The Brass Rail at Selfridges rebrands in line with Selfridges new sustainability initiative, Project Earth.
As part of Selfridges major new sustainability initiative, Project Earth, one of Selfridges oldest restaurants, The Brass Rail, is temporarily rebranding as ‘The Grass Rail’, launching a first-of-its-kind Salt ‘Beet’ Sandwich as part of a new vegan menu.
The Salt ‘Beet’ Sandwich is filled with hand carved slices of salt baked beetroot and topped with layers of sauerkraut and gherkins and served between slices of freshly cut marbled rye bread. To make the plant-based sandwich, whole beetroots are salt baked with thyme, rosemary and garlic for one and half hours before being sliced up to order.
The new vegan menu also includes homemade vegan knishes (dumplings made of flaky dough with a savoury filling), a beetroot burger with vegan cheese and a selection of freshly made salads.
Selfridges Restaurants Director, Michael Gardner comments “We’re really proud of the Grass Rail vegan menu. For and institution like The Brass Rail, known for its exceptional salt beef, to be launching a world first vegan take on the classic salt beef Reuben is just one example of how we’re increasing our plant based offer in new and innovative ways and providing our customers with more choice.”
About The Brass Rail:
As one of only a few places offering traditionally prepared, hand carved salt beef in London, The Brass Rail has long been an institution to the many customers who have visited religiously over the years to order their New York inspired Reuben sandwiches with sides of sauerkraut and latkes. The Brass Rail, with its red banquette seating and marble counter where the salt beef is skilfully carved up, have remained very much the same since its launch in 1966. For over 30 years, Selfridges has partnered with Henson’s who provide Brass Rail with sustainably farmed heritage breed beef.
‘THE GRASS RAIL’ MENU:
Salt ‘Beet’ Sandwich (vg) £9.95
Salt Baked Beetroot, sauerkraut and gherkins
Beetroot Burger (vg) £13.95
Plant-based burger, vegan cheese, tomato, gem lettuce and gherkin in a beet bun
Vegan Knishes (vg) £7.50 each
Potato & Onion or Vegan Feta & Spinach
Deli Salads:
Choice of three salads £12.50
(Added extras: pastrami, smoked salmon, salt beef, feta cheese, vegan feta cheese) £3.00 each
Notes to Editors:
About Project Earth:
August 17th, Selfridges launches a transformational new sustainability initiative, Project Earth – its commitment to change the way we shop by 2025.
The initiative builds on the industry leading steps Selfridges has taken over the last 10 years to place sustainability at the heart of the business. Selfridges aims to help customers change the way they shop in three ways: by addressing the materials used in products, launching and exploring new retail models such as repair and resell, and engaging with teams, partners and customers to inspire a shift in mindsets. Working closely with over 300 brand partners and with support from the Woodland Trust and WWF, Project Earth will kickstart with eight weeks of experiments, innovations and conversations, across all stores and online, dedicated to reinventing retail.
Selfridges Foodhall:
Project Earth will mark the launch of over 500 new products in Selfridges Foodhall. The range will include ethically sourced ‘bean-to-bar’ chocolate, gin made from wasted fruit, carbon neutral coffee and other products inspired by WWF’s research into planet-friendly superfoods, such as ancient grains and algae. Each brand has been carefully selected to help customers to shop food more sustainably. Hero brands include: Selfridges Selection ‘Wasted’ Preserves (made with wasted fruit and vegetables from Selfridges in-house green grocer, Natoora), Kiss The Hippo Coffee, Discarded Rum and Chocolarder.
Infarm, the indoor urban farming experts, will launch a unit in the heart of Selfridges Foodhall where Selfridges will grow a range of fresh herbs and salads. Their hydroponic units use 95% less water, 75% less fertilizer, no chemicals and 90% less transportation.
In line with Selfridges commitment to the materials target for all meat and meat ingredients used across the business to come from certified Organic farms by 2025, in September, organic farmers Eversfield will launch a butchers counter in Selfridges Foodhall. They invest their energy in regenerative farming with founder Mark planting 30,000 trees to nurture the land back to full health following intensive farming, leading to the soil being accredited with organic status in 2004. All their meat is hand reared and fed a 100% pasture diet.
Selfridges Restaurants:
One of Selfridges oldest restaurants, The Brass Rail, known for its traditionally prepared, hand carved salt beef will launch a vegan menu called ‘The Grass Rail’ debuting a first of its kind, vegan Salt ‘Beet’ Sandwich.
Selfridges restaurants will continue to showcase their ‘More Taste/Less Waste’ philosophy, introducing a ‘Donate as You Dine’ optional £1 to every bill to go towards WWF.
Selfridges restaurants will also be working with UK farmers to introduce dishes using Cull Yaw (a yew that has finished lambing), a meat that although rich in flavour is deemed less valuable to commercial farming systems and is often discarded
Eat Out to Help Out:
The Brass Rail will be taking part in the Government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme. Customers can enjoy a 50% reduction (up to a maximum of £10 per person) on their dine-in bill in all Selfridges restaurants every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the month of August.
Safety measures:
The health, safety and wellbeing of customers and teams remains Selfridges’ priority. Carefully considered safety measures have been put place to help minimise the risk of coronavirus, in line with guidance from PHE and relevant authorities. Throughout Selfridges’ bars and restaurants these include:
Seating areas in all restaurants and bars have been reconfigured to maintain social distancing at 2m. Where this is not possible, for example in bar areas, screens have been installed
In bar areas, countertop screens are in place, along with moveable screens for positioning in between customers
Staff provide table service, facilitating minimal contact with customers
Menus are one-use and made from fully recyclable materials
Hand sanitiser stations have been installed throughout stores
Customers will be encouraged to make contactless payments if possible
Clear signage is in place throughout all restaurants and bars
All team members handling or preparing food and drink will be required to wear face masks or visors
In line with Government guidelines, Selfridges will securely retain customers details for 21 days to assist the NHS Test and Trace scheme
