Internationally acclaimed restaurant The Harrow at Little Bedwyn will serve its last customers on 28 March.
The restaurant near Marlborough in Wiltshire, owned by Roger and Sue Jones, received its first Michelin star in 2006 and retained it for 12 consecutive years.
Chef Roger is also a regular at Decanter panel tastings and has been a judge on the Decanter World Wine Awards since 2009. He also set up the Mamba Riedel Decanter Awards in 2003, for which Decanter is a sponsor.
Sue, who runs front of house, said of the decision: ‘It has not been easy… but we feel we have achieved everything we can – and more – and that it is time to move on to other things.’
Sue and Roger Jones
Roger will now focus on wine judging, writing and consultancy, while both will continue their charity work with Ty Hafan, a hospice for life-limited children, and Anna Victorious, a rowing challenge across Atlantic to support young women and their families through cancer.
He told The Buyer: ‘The kitchen shift may be over, but I certainly have not finished on the wine side. Even though I will be turning 60 next year, the slippers are not coming out quite yet.’
Known for its extensive wine list, particularly of Australian, South African and New Zealand wines, The Harrow has twice won the AA Wine List of the Year as well as AA Restaurant of the Year among its many industry awards.
The Jones’ have also set up several wine events in the UK as well as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and their love of the Cape in particular saw them create their Jones Family Collection wine label there four years ago.
From humble beginnings working on a caravan site in West Wales, Roger became the youngest ever head chef to run state banquets at the Guildhall in London and has also cooked for the Queen and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
