The Organic Farm Restaurant is a collaboration between an organic farmer and a Michelin star chef. The project is currently early in development, with the aim of opening a temporary restaurant on the farm in summer 2020, with a further aim of opening a permanent restaurant on the farm in 2022.
The farm currently supplies produce to some of the top restaurants in London and was approached by the local chef with an intention of opening a restaurant on the farm. Due to the cost and additional time required to open a permanent restaurant, the decision was made to begin the collaboration with a temporary event over the summer, utilising existing structures and materials on-site to create a sustainable and affordable event space.
The current plans for the temporary restaurant will transform an existing polytunnel on site into an eating and dining area. The existing polytunnel structure will be elevated on top of a Douglas Fir timber colonnade. The polytunnel will form an arched roof which frames a large open plan 30 cover dining area below.
Operable shutters along the colonnade and in the roof allow air movement to be controlled through the space, providing cross and stack ventilation during hot summer evenings. The polythene roof will be draped in aluminet curtains to provide solar shading, a reflective material used by farmers on polytunnels to control solar gain over summer months, whilst allowing dapples of natural light to illuminate the space. The space will also be heated in the evening with rocket stoves, fuel efficient fires burning wood that will keep diners warm during cooler evenings.
The kitchen itself will be housed in an existing structure on the site adjacent the installation, allowing a team of chefs to produce exquisite food five evenings a week, growing fruit, vegetables and other plants across the farm throughout the spring, summer and autumn months.