Huge update in the fight to keep one of Wales' top restaurant open
Paternoster Farm in Pembrokeshire has been facing eviction despite becoming a destination restaurant and being considered as one of Wales' best
Paternoster Farm, a critically acclaimed restaurant based in the village of Hundleton, announced on Instagram yesterday that its tenancy has been extended until August 2027 .
(Image: Paternoster Farm )
A top Welsh restaurant facing eviction has secured a temporary reprieve following months of public pressure and calls for transparency from Pembrokeshire County Council. Paternoster Farm, a critically acclaimed restaurant based in the village of Hundleton, announced on Instagram yesterday that its tenancy has been extended until August 2027 after what it described as 'productive discussions' with the council's chief executive.
The announcement follows a dispute over the council's decision not to renew the restaurant's lease, which sparked a groundswell of public support from locals and patrons.
Founded by former lawyer Michelle Evans, Paternoster Farm opened in 2021 and quickly gained national recognition. It earned praise from The Good Food Guide and The Times for its seasonal, locally sourced menu and unique setting in a converted milking parlour. The restaurant employs 12 staff and works closely with regional producers.
But in May 2025, Evans revealed that the business was facing closure after learning that Pembrokeshire County Council had offered the tenancy to another party, despite her belief that the lease was eligible for renewal.
However, in a significant development, Michelle announced on Instagram yesterday [July 7] that the family's tenancy has been extended until August 2027, following 'productive discussions' with Pembrokeshire County Council's Chief Executive, Will Bramble.
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'We are pleased to tell you we have had some productive discussions with Will Bramble, Chief Executive of Pembrokeshire County Council, and our current tenancy has now been extended until August 2027,' she wrote. 'This is a great start but we would, of course, like to stay longer, so still have a long way to go.'
Since receiving the initial news about the tenancy back in May, Michelle and her family have been desperately seeking answers from the local authority. They have documented their fight on social media, providing updates on a petition to the council and the overwhelming support from patrons and locals.
The founder of an award-winning restaurant in Pembrokeshire has said she is "mentally exhausted" after she received news that it would have to close later this year.
(Image: Paternoster Farm )
The mother-of-two has expressed frustration at the council's handling of the situation, claiming they haven't provided her answers on why the business's future was abruptly cut short and offered to another party without consultation.
"It's been mentally exhausting," Michelle told Wales Online last month. "When I already had a full life anyway – the farm work, the restaurant, admin, and kids – this happens.
"I'm constantly writing something. I'm doing FOI (freedom of information request), then another FOI, and then another FOI. It takes a lot out of you. I'm just exhausted by it all."
The family has been at Paternoster Farm since 2016, when Michelle and her husband decided to take over the small holding's tenancy for 10 years.
Former lawyer-turned-chef Michelle started her foodie journey with a beach hut that served street food before deciding to start a business in the farm's former milking parlour. She uses fresh produce and focuses on traditional Welsh cooking infused with Mediterranean flavours. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here
Times Journalist and restaurant critic Charlotte Ivers visited Paternoster Farm earlier this year and praised its culinary offerings
(Image: Paternoster Farm )
In a Wales Online review, our writer notes, "When you work this close to the very produce you put on a plate, there comes a deep and meaningful understanding evident in the way Michelle cooks and her food sings on the plates. It's a real treat to eat food cooked with so much respect."
Times Journalist and restaurant critic Charlotte Ivers was equally impressed and visited Paternoster Farm earlier this year and praised its culinary offerings.
In her review, Ivers enthuses, "There's a fine balance between countryside authenticity and fashionable cooking. It works extremely well."
Ivers describes the crumbling beef brisket as "hearty and rural yet elegant and cosmopolitan: the product of a big-city lawyer transplanted to the rolling fields."
In the same week as the Times' review, the restaurant learned that Pembrokeshire Council was not going to renew its tenancy.
The family said the council had already offered the tenancy at Paternoster to another party, even though they believed their lease was eligible for renewal.
In response, Pembrokeshire County Council said its proposals follow established policy, which aims to give new entrants smaller farms so they can gain experience before moving on to larger holdings and that tenancies are "not for life."
The family has been offered a larger farm in Solva, but Michelle claims that such a move would disrupt their business, livelihoods, and children's education.
"It's a terrible time for restaurants as it is but the cost of moving a restaurant and establishing somewhere else, as well as the cost of being closed for that time, will be huge."
During the Covid-19 lockdowns, Michelle initially opened a farm shop selling home-reared meat and pastries, which then evolved into a restaurant
(Image: Paternoster Farm )
Michelle says she has tried to get an answer on the council's decision not to renew their lease and has sent a request for records, including emails, reports, minutes, and transcripts of all meetings regarding the decision not to renew the lease.
However, at the time the local authority said it had searched its records and did not hold the information requested. Undeterred, Michelle spearheaded a petition calling for a full review and debate of Pembrokeshire's 'not fit for purpose' county farm policy.
The petition has attracted nearly 2,000 signatures, prompting councillors to schedule it for debate at a future meeting, still leaving the farm's future uncertain.
While the extension brings temporary relief, Michelle made clear that the family's fight continues, not just for their own business, but for wider reform of the council's farm tenancy system.
In her post, she urged supporters to attend a public meeting at County Hall in Haverfordwest on Thursday, July 17, when councillors will formally debate the petition.
'Just to be clear, our petition is not technically about whether our tenancy will be renewed,' she writes.
'Our petition challenges County Farm Policy and seeks that it be reviewed, on the basis it allows no flexibility to support farm businesses such as ours. If successful... it not only helps us in the longer term, but other new entrants, and the community as a whole.'
Michelle also thanked the community for its continued encouragement. 'I'd like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you for everyone's ongoing support and kind words, over these last couple of months. It's given our morale such a boost.'
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