Five years ago, on 20th March 2020, the UK government made a historic announcement, restaurants, the beating heart of the hospitality industry, were to close their doors indefinitely. An industry built on energy, creativity, and human connection was suddenly silenced. The world of fine dining, Michelin-starred kitchens, and local eateries alike came to an abrupt standstill.
To mark this significant five-year anniversary, renowned photographer John Carey has released Chefs in Lockdown, When the Restaurant World Stood Still, a deeply moving limited edition book. This collection of over 180 powerful black-and-white portraits tells the story of some of England’s most celebrated chefs as they navigated a period of uncertainty, isolation, and transformation.
The stillness of these images speaks volumes. Carey’s decision to shoot entirely in black and white reflects what he describes as “the colour being drained from restaurants.” Plates left untouched, tables standing empty, chairs stacked high, each image a haunting reminder of a moment in history that changed the hospitality industry forever.
Among the featured chefs are Angela Hartnett, Raymond Blanc, Tom Kerridge, Clare Smyth, James Martin, Thomasina Miers, and John Williams, alongside words from industry icons Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Pierre Koffman, Giles Coren, and Tom Parker-Bowles.
Angela Hartnett, who wrote the book’s foreword, describes the project as “photographs taken in the most surreal of settings, a snapshot that showed just how the world had shut down. If any single photographer has been around the hospitality business, it is John. I know no other as qualified as him to report on it.”
John Carey was inspired to create this project after experiencing first-hand the sudden halt of work in the hospitality sector. “During that time, I realised how much of my life I spent around chefs and restaurants. I became curious as to what chefs were up to. Some were cooking for charities and the NHS, while others transformed their restaurants into delis and shops. But they were all experiencing a loss, their teams, their customers, their purpose.”
This reflection led him to document chefs in their own spaces, standing still, completely motionless, as a metaphor for the lockdown itself.
To commemorate the book’s release, a two-month exhibition at Fortnum & Mason in London will showcase a selection of these powerful images. Hosted in the iconic Piccadilly store’s Bar 3’6, adjacent to the third-floor Food & Drink Studio, the exhibition opens on 21st March 2025.
The book (RRP £50) will be available to purchase both online and in-store at Fortnum & Mason, alongside limited Special Edition copies (£150) in a cloth-bound slipcase. Additionally, prints of all 189 portraits will be available for purchase, with a proportion of profits going to the Burnt Chef Project, a charity supporting mental health in the hospitality industry.
More than just a book, Chefs in Lockdown is a historical document of resilience, loss, and survival in hospitality. For those who lived through it, it serves as a reminder of an extraordinary chapter in culinary history. For those looking back, it is a testament to the industry’s strength and endurance.
Available from 20th March 2025 – A five-year milestone that should never be forgotten.
Explore the collection and secure your copy at:
@johncareyphoto
The Luxe Resident 