One of the UK’s best restaurants for New World wines, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn in Wiltshire, is to close on 28 March after 21 years in business.
Housed in a former pub in Little Bedwyn, a village on the River Dun in Wiltshire, the restaurant was founded by Roger and Sue Jones in 1998.
It won its first Michelin star in 2006 and retained it until last year. The Michelin guide describes the restaurant as “intimate and understated”, serving food “with a classical base and modern elements”.
One of Jones’s quirkier creations is his sweet-savoury foie gras macaroons. Among the courses on the current tasting menu are Orkney scallop in a Champagne beurre blanc; Welsh black beef tartare with Indian spices; Pembroke lobster in a Thai broth; and guineafowl and chestnut ravioli.
Over the last two decades the venue has won a number of awards for its 900-bin wine list that champions drops from New Zealand, South Africa and Australia in particular.
A renowned wine lover, in addition to his duties as a chef, Roger Jones writes and judges for a number of the UK’s leading wine magazines and competitions.
Prior to The Harrow at Little Bedwyn, Jones was in charge of state banquets at The Guildhall.
In 2003 he launched The Mamba Riedel Decanter Awards followed by The Tri Nations Wine Challenge and Sparkling Sundays, taking the events to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
In 2015 the Jones family began making their own wine in South Africa to sell at the restaurant under the Jones Family Collection brand.
“The decision has not been easy, but we feel that we have achieved everything and more than we can and it is time to move onto other things,” Sue Jones said.
“Our experience has been made possible by the loyalty and support of our dear friends and family, not forgetting top suppliers, talented winemakers and an amazing trade that has seen us through so many highlights,” she added.
When the restaurant closes the couple will continue with their charity workand Roger will concentrate on wine judging and wine writing.
