A husband-and-wife duo dishes up British classics in Dutchess County.
After just one bite of anything on Moreish’s menu, you’ll want to take all the stigma about British food being “bland and boring” and throw it out the window.
In Beacon, English expat Michael Johnson is plating up all the British classics—cheddar toasties, savory pies, Bakewell tarts, and bangers and mash—that rival those of traditional London pubs. “British food is exciting, it’s authentic, and there’s a lot of history behind it. Sure, people look across the pond and just see fish and chips, but it’s so much more than that,” says Johnson, an East Sussex native who’s worked in Michelin-starred kitchens and five-star restaurants, and served as a development chef at British Airways.
Bringing Britain to Beacon was essential for Johnson to feel more at home. “When I first moved here [in 2023], I was hard-pressed to find anything that satisfied my English cravings,” explains Johnson. “I also wanted to get new people excited about English cuisine—especially people who have never really experienced it. Coupled with the fact that I’m a trained chef, and my wife and I had always talked about opening a business one day, when the opportunity presented itself within the Hudson Valley Food Hall, we jumped on it.” Now, Moreish is set to move down the street into its own space, opening in just a few weeks.
“British food is exciting, it’s authentic, and there’s a lot of history behind it.”
Since it first opened last March, Moreish has established itself as an epicenter of “good British food,” which to Johnson means using fresh ingredients, following authentic British recipes, and cooking with methods like braising and stewing.
Word to the wise: Get anything with sausage. The ultra-classic full English breakfast—a combination of savory meats (grilled sausage, smoked back bacon, and black pudding), baked beans, and grilled mushrooms and tomatoes—is served with hash browns and fried eggs, which help balance the flavors. There’s also a vegetarian rendition.
Other standouts include bangers and mash (grilled pork sausages with creamy mashed potatoes, drizzled in caramelized onion gravy), rich sausage rolls, fish and chips, and steak and Guinness pie. “We can’t seem to make enough. Every day we make the pies, we sell out. It might have to do with the delicious skirt steak filling baked in a homemade, shortcrust pastry shell, served with creamy mash and a decadent gravy,” says Johnson.
Naturally, Johnson has modernized some dishes. “Of course, I’m putting my own twist on a lot of these classics,” he says. Take the Great British Bacon Butty, traditionally served in Britain with just bread and bacon. But since this is New York—it’s a no-brainer to make it an English bacon, egg, and cheese.
Don’t miss the “sweet bits” side of the menu, featuring scones with jams and clotted creams and banoffee pie, a buttery biscuit topped with toffee, sliced bananas, homemade whipped cream, and chocolate shavings, considered to be Britain’s best-kept secret. “It was my favorite dessert as a kid, and it’s crazy to me how many Americans didn’t know what it was. I’m glad we have dishes on our menu that people stop and ask about,” says Johnson. “It shows they’re curious and willing to try something new.”
As for the eatery’s name, “moreish” is British slang to describe something so delicious, you crave more of it. And everything on the menu at Moreish is, well, moreish.
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