ByLela London
ByLela London,
Senior Contributor.
Farmer J began, as many food businesses do, with a problem its founder experienced daily. Working long hours in structured credit at Deutsche Bank, Jonathan Recanati spent much of his week eating at his desk. “I worked very long hours at Deutsche Bank, and often ate three meals a day at my desk,” he says. The options were reliable but repetitive: Pret, Leon, Pod, and Itsu on rotation, offering convenience but little sense of craft or curiosity. What was missing, he felt, was food that could be eaten quickly but still cooked properly.
The idea for Farmer J was simple in theory and demanding in practice: fast food built around scratch cooking, generous portions, and ingredients with provenance, served at a pace that suited City life.
