The second Primrose Hill Lecture Series event featured an amazingly insightful conversation between Jeremy King and Tracey MacLeod: ‘Inside Britain’s Top Restaurants’. Jeremy King is a well known, high-end and influential restaurateur; Tracey MacLeod is a respected broadcaster and leading food critic. The two of them discussed Jeremy’s experience running restaurants and the future for restaurants in the UK.
It was fascinating to hear about Jeremy’s background before becoming a restaurateur, as well as his experiences running various leading restaurants. He shared his views on future restaurant trends, such as how the West End is the future for restaurants in London.
Jeremy King:
As a youngster, Jeremy stood out as an excellent mathematician. Originally he intended to go to Cambridge University to study maths, but he chose to decline the offer. Instead he worked at a merchant bank, but got bored of it!
He holds egalitarian principles by nature. His mother worked as a receptionist at a prep school and helped him to get him his first job working as a cleaner at that school. Faced with cleaning a gym floor., it occurred to him that he had a choice: that he didn’t put much effort into cleaning it as he wasn’t overly enthusiastic about the job, or that he put as much effort into it as possible. Of course he chose the latter, showing an attitude which he brought into his career as a restauranteur.
He says the difference between a restaurateur and a restaurant owner is that a restaurateur works on the shop floor, whereas a restaurant owner can be found in the board room. What really stuck with me was that he said that restaurants with views tend to be the most boring. Firstly the one third of people by the window are happy they are enjoying the view, while the other two thirds are resentful that they didn’t get to sit by the window. They have to organise carefully so customers are booking for the same one thing at a restaurant, so that they can enjoy all of it and they are not cut off from the very thing they have booked for.
Tracey MacLeod:
Tracey led this Lecture Series talk, asking Jeremy King questions as well as by giving her own insights. She is a familiar figure locally and told us how she loves buying Christmas gifts at the Great Interior Designer Sale at St Mary’s the Virgin Church. She pointed out that Jeremy’s restaurants are very widely geographically spread out across London, and not clustered closely in one part of town.
ABOUT PRIMROSE HILL LECTURE SERIES:
The Primrose Hill Lecture Series has been known to be exploring and debating some of the most important issues we face as a modern society. The Primrose Hill lecture Series are now recognised as being one of London’s leading spaces for bold, lively and informative talks. If you’re interested in learning or engaging about any of the lecture series talks do make sure you book to attend them.
The different lecture series events will be taking place at St Mary’s the Virgin Primrose Hill, Elsworthy Road, London, NW3 3DJ.
© Adam Reeves, 2026, all rights reserved.