Lee Westcott's Elodie
13/3/23 - updated with full details of Lee Westcott's plans
The team behind Birch in Hertfordshire is gearing up for a second launch, and this time they've brought in top chef Lee Westcott to take charge of the food. Selsdon, the group's new hotel and club in South Croydon is another grand old house that's getting Birch's laid-back boho hotel treatment.
For Birch Cheshunt, the chef in charge of all the food offering there was Robin Gill, with restaurants like the Zebra Riding Club getting rave write-ups. For the South London opening, Lee Westcott will be opening two restaurants, Elodie and Vervain.
Westcott, you'll probably remember, was last in London as the head chef at the Michelin-starred Typing Room before leaving town to launch Pensons restaurant in Tenbury Wells. He's also got quite the CV, with stints at Per Se and Noma too.
Elodie will be the signature restaurant, showcasing a five-course tasting menu which they say is "celebrating the best produce the British Isles has to offer and allowing foraging to play an integral role throughout." It'll be a big restaurant, fitting in 100 people and will feature a large terrace overlooking the lawn.
Lee Westcott's Vervain
The second restaurant, Vervain, is billed as a casual, all-day seasonal British brasserie and it'll also be where they'll be serving up their family-style Sunday roast. We'll bring you some more details about the menus for both restaurants as soon as we get them.
Plenty of produce will be available, grown in the hotel's own grounds to create a seasonal, farm-to-fork menu for both places. Environmentalist Sebastian Cox has been brought in to help with the rewilding of the estate.
In addition to the restaurants, the new Birch will also have three bars (one of which will be a speakeasy) plus a lido and a co-working space along with 181 bedrooms.
More about Birch Selsdon
Where is it? 126 Addington Rd, South Croydon CR2 8YA
When? Vervain opens on 13 April 2023, Elodie opens on 27 April.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @birchcommunity
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