Dorset restaurant Robin Wylde reacts to cost of living crisis by transforming into a bakery
A ‘wild food’ bakery will replace Lyme Regis restaurant Robin Wylde next year, with chef Harriet Mansell admitting it’s “not an easy time to own a restaurant” amid a cost of living crisis
Faced with the rising energy bills and soaring food costs now so widespread due to the impact of the cost of living crisis in the UK, Lyme Regis-based chef Harriet Mansell is boldly overhauling the site currently occupied by her tasting menu restaurant Robin Wylde, launching a dedicated bakery driven by foraged ingredients from the Jurassic Coast next year.
Mansell's 'wild food' bakery will serve a range of breads and pastries for retail as well as supplying nearby sister restaurant and wine bar, Lilac. The move spells the end (temporarily, at least) of Robin Wylde in its current form, with its foraging-first, vegetable-focused tasting menu offering to go on tour across the UK throughout 2023 via regular pop-ups and ad hoc evening events.
“It’s not an easy time to own a restaurant, and so [we] have had to diversify and expand our offering in exciting ways, so will be smashing out some epic bread and pastries that continue to use our beloved wild larder of ingredients, and share these with a broader reach of people,” said Mansell.
“At the same time, it means we can take Robin Wylde on the road – we’re all excited for the year ahead.”
With long-term plans for the new bakery also to supply restaurants in the wider area, Mansell will be using the same foraged ingredients in her breads and pastries as she does in her dishes, drawing on the wild produce found on her soon-to-be-former restaurant’s doorstep, specifically the coastlines.
Options will include nettle and wildflower pinwheels, gorse and winter citrus Danishes, and woodruff palmiers alongside classic bakery offerings such as French baguettes and seeded loaves.
The bakery will be open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays, with an online shop for pre-order planned for the new year.
“It’s not an easy time to own a restaurant, and so [we] have had to diversify and expand our offering in exciting ways, so will be smashing out some epic bread and pastries that continue to use our beloved wild larder of ingredients, and share these with a broader reach of people,” said Mansell.
“At the same time, it means we can take Robin Wylde on the road – we’re all excited for the year ahead.”
With long-term plans for the new bakery also to supply restaurants in the wider area, Mansell will be using the same foraged ingredients in her breads and pastries as she does in her dishes, drawing on the wild produce found on her soon-to-be-former restaurant’s doorstep, specifically the coastlines.
Options will include nettle and wildflower pinwheels, gorse and winter citrus Danishes, and woodruff palmiers alongside classic bakery offerings such as French baguettes and seeded loaves.
The bakery will be open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays, with an online shop for pre-order planned for the new year.
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