The East Midlands Food science

Date Published:

12/09/2008

Map user, Radio Helen, added Entropy to the Map saying: "While I was pregnant they put up with us turning up and eating after yoga. One mate even had contractions while she was having lunch! We go now we have babies and they have a special kids club on a Saturday morning. It's a great local restaurant and I'm lucky to have it on my doorstep." I set off to see for myself

Tom and Cassandra Cockerill opened Entropy bar and restaurant in March 2000. “When we opened we were 23, we wanted the sort of bar that we’d like to visit,” says Cassandra. “Now we’ve got three kids and our clientele have grown up with us.” Radio Helen’s mention of the Saturday kids club grew out of this sort of thinking.

Tom and Cassandra met at university where they were both studying physics degrees. They picked the name Entropy as it sounded cool. (Here comes the science bit: it’s to do with energy, the second law of thermodynamics and the ultimate heat death of the universe). Summer jobs in the trade, during holidays, gave Cassandra the bug and Tom felt likewise after working in France. Tom’s since worked in Hambleton Hall and had a stint at the Fat Duck. Recently he’s been to New York to work for a month, for free, in kitchens there to brush up his skills.

Ready to roll

One of the interesting things about Entropy is the platters. I’m a big fan of ‘plates to share’. There’s the tapas platter, which serves up to six, then the amazing Cromer crab offering, which lets diners crack the crustaceans right there at the table and suck the shells clean. And finally, for those who’ve perhaps indulged the night before, the breakfast platter, a giant full English for four that lets you all dive in. On a more delicate note there are some really simple pub favourites - a pint of prawns with bread, whitebait and aioli, as well as the more obscure, such as ham cooked in hay. Then there’s the bread - a sourdough, made properly from a starter of fermented raisins.

On the day I was there, they were doing a special of three courses for a tenner, one of which was Red Mullet ‘en pappilotte’ and you can see how Tom makes it below.

Got a regional specialty you want to share? Know someone making something special? Add it to the Map.

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