Latest news with #IvanTisdall-Downes
Time Out
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
This foodie feast one hour from London is the perfect summer day trip
Don't believe the haters: summer in London is mega. But everyone needs a break from the Big Smoke sometimes – and here's one you can book right away. Out in the Chiltern Hills, just beyond the M25, there's a place called Oxmoor Farm. Since 2022, they've been hosting an annual series of 'Wild Feasts', with top British chefs rocking up on the farm to cook up lunches and dinners using super-fresh local produce. Their creations are served at long tables, supperclub-style, in the blissfully relaxed surroundings of the Buckinghamshire countryside. Each chef serves up both a Saturday dinner and a Sunday lunch across one weekend. Previously held in tents, the feasts have now moved into a spacious, airy barn. As well as the long tables, there's a fireplace and sofas for post-feast lounging, and a firepit and seating outdoors for alfresco aperitifs if the weather's good. Kids aren't invited, but dogs are very welcome. I headed down to Oxmoor Farm in early May, with chef Ivan Tisdall-Downes (formerly of Native) taking over the open kitchen to serve up a menu of seasonal bangers: wild garlic flatbreads, wood-roasted beef sirloin from cows reared locally, charred asparagus and leeks and a rhubarb millefeuille. The chat along the table was very pleasant, with a crowd of mostly clued-in locals, a couple of whom lived less than a mile away. Locally-brewed beers and natural wines from a nearby supplier washed things down nicely. This year's feasts are set to continue right through to December. Over the next few months, the chef line-up includes three big London talents. This weekend, it's Abby Lee – chef-patron of Mambow, one of Time Out's favourite London restaurants – plus Ollie Dabbous (formerly of the Michelin-starred Hide), and Masaki Sugisaki of Dinings SW3. More culinary talents are due to be announced in June. Getting to Oxmoor Farm is easy from London: hop on a train from Marylebone station to High Wycombe, then take a taxi from the station. If you pre-book your cab, the whole trip should take less than an hour. Want to make a day of it? There are some lovely walks direct from the farm, and the nearby chocolate-box village of Great Missenden was once the home of Roald Dahl – it now hosts a museum and 'story centre' dedicated to the author. And if you can't make it to the Wild Feasts dates? The barn that hosts them doubles as a restaurant and café, serving all comers from Thursdays to Sundays. Besides food and booze, the farm also hosts workshops and events, spanning everything from foraging and fermentation to pottery and flower-pressing. There's even an outdoor, wood-fired sauna, complete with countryside views and outdoor plunge baths. Start planning your escape from the city for a day of gourmet country living.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Restaurant closes after winning Michelin star due to 'deeper problem'
A restaurant in Worcestershire that was awarded a coveted Michelin Green Star just weeks ago has announced it has closed 'for the foreseeable future'. Native, the sustainable restaurant that took over where the former Pensons was on the Netherwood Estate, says that it is experiencing 'a deeper problem' following issues with its extraction system. Customers have been told that all future reservations have been cancelled and those who have put down deposits will receive full refunds within seven working days. Read more: Great British Menu chef quits Michelin restaurant weeks after winning star Subscribe to the Brum Food Club for a weekly food and drink newsletter, in your inbox, every Thursday. It's free. The restaurant was led to success by Great British Menu chef Ivan Tisdall-Downes who has now announced his departure from Native. Customers enquiring about bookings and future plans are now being met with automated replies that tell of 'extreme lows' when contacting the restaurant, which sits on the border between Worcestershire and Herefordshire. It reads: "Extreme highs are often followed with extreme lows. "Following the amazing news at this year's Michelin awards we have returned home to find a broken extraction system. "What we hoped was a quick fix turns out to be a deeper problem with our systems and so sadly, cannot be an immediate fix. "The large cost to repair this equipment is unfortunately the straw that broke the camel's back and has had a huge detrimental effect on a small business with such tight margins and unfortunately has put us in a position whereby the directors at Hestia Ltd have taken the decision to close the restaurant for the foreseeable future. "We have cancelled all future reservations via our online booking system and if you have paid a deposit a full refund will have been actioned already, you can expect this back within seven working days." It added: "We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused and wish all our customers well for the future." It's a sad blow for food fans who enjoyed sampling dishes using produce grown in Native's own garden. The restaurant opened in May 2024, a replacement for Michelin Star hit restaurant Pensons. Chef Ivan Tisdall-Downes is yet to publicly announce his next move. A Green Michelin Star is reserved for restaurants that excel with sustainability at the core of their operations. There are now only 34 restaurants in Britain that hold the award.
BBC News
11-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Counties' restaurants celebrate Michelin star awards
Two restaurants in Herefordshire and Worcestershire are celebrating after winning top culinary near Tenbury Wells, has been awarded a green star for sustainable 33 The Homend in Ledbury, which has been given its first Michelin star, is a tiny restaurant that can seat only 14 people at a was one of just 26 restaurants across the whole of the UK to be awarded a Michelin Star this year. Executive chef and creative director at Native, Ivan Tisdall-Downes, said the restaurant had extensive on-site gardens, which gave it an "even more focused ultra-seasonal approach".He said: "Sustainability in all areas of the restaurant's operation has been at the heart of all we do."Green stars are awarded by Michelin to restaurants at the forefront of the industry with their sustainability Ledbury restaurant, 33 The Homend, is described on the business's website as a tiny 18th Century Grade II-listed building set in the heart of the Michelin website said: "33 The Homend is another success for James and Elizabeth Winter, who previously held a star at The Butchers Arms in Eldersfield. James' experience shines through." Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
