James Cochran to close 12:51
Chef James Cochran has announced that he will be closing his flagship restaurant 12:51 in Islington this month.
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Cochran, whose career has seen him work at The Ledbury and also take charge of The Harwood Arms, opened 12:51 on Upper Street in 2018, the same year that he won Great British Menu.
The restaurant is described as a reflection of Cochran’s mixed heritage, with his Caribbean and Glaswegian parents and upbringing in Kent influencing the menu, which includes dishes such as Jamaican jerk buttermilk fried chicken with his signature scotch bonnet jam, and cured Cornish mackerel served with an oyster emulsion.
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The same year it opened, Jay Rayner gave it a largely positive review in The Observer, praising Cochran’s cooking, especially how 12:51 “does not wimp out at dessert and plonk a few creamy things in a bowl”, though he suggested that the restaurant in its early days required “a little focus”.
However, Cochran, who also won Great British Menu again in 2020, has now announced that August 2024 marks the end of the road for the restaurant.
In an Instagram post, Cochran said: “After almost seven years, I have decided it’s an end of a chapter for me, and will be closing 12:51 at the end of August.”
“I opened 12:51, fresh off my win on Great British Menu, looking to share my ethos that anyone could enjoy fine dining and classical cooking techniques without the stuffiness,” he shared. “Seeing that realised has been a dream.”
“We have had countless guests come through our doors, and it has been an honour to serve every one of them, as well as work alongside all the staff members who have made 12:51 possible over the years.”
Cochran is yet to announce what he plans to do next.
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