New hyper-seasonal restaurant coming to Hackney

EDIT, a hyper-seasonal veg-forward restaurant will open its doors in its doors in Hackney on 1 February.

Architect-turned-restaurateur Elly Ward’s Mare Street venture will challenge traditional thinking and wasteful practices in the food industry with a menu that celebrates the whole, championing organic and sustainable produce with a circular, low-waste philosophy. 

The kitchen will be lead by chefs Fabrice Jacquet and Beth Olivier, offering a concise list of modern British plant-based dishes and an accompanying selection of low-intervention wines, local beers and ciders. Ingredients are sourced from small-scale farms, foragers and independent producers using regenerative and minimal intervention methods.

The daily-changing menu is devised in accordance with seasonal availability. Diners can expect the likes of small plates such as roasted salsify with smoked aioli; crispy kalettes with purple potato mash; and beetroot à trois; followed by larger plates of wild mushroom fricassée with creamed barley and wilted chard; salt-baked turnip with lentil ragu; and seaweed-cured celeriac with oyster leaf and radish.

For dessert, EDIT will serve comforting, traditional puddings combined with seasonal fruits, with homemade chaga ice cream and blood orange granita, as well as a plant-based cheese board that will showcase the finest artisan vegan cheeses with homemade chutneys and breads. Running alongside the main menu, each day the restaurant will curate the ‘Daily Edit’ – a six-course tasting menu offering the full farm-to-table experience fully paired with natural wines and ciders. 

Entering the 30-cover dining room, guests will be greeted by the stripped back brick walls and original cast iron columns of the former factory building, with reclaimed furniture and tables made from recycled wood waste set against a striking tomato-red floor, brightly lit by large windows overlooking Mare Street. 

On the opening, Ward comments: "I’m so excited to take my team with me on this next stage of our journey. With EDIT we plan to take our hyper-seasonal and low waste approach to the next level, putting amazing local produce where it belongs, at centre stage; celebrating those farmers and growers that share our ethos, and ultimately creating delicious, sustainable food and a fine dining experience."

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