Will Murray and Jack Croft, who run the restaurants Fallow, Roe and FOWL, set out to compare two steak-and-chips dishes, with two hours on the clock and a generous £100 budget
Two chefs who cooked and compared steaks from an upmarket department store and a discount supermarket have shared which one triumphed. Will Murray and Jack Croft, who operate London restaurants Fallow, Roe and FOWL, set out on a challenge to compare two steak dishes with a two-hour time limit and a generous £100 budget.
For his steak, Will made his way to Fortnum & Mason, the luxury department store reportedly favoured by the late Queen Elizabeth II, while Jack took the more economical approach with a visit to Lidl.
As he stepped into Fortnum & Mason, Will immediately commented that it smelled “incredible”. He soon arrived at the butcher’s counter, where he selected a tomahawk steak for the considerable sum of £46.
With his leftover funds, Will chose Maris Piper potatoes, shallots, beef stock, and fat. Meanwhile, Jack revealed that he would draw inspiration for his dish from a Wetherspoons mixed grill.
Jack could then be seen in the meat aisle of Lidl clutching an assortment of steaks — a rump, sirloin, fillet and ribeye — for a more reasonable £28; he said he intended to create a “platter” with the lot.
Will also purchased a bottle of claret and morel mushrooms, stating that a wild mushroom sauce would be “banging” and suggesting that Jack would “overcomplicate” his dish.
Switching to Jack, he selected a variety of supermarket items, including flat mushrooms, parsley, vine tomatoes, salt and pepper, butter, onion rings, chips, and the ingredients for peppercorn sauce.
As Will left the shop, he said in the video for the Fallow YouTube channel: “Got a bit hairy in there, but we managed to make it through. Basically, what we’re going to do is we’re going to do a wild mushroom sauce.
“I’ve got a really beautiful British Wagyu crossbreed. Pretty mad in there, though. It’s quite easy to spend £100 very quickly. It’s £100 just for one portion of steak and chips. It’s pretty mental.”
He also grabbed a portion of what he described as the “vomit fruit”, durian, revealing he intended to make Jack try it. For Will’s forfeit meal, Jack picked up tinned herring and cheese and broccoli pasta and sauce.
Both chefs were then shown back at the restaurant, preparing their respective dishes. Will poured claret and beef stock into a pan before cooking his morels and shallots.
In an amusing turn, Jack had purchased a bargain air fryer from Lidl’s legendary middle aisle and proceeded to cook a few onion rings to put it through its paces. He also added generous chunks of butter to his mushrooms ahead of placing them in the oven.
While seasoning his four steaks, Jack noted that he wanted to get them “cooking and rested ASAP” so he could shift his focus to the sauce, while Will set about making triple-cooked beef fat French fries.
A rapid succession of shots then captured the two chefs busily working away on their dishes. With the time finally arriving to plate up, Will had a few words to say about Jack’s creation, which was piled high with onion rings.
He said: “What the f**k is that monstrosity? Why are you trying to feed so many people?” To which he replied that he was giving “value for money”. Next came the taste test.
Two women sampled both meals while the chefs looked on, with Will encouraging them to “dig in”. He invited them to share their verdicts after trying both dishes, and both pointed towards Will’s Fortnum & Mason creation.
One described it as the “best overall meal”, observing that the steak on the opposing plate was “really nicely cooked”. The chefs then tried one another’s dishes, with Jack remarking that his fellow chef had done a “good job”.
Regarding the more budget-friendly option, Will said: “Based on the quality of this, quality versus price, this steak is better.”
On the pricier steak, Jack said: “This is just like a lovely restaurant dish. Like, if I went to any restaurant in Mayfair or whatever, this is what I’d be expecting.”
Finally, Jack sampled the durian and shuddered, commenting that it was “actually savoury”.
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