River Cottage permanently closes Winchester restaurant
A note on the restaurant's website reads: "We all face unprecedented challenges from Covid-19 and with a heavy heart, we have made the very difficult and sad decision that River Cottage Kitchen in Winchester will be closing permanently."
It's not yet known how many staff will lose their jobs as a result of the closure.
Back in February, prior to the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic in the UK, it was announced that Fearnley-Whittingstall was to close his River Cottage Kitchen restaurant in Bristol after seven years of trading.
In a statement the chef blamed the “extremely difficult decision” on “rising costs and challenging market conditions”, as well as the size and location of the site.
Fearnley-Whittingstall founded the River Cottage HQ farm and cookery school in Devon, made famous on the Channel 4 series Escape to River Cottage, in 2004.
River Cottage Kitchen continues to operate a site in Axminster, Devon, which reopened on 10 July following the easement of Coronavirus lockdown restrictions on the hospitality sector.
The group also has a location within Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, which remains closed at this time.
