Native relocates from London to Essex

Native will relocate from London to Osea Island on the Essex coast in October, with head chef Ivan Tisdall-Downes and co-founder Imogen Davis establishing their first restaurant outside of the capital.

The new venture, which is a one-hour trip from London, will allow the duo to continue their journey towards creating a closed-loop restaurant system, showcasing local produce sourced from the fields and shores surrounding the island.

Native’s dining times will be dictated by the tide, allowing guests to travel to the island via boat or an ancient Roman causeway.

Diners will be welcomed by Tisdall-Downes and the team for snacks and aperitif drinks around a campfire on the beach before sitting down to enjoy a tasting menu in the island’s converted World War I torpedo store.

The menu will tell the story of the island and its ecosystem, offering guests seasonal produce gathered fresh from the shores, waters, fields and forest around Osea Island.

Dishes will include blackwater oysters smoked over fire; wild, local, line-caught bass served with fennel and lavender from the Osea allotments; and desserts made from foraged sea buckthorn gathered from the shore and berries plucked from the fields.

Davis has selected a range of organic, biodynamic and low-intervention wines, which will be available by the glass and the bottle.

Also available will be a selection of Native’s house-made cocktails, which feature a negroni made with Osea island vermouth, meadowsweet sour, and a ‘wasted’ espresso martini – as well as kombucha and foraged teas.

Beer will be provided by London friends Two Tribes Brewery.

The 30-cover restaurant will initially operate from Thursday to Saturday in the evenings and Sunday service in the early afternoon, depending on the tide.

Foraging and shack-snacking

Additionally, the team will also introduce a local edition of their popular Forage & Feast series, with each event seeing guests meet Davis and Tisdall-Downes on the island ahead of their dinner to commence a two-hour foraging tour.

The team will also operate the Native Oyster shed – a seafood shack open to both residents and guests of the island specialising in freshly shucked blackwater and west Mersea oysters (open Thursday to Sunday).

“It’s always been a dream of ours to escape the city and look for a restaurant near the sea where we can further expand our closed-loop and regenerative agriculture practices” says Davis.

“Our menu has always been a snap shot of what’s available in the fields, forest and coastlines that day – and we’re looking forward to developing our menu to reflect the wealth of produce that Osea island and the surrounding area has to offer,” adds Tisdall-Downes.

Located a 45-minute train journey from London Liverpool Street to Witham, diners travelling to the island will be given the option to be transported onto the island via car or boat in accordance with the tide.

Native opens on Thursday 22 October 2020.