The Shed is a family affair, run by brothers Oliver (chef) and Richard (Maître d’) Gladwin, with meat provided by their younger brother (a farmer) and wine from their mother’s vineyard. The skill and expertise clearly inherited from their father’s successful catering company.
These passionate and enthusiastic boys have created a restaurant that is an extension of their rural lifestyle back in Nutbourne, West Sussex. “Growing, foraging, great cooking and great company have always been the order of the day and this ethos has been brought to life at The Shed.”
I went along for lunch last week, kindly hosted by my grandparents who had heard about this new local eatery from Giles Coren’s Times column. Hidden round the back of Notting Hill Gate, it is moments from the tube station and easily reached from Portobello. Cosy and quirky, the unusually long room suits the restaurant layout with an open plan kitchen at the rear with a private Butcher’s Table for personalised dining. Tractor parts, old signs and vintage anecdotes give the place character and charm.
The menu is made up of small tapas style plates, priced around £9… guests are advised to order two each. Needless to say the three of us ordered seven plus bread between us. We regretted it and didn’t need it all – each dish is surprisingly filling. Lamb chips quickly became a firm favourite with Shed regulars, deliciously tender lamb coated in a thick crunchy coating and served with sensational spicy tomato harissa sauce. We also enjoyed the broccoli (with chestnut mushrooms, chilli, black sesame and tahini) and the wholesome Cider and herb sausages with addictively good homemade mustard.
The menu changes daily to ensure variety, using only the freshest seasonal ingredients. Oliver is a firm believer in nose to tail cooking, using the whole animal to create inventive and exciting dishes. His pride and passion is evident throughout the food, and particularly when he presented “my Magnum Vienetta Parfait.” This pudding is a real must – we had to fight over the final mouthful of the second portion! Lovingly made by Oliver, it is the perfect combination of creamy vanilla ice-cream, bitter shards of dark chocolate and sweet oozing butterscotch sauce.
As I may soon be moving to this area, I am excited to have The Shed on my doorstep… the perfect place to pop in for a modest lunch or for a longer satisfying supper, it is certainly the most special Shed I have ever visited.