Launch of New Restaurant in Lyme Regis

This summer will see the launch of an exciting new dining destination from chef, Harriet Mansell, in the coastal town of Lyme Regis in Dorset.

Forming the next creative step for Harriet, Garden Table, will launch on the 24th of June, and will be hidden behind Lilac, Harriet’s existing restaurant and wine bar on Broad Street. The menu will centre around her passion for wild and foraged food with every element being picked by Harriet herself.

The vision is to create an intimate woodland-like setting in the courtyard space behind Lilac, close to the sea front. There will be space for 14 diners on one atmospherically lit table amidst an abundance of greenery. Offering a chef’s table experience there will be a lower area close to the diners where Harriet will cook elements of the menu over fire in front of guests.

The tasting menu will be plant forward showcasing a diverse range of vegetables, plants and flavours, with wild fish and wild meat in smaller quantities. The menu will start with a selection of snacks and lead into dishes that tell a story of the food of this area. Expect to see pine, spruce and larch featuring heavily, along with summer flowers. There will be smoke and bitter flavours, with wild fish and meat, and a focus on slow processes of flavour extraction through fermentation. The menu will be accompanied by a wine pairing and a wild foods soft drinks pairing also created by Harriet & team.

Every detail about these dinners, from the decorations through to the menus will be hand crafted or designed. Harriet has been taking time to learn how to woodcut, how to do calligraphy and other artistic elements, to bring these details to the design of the experience. The menu will in part draw upon the history and folklore of the area to bring the stories of the land to life through the dishes.

Harriet is working with designer, Anna Wardrop, who has been responsible for the garden design of The River Café, Hermes Roof Terrace and Shoreditch House to name but a few, and the duo are working on creating a magical and captivating setting for the dinners.

The entire menu will be representative of her passion for history and wild foods. This will allow Harriet to continue to develop her style and offering whilst she works on securing the perfect location for a future restaurant with rooms and education space.

The Garden Table will launch on the 24th June and will be bookable on a Monday and Tuesday evenings each week, priced at £79 per person with optional drinks pairings. Guests will be encouraged to arrive at Lilac from 5pm onwards for an aperitif and nibbles in the wine bar which will be open exclusively for Garden Table diners. Dinner will then commence from 6pm.

Reservations are open now – gardentable@lilacwine.co.uk

Harriet says:

"The entire menu is representative of a desire to honour processes that take time, and to work on doing things with care and attention. By learning skills and handcrafting as many elements as possible, which I am currently doing, (woodcutting and calligraphy to name a couple!) it imbues the entire project, from my perspective, with a slow and calm level of care and attention to detail. I am hoping that this will elevate the project sufficiently to become a worthy evolution of 'Robin Wylde'.

I am excited and can't wait to share this with people. It's everything I believe in and love.''

Harriet’s Lilac restaurant and wine bar, housed within a 400-year-old cellar in Lyme Regis, has been listed as one of the top 100 restaurants of 2024 by Squaremeal. The only restaurant to have made the list from Dorset.

www.lilacwine.co.uk