Simon Rogan to leave Fera at Claridge's and re-open Roganic

The three-year hotel partnership will end on 30 April. Fera at Claridge’s will continue to operate under the direction of head chef and Rogan protégé Matt Starling.

Rogan opened Fera in 2014. It won a Michelin star in 2015. It was originally set up under a ten-year management contract, with a five-year break clause. 

Rogan’s UMBEL restaurant group is now looking to permanently re-open Roganic, the London pop-up operated from 2011 to 2013, and is in talks with several locations to this end.

It is thought that the location will be in London.

The new site will be inspired by the farm that Rogan established in Cumbria in 2009, which supplies his restaurants.

The UMBEL group has stated it will now refocus business towards independent operations, embodying the ‘farm to plate’ ethos that Rogan aims for at his existing Cartmel restaurants, the two-Michelin-starred L’Enclume, and Rogan & Company.  

The move coincides with a major overhaul of Claridge's F&B offer and the wider hotel.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Claridge’s for a successful and enjoyable three years,” says Rogan. “As the time has come to move on, we do so with excitement for the future and grateful for our time at Fera.”

“We have had three very successful and creative years working with Simon and his talented team at Fera,” says Claridge’s general manager Paul Jackson. “We would particularly like to thank them for all their hard work and inspiration in keeping Claridge’s at the forefront of the London culinary world. We wish Simon all the best for his exciting future plans.”

This is not the first hotel partnership Rogan has left quickly; from 2013 to 2016 he operated The French restaurant at Manchester hotel The Midland, but left three years into the five-year partnership​​ in October 2016.

The restaurant became Adam Reid at The French, renamed for Rogan’s former chef who took over.