyone - promoting a connection to the land and gaining first-hand in-depth knowledge of the produce going on the menu and being proud of what they are putting in front of their diners.

Head Chef Anthony Knott has created The Great Woodland Grill Menu which is served at lunch then in the evenings becomes more of a bar with nibbles serving the smaller plates and substantial snack specials.

We arrived at The Culpeper on a spectacularly sunny Friday and hiked up to the rooftop. There is quite a few stairs to get up there, but totally worth it. The menu shouts summertime, with the smaller plates covering a range of vegetables from beetroot to asparagus to peas and the larger plates coming from the grill. The smaller plate selection is particularly friendly for vegetarians.

The Culpeper Rooftop. Image courtesy of The Culpeper. Image credit Ola Smit.

We began with their Wildfarmed Sourdough Field Loaf which comes with an artistically scraped dollop of Estate Butter sprinkled with salt flakes and cracked pepper.  Landing at our table first was the Blue Pea & Mint, Cucumber & Radishes – the freshness of flavour was a treat. The mild pickling of the radishes is a nice touch, slightly softening them but still leaving them with ample crunch. We also ordered the Goat’s Curd, Beetroot, Hazelnut, the curd would have benefitted from a bit of seasoning. We eyed the grilled Asparagus with Salad Cream but will save this for when we return. Planning the next meal is just what I do, can’t help myself!

The main dishes really hit the mark. My dining companion is vegetarian, hence had an easy choice with just one option available, but what a star it was – Leeks, Green Sauce, Toasted Cheddar Breadcrumbs. Presentation was earthy in the best possible way with the leeks presented with their roots intact. The leeks were organically of varying size, and I was eying the thicker leeks thinking they would not be cooked long enough. Shame on me for doubting them. They were perfect. And the copious amounts of green sauce upon which the leeks sat was a match made in heaven. I opted for the meatier dish of Lamb Ribs & Chops, Mint Sauce – it really should have been called “Sticky Lamb” because it is marinated and basted giving a most delicious texture and taste to the meat. So good I marched myself to the kitchen to find out the marinade ingredients, the chefs pointed to the man in charge as only he knows. There was some murmuring about burnt honey and the rest is secret. It was a generous portion and would be easy to share leaving you to order more of their delicious small plates. The mint sauce was perfect for cutting through the richness of the lamb, as were the sides recommended to us - the Cornish Early Potato Salad and Cabbage & Carrot Slaw.

The Culpeper Rooftop. Image courtesy of The Culpeper. Image credit Ola Smit.

There is just one dessert on the menu and that’s just fine by me as it is their version of an Eton Mess (one of my top 3 favourite desserts). Theirs is aptly named Rooftop Mess with the usual Meringue & Cream and strawberries and a splash of Botivo, a non-alcoholic aperitivo made in the UK with a base of aged apple cider vinegar and infused with rosemary, thyme, gentian, wormwood and orange zest. A perfect end to the meal.

Rooftop Mess, The Culpeper Rooftop. Image credit MTotoe.

The cocktail list takes inspiration from the surrounding edible plants. The Rhubarb Ginger Spritz is sensational and exactly the kind of drink you want to be drinking through the summer. The Wild Strawberry Negroni was a perfect lunch time cocktail made with 58  & Co gin (from a multi award winning independent distillery from East London), Lillet, wild strawberry and bay leaf - the combination is a gentler, winning version of a classic negroni – well balanced and scrumptious. We also tried Bees Knees and English Garden. The ginger spiced honey in the Bees Knees was subtle and complementary to the Calvados and Citrus Oils.  English Garden was a tall thirst-quenching cocktail of Vodka, Elderflower, Cucumber, Citrus and Soda.

Oh joy of joys….the sun, the food, the cocktails, there was nowhere I would rather have been in that moment lunching at the Culpeper. Rooftop season is well and truly here, and this is where you want to be. Trust me.

Bookings can be made via the website here and are available from 12pm - 8.30pm on Wednesdays to Saturdays.

Location: The Culpeper, 40 Commercial St, London E1 6TB. Website: theculpeper.com

Instagram: @theculpeper

Review by Natascha Milsom