Sussex restaurant, Soho

The Gladwin brothers, the restaurateurs behind delectable Notting Hill restaurant The Shed and follow-on restaurants Rabbit in Chelsea and Nutbourne in Battersea, have opened a fourth site, Sussex, in Soho. Much like the brothers’ other three restaurants, the produce served at Sussex largely consists of ingredients grown or reared on the family’s farm in Nutbourne, West Sussex.

Far from being a carbon copy of its siblings, Sussex is a venture into new territory for chef patron Oliver Gladwin and his brothers Richard and Gregory, who are doing away with the sharing dishes and small plates their other restaurants are known for, and instead focusing on a more traditional starter, main and dessert meal format.

So, what’s on the menu? Diners can expect to tuck into a ‘celebration of the Sussex countryside’, bursting with wild, foraged and locally-grown ingredients – plus sustainably-reared livestock from the Gladwin’s family farm – all of which comes together to form a menu both rustic and refined.

To begin, tuck into the likes of ‘hand-dived scallops’ or ‘rabbit loin and carrot terrine’ before moving onto mains, which include the spectacular and unusual sounding: ‘roasted brill with Devon crab ravioli and sea herb-buttered "blewits" served on a sourdough crumpet with labneh, duck egg yolk, buckwheat and wood sorrel’.



There’s a game-fuelled specials menu too, while those after something lighter might prefer to take a seat at the counter where you can opt for a sharing selection of home-cured charcuterie, Sussex cheeses and wines – which, incidentally, brother Richard is in charge of sourcing and include bottles from the family’s award-winning vineyard in Nutbourne.

Don’t skip pudding, unless you want to miss out on sampling the exotic-sounding 'dandelion custard tart served with stewed plums, marigold milk junket and hazelnut sherbet', or the brothers’ renowned 'dark chocolate and salted caramel viennetta'.

Sussex can be found on the Frith Street site once home to Anthony Demeter’s celebrated restaurant Arbutus. The restaurant is draped in similarly rustic decor to that of the other three sites, while the contemporary artwork lining the walls and oak panelling lend Sussex its own look and feel. As for where to sit, the best seats in the house may well be downstairs: bypass the dining room and head down to the kitchen, where a 20-person chef’s table offers the chance to watch the theatre of the kitchen, or even take part in a butchery masterclass.

London’s restaurant scene is rapidly embracing sustainability and the Gladwin brothers are pioneers of the movement. When for us, the humble diners, this means the chance to eat at a West End restaurant serving the produced grown and reared on the brothers’ Nutbourne farm, we couldn’t be more thrilled.


Sussex restaurant is now open