[title]
The Ledbury, the two-Michelin-star restaurant in Notting Hill, announced yesterday that it has no plans to reopen. The news broke via a tweet from Bloomberg’s chief restaurant critic Richard Vines, which said that the restaurant’s head chef Brett Graham says ‘he cannot reopen the Ledbury as long as social distancing is in place’.
The restaurant, which opened in 2005, has been a regular on our list of 100 best restaurants in London and is known for its innovative approach to sustainability.
There’s no word yet to suggest it would permanently close, but Graham has said he has no current plans to reopen. According to Vines’s tweet, the restaurant’s staff are currently in a formal redundancy consultation period.
Speaking to Eater London, Graham said he couldn’t think of any way to reopen: ‘We can’t keep customers and staff safe. If there was an outbreak at the Ledbury, then it would be devastating.’ He added that he didn’t think any kind of social distancing could work at the restaurant. He also flagged concerns over how the situation will impact his customer base, with the future of hotels and flight operators uncertain.
Graham confirmed that the business will maintain the lease on the property, but he’s uncertain about what the future of the restaurant will look like. ‘I’m gutted. It’s been 15 years. There’s no winners in any scenario. I just don’t want to put anyone at risk.’
In the meantime, the restaurant has launched a provisions box, with produce from its suppliers and dishes made by Graham, including duck stuffed with hay and confit duck legs, Coombeshead Farm sourdough with cultured butter, and muntjac deer, oatmeal and prune sausages. Available to order via On the Pass, it means that while the restaurant’s future is uncertain, you can still bring a bit of the Ledbury to your home.
Want to support local businesses? These top London restaurants are doing home delivery.
And here are the best pizza spots doing takeaway right now.