Taking over a prominent corner on South Audley Street, this is Farm Shop.
So, what's Farm Shop?
It's the latest opening from Artfarm the hospitality branch of Hauser & Wirth which is behind the nearby Mount St Restaurant and The Audley pub. They already have a Farm Shop on an actual farm, Durslade Farm in Bruton, Somerset and this is their version of that in Mayfair. It's a deli, butchers and wine bar, all under one roof.
Where is it?
The location is right in the heart of Mayfair on South Audley Street, which is only just up the road from the group's pub and restaurant. We also noticed that Hauser & Wirth are working on a new London gallery across the street too, so the group has plenty of plans for the immediate area.
Farm Shop is easily spotted by the prominent white-hued corner site. The front section is the deli and beside that is their butcher. Both of those are adjoined by a doorway inside at the back of the building and that's where the stairs are that take you down to the wine bar.
Starting with the deli and butchers, what's on offer there?
In addition to a selection of wines and various produce, they sell fresh pastries, veg and more. You'll also find their own wine, their cider and they even have some of their own pre-mix cocktails if you fancy picking up a negroni or an espresso martini. Comparing this and the recently opened Rex Deli, we'd say this deli is more of a neighbourhood shop first and foremost, that also sells some of its own-baked wares. The butcher sells meats from Hauser & Wirth's own farm and more besides.
It's essentially a hugely welcoming neighbourhood shop in the middle of Mayfair and one we're planning to pop back into whenever we're in the area.
The deli upstairs - towards the back you'll see how to get to the wine bar.
A selection of the pastries on offer.
And then downstairs to the wine bar?
Absolutely. Much as the deli upstairs is an impressive enterprise, the lower-ground wine bar is the big new thing. There's always room for a good new wine bar to open in central London and this is pretty much the perfect example. Head downstairs to discover this lovely-looking space:
The wine bar downstairs. Note the large centre table if you fancy bringing a large group down here.
As you can see, it's a large, old-school wine bar, with the tables nicely spaced and an extremely welcoming vibe. Although it was relatively quiet on a weekday night when it was absolutely pouring from the heavens outside, we can see this becoming hugely popular when word properly gets out.
What can we expect from the wine?
Much has been made of the low-level entry price of the wine here - and it is impressive for Mayfair. The house wine starts at £5.50 a glass for a 2022 Grillo and £4.50 a glass for a 2021 Temparinillo. Yes, those are 125ml pours but that's very good value for this part of town, with a bottle of that Grillo coming at £33. There's a bit of a jump at that point, with more options in the £40-£60 range, but both of the house wines are a decent starting point.
Overall, they have a predominantly European list, with just a few New World wines on top. You'll also find English wines represented by Farmshop's own Maid of Bruton Bacchus (£45 a bottle), rosé and sparkling rosé. There's also a reference to the owners' Swiss heritage with a bottle of Heida de Vex from Valais making it onto the list (we tried this and can recommend). If, as may be expected in Mayfair, you're looking at the other end of the wine list, you can always opt for a 2009 Richebourg Grand Cru from Domaine de la Romanee Conti at £6,275 (but there are many more options in the run-up to that, of course).
And what about the food?
While it's billed on the surface as serving primarily cheese and charcuterie (and we will get back to that), there's actually a lot more to the wine shop's menu than that. While you're not going to get an intricate meal down here, their small plates and snacks are notably on-point. Here's a taster of what's on offer:
Four Somerset cheese and leek toastie (£10) - a very, very good cheese toastie.
Steak tartare and sourdough toast (£14) - As you'd expect, considering they supply the beef, this is an exemplary tartare and up there with some of the best we've had in London's restaurants.
In addition to the above, they also have pot au feu with green tomato and horseradish (£16) and even a half rotisserie chicken with baby potatoes and salad (£26), so there's plenty on offer here for a light meal. We'd also strongly recommend the wild garlic cashew nuts (£5), which were amazing.
All that and cheese and charcuterie boards?
The boards and platters do make up the bulk of the food menu, with many of the cheeses and meats coming from the area around the Bruton farm. So there's a Bruton Brie as well as charcuterie made from the animals on the farm. There's also a selection of Swiss cheeses, once again a nod to the heritage of the owners.
You can build your own platters or choose one of their special sharing boards like the following:
The Cheese and Charcuterie board, featuring Bruton Brie, Westcomb cheddar and three kinds of salami. It also normally comes with bath Blue cheese, but we fancied something Swiss, so we swapped that for a Tomme Fleurette cow's milk cheese.
More platters are available, with a notable one being the ploughman's, which features scotch egg, sausage roll, ham and cheddar (£28). So if you're after something a little more filling, that's probably a good option.
Overall thoughts
It's clear the minute you walk down the stairs to the wine bar that this is a great new addition to Mayfair. The lovely-looking space, excellent-value wine plus some notably good small plates and snacks make this an easy recommendation. Next time you find yourself in this part of Mayfair, stepping downstairs for a quick glass and a snack is well worth your time.
More about Farm Shop wine bar
Where is it? 64 South Audley Street, London W1K 2QT
How to book: Walk-ins only
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @farmshopuk
Hot Dinners were guests of Farm Shop. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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