The Team Behind Restaurant St Barts Opened A Norfolk Place & It’s Incredible

A new Norfolk eaterie from the same team as London’s Restaurant St Barts? Yes please. C&TH reviews Nest Farmhouse and finds it up to scratch – discover the restaurant in East Anglia you simply must try.

Review: Nest Farmhouse, Norfolk

When the team behind the critically acclaimed Restaurant St Barts announced their new countryside outpost, Nest Farmhouse, I found myself reaching for Google Maps before they could even finish their sentence. The trio behind this venture – Luke Wasserman, Toby Neill, and Johnnie Crowe (the latter being the executive chef) – are no strangers to success. In London, they earned both a regular and a green Michelin star for St Barts, championing sustainable yet undeniably good cuisine. 

Nest Farmhouse is a little different. It’s more casual, certainly – it prefers an à la carte menu to a tasting experience. It’s also set deep in the rural tapestry of Norfolk, in a converted barn on a working farm in Docking. It might even be aiming for a slightly slower pace than the mad pace enjoyed by restaurants in the capital, but let’s not kid ourselves – this place is destined to become a magnet for both locals and seasonal visitors alike. Because – spoiler – the food here is simply very, very good.

The restaurant itself is charming: a bit rustic, a bit scandi. Near floor-to-ceiling windows frame a panorama of fields and wildflowers – and during our visit, true, the encroach of rain across the horizon. It’s a view you can easily lose yourself in between courses, and for later diners there’s romance to the East Anglian sunset. The setting is thoughtfully considered, with the outside brought in with pretty pops of dried flowers, and shelves brimming with ferments that hint at the kitchen’s ambitions. 

The food at Nest Farmhouse is an unapologetic love letter to the bounties of Norfolk. Everything is local. Farmer Lucy from West Lexham is namechecked on the menu, as are its seafood and rare breed meat suppliers. And it’s nice to discover that virtue can taste damn good (particularly at head chef Grant Cotton’s hands).  

Spectacular steak tartare

When a meal starts with a salad and it’s knockout, you know you’re in for a ride. The radicchio salad rockstar, a dish I’d be tempted to call a rockstar, has this walnut ketchup that cuts through the entire thing. After making my way through beetroot with great bite, and local, perfect salad leaves, I’d have licked the plate clean were there not onlookers. Fried chicken, one of the sharing snacks, is unexpected. It feels so casual yet utterly right in the setting, and the temptation to tear it apart with your hands is strong. The steak tartare, too, has yolk so sunny it could brighten any day. 

And for those who think a countryside setting means a pokey wine list, think again. Nest Farmhouse boasts a selection that could hold its own in any urban hotspot, featuring trendy orange wines and a host of local options.

You must try the potatoes

For me, it’s the lemon sole that’s the real standout. It’s a saucy number – literally – and the fish practically melts as you debone it. Chives pepper the whole thing and lemon clings to each bite. Potatoes are a non-negotiable side in my view – they’re like decadent chips and the perfect vehicle to mop up every last drop of its creamy sauce. 

Dessert is nothing short of brilliant. Why donuts aren’t on more menus, I don’t know, but now they’re here it’d be hard to compete with chef Grant’s offer. Served with a rhubarb jam and elderflower custard, it’s punchy, sour, and as masochistic as it is pleasurable. And the coffee? Given due attention. A perfect cappuccino arrives in a glass that loops like a whip of cream. 

The attention to detail at Nest Farmhouse extends beyond the food and drink. Plates and cutlery have been collected with a magpie’s eye, found at fairs and antique shops, adding to the restaurant’s joyful, eclectic charm. Service is warm and unhurried, encouraging you to linger over expertly crafted dishes and soak in the bucolic surroundings. And the view is nothing short of exceptional. Outside, a grouse waddles through the flowers, oblivious to its role in this pastoral idyll. Nest Farmhouse is a perfect blend of countryside serenity and culinary excellence. What’s not to love?

nestfarmhouse.co.uk