After nearly five years of operation, the Michelin-starred Pensons restaurant, located on the Netherwood Estate in Herefordshire, will permanently close its doors at Christmas.
Established in January 2019 under the leadership of Chef Lee Westcott, the 36-cover Pensons restaurant earned a Michelin star just 10 months after its opening.
Unfortunately, the decision to permanently close has been made after a thorough evaluation of its future commercial viability.
'It is with an extremely heavy heart we make this announcement,' said Peta Darnley, founder and managing director of Pensons.
'The Pensons team's dedication and talent is outstanding and this decision is no reflection on their ability but a very sad result of the economic climate we face.'
At the close of 2019, Chef Lee Westcott departed, making way for Chris Simpson to assume leadership, overseeing a five-strong kitchen brigade and successfully retaining the Michelin star.
In 2021, a restaurant expansion introduced two boutique bedrooms, offering guests the option to stay overnight.
Pensons is known for its commitment to self-sustainability, cultivating, foraging, and farming a significant portion of its own produce. The restaurant's dedication to environmental responsibility was recognised in 2022 when it received a Michelin Green Star, a distinction awarded to only nine restaurants for their outstanding sustainability practices.
'Despite all these accolades we find ourselves under relentless inflationary pressure which has made continuing the business untenable and the restaurant will close after dinner service on 22 December 2023,' said Darnley.
'It is with our heads held high that we move into these last weeks of service, and I wish to personally thank all our team for their hard work and applaud their incredible talent, especially Chris Simpson our head chef.'
Although Pensons is closing its doors, the estate is open to the possibility of leasing the restaurant building and kitchen garden in the future. Interested parties are encouraged to reach out directly to Darnley for further information.
