By Charlie Fenton
A Michelin-star restaurant has launched Britain’s only bottled water menu – with bottles costing up to £20 (nearly $30).
Joseph Rawlins, 32, decided to introduce the epicurean menu after wanting to try something new with his Cheshire-based French fine dining restaurant, La Popote.
The co-owner and head chef, from Wilmslow, in Cheshire, worked alongside one of only five British water sommeliers, Doran Binder, 52, to put it together.
Doran, from Wildboarclough, Macclesfield, Cheshire, has spent the last seven months selecting the perfect bottles after Joe gave him the thumbs up in January this year.
He first pitched him the idea three years ago.
There are seven bottles to choose from, with four still selections – which include tap water – and four sparkling.
The hand-picked selection comes from across Europe, including France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Iceland, and the UK.
Prices start at £5 for Doran’s own Crag Spring Water all the way up to £19 for Portuguese sparkling water The Palace of Vidago and they will be served in wine glasses.
Though the restaurant’s wine prices range from £28 all the way to almost £400 per bottle.
Joe said: “The restaurant scene has changed a lot over the years we have been getting fewer big tables, more groups of twos and fours.
“That means at least one person there will mostly likely be driving and not be drinking as such.
“To try and keep up with the market, we wanted to offer something a bit different.
“Everything has been positive, it is a bit of fun, and we are looking forward to seeing where it goes.”
Joe took over the restaurant with his partner Gaëlle Radigon, 37, in 2019.
In that time, they have made it their own, being awarded a Michelin Guide-listed French Restaurant in December 2022.
Joe said when taking over the restaurant, they only stuck with a handful of previous suppliers, one being Doran.
Doran had been selling his award-winning water, Crag Spring Water, at the restaurant since 2018.
The sommelier first pitched the idea of a bottled water menu to Joe in June 2023 when he invited them for a water tasting.
Joe said, “He had pitched the idea to us, and we had a laugh about it as we were unsure what he meant by it at first.
“He then invited us down for a water tasting and that’s when we realised that water isn’t just water and explained he thinks there is an exciting new market.”
According to Doran, water has a taste – it is established through the number of total dissolved solids (TDS) found in the liquid.
The solids include minerals that have been absorbed naturally from the earth into the water before it is taken from the source.
TDS levels range from super low, between 0 to 50 to super high, which is 1,200 plus – he believes the perfect hydration level is between 100 and 200.
Though the water menu idea was postponed when Joe and Gaëlle had their first child in 2023 and Gaëlle became pregnant again in 2024.
It wasn’t until January this year that they decided to go ahead with the idea.
He said: “During that period, we had been wanting to give it a go having a water menu.
“We have noticed in the last 18 months a lot of people don’t drink as much and are looking for an alternative to alcohol.
“With Gaëlle also having a little one and being pregnant, also breastfeeding, there is a limit to what she can drink.
“We thought there was space for it so why not?”
They then contacted Doran in January this year to put together a water menu.
The menu had changed three times over the months he was putting it together.
Doran also says he chose among hundreds of bottles to create the perfect menu.
For still water, Doran chose the sharp, dry, and metallic tasting super low TDS water in Icelandic Glacier Water (£12).
He then chose still Crag Spring Water (£5), which has no taste but a smooth, creamy, silky mouth feel for mid-range TDS.
He then selected brand 22 from La Rioja, in Spain (£11) for the high range for its smooth mouthfeel and delicate mineral taste.
Then for sparkling, he picked the delicate and sweet Vichy Celastin (£9) and the delicate and salty The Palace of Vidago (£19) for high TDS.
He chose sparkling Crag (£5.50), which has no taste but a smooth, creamy, and silky mouth feel for mid-range TDS.
And for low TDS, he chose Lauretana (£12), which has a sharp and dry mouthfeel with a metallic taste.
Doran said: “I had been working on a water menu for the last three or four years, trying to get a restaurant to pick it up, but it has been really difficult.
“People thought it was a joke and a gimmick, but it was exciting when La Popote took me on.
“What I have done is put together a quality range of interesting water.
“It is a selection showing off the different TDS water has to offer.
“They all have different tastes, mouth feels, and offer a different perspective on dining at a restaurant.
“It will elevate the dining experience for non-drinkers like myself and millions of others who aren’t interested in a wine menu.
“Being able to choose a water with a story, something special and unique that you couldn’t just get from a shop, is elevating that experience.
“The water will be served in a wine glass, water will be put on a stage, and showed respect.
“I could have put hundreds on the menu, all for different reasons.
“It was really hard to narrow it dow,n and I feel bad about leaving some out.
“The menu will hopefully grow and expand.”
La Popote’s water menu will be fully launched next Friday (August 22).
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