South African chef Vanessa Marx takes the reins at Richmond’s Bingham Riverhouse

The newly-named Riverhouse Restaurant will offer a ‘seasonally-changing menu in a more relaxed and approachable atmosphere’. 

The news follows the closure of Steven Edwards at Bingham Riverhouse last year​​ after around three years’ trading. 

Marx has spent most of her career in Cape Town, where she co-founded Dear Me Food World - a three-level culinary haven - and appeared on Celebrity MasterChef South Africa.

She launched her own catering and events business before relocating to London where she has spent the past two years running Bingham Riverhouse’s private events.

Dedicated to ‘sustainable practises and slow foods’, The Riverhouse Restaurant dishes feature the most ‘consciously-sourced produce and ingredients foraged in harmony with the seasons and local environments’.

Marx has a zero-waste ethos and is big also big on wild and foraged ingredients, as well as some of her own garden-grown botanicals. 

The menu currently includes Dorset nduja croquettes; coffee-grown oyster mushrooms, fermented nut and truffle cream on toast; wild boar ‘bourguignon’ with mushroom barley risotto; and Kentish cobnut and olive oil cake with grapefruit and olive meringue. 

“Food has the power to tell a story, change the energy, and connect people,” Marx says. “I cherish watching the seasons change in the UK, appreciating the incredible British produce and its growers. In this new world, transparency and sustainability are the currency, and I’m excited to continue this culinary journey at Bingham Riverhouse.”

 Sama Trinder, co-owner of Bingham Riverhouse, added: “We want to continue to empower women in business at Bingham Riverhouse and are thrilled to welcome Vanessa into her new role and watch her successfully lead the new restaurant concept at the hotel.”