The British Larder

About the British Larder

In the beginning

The British Larder was created by Madalene Bonvini-Hamel and Ross Pike in 2008. Originally a recipe diary, The British Larder has grown into something much bigger, encompassing food and chef consultancy, food photography, food safaris, food journalism, retail products and more.

The British Larder was born from Madalene and Ross’ incredible culinary expertise. So often were they asked for recipes or recommendations, the foodie duo decided to create a place where they could share their culinary knowledge and write about the food they love and their discoveries, from new ingredients, products and gadgets to restaurants, chefs and cookbooks.

Our gastropub

The clicks became bricks in 2010, with the opening of The British Larder gastropub in Suffolk. With Madalene and Ross at the helm, working closely with local farmers, producers and suppliers, the pub was hugely successful (“a treat in store for the greedy eater”, Jay Rayner). It was a staple of The Good Food Guide and The Michelin Pub Guide and was the recipient of a raft of awards. It was also voted one of the best ethical restaurants by Observer Food Monthly, one of the best places for Sunday lunch by The Times and one of best gastropubs in Britain by The Telegraph.

An exciting new chapter

As the gastropub thrived, so other areas of The British Larder’s business also flourished, with the global popularity of the recipe diary, the growth of Madalene and Ross’s media profiles, the publication of a British Larder cookbook, the demand for food development and chef consultancy, the launch of a range of products at Selfridges and more. So, at the beginning of 2015, the momentous (and very hard) decision was taken to let go of the award-winning gastropub and start an exciting new chapter in The British Larder story. That chapter is now.

Our awards

2015

Good Food Guide Top 50 Pubs 2015 (ranked 23rd)
Good Food Guide 2015
Michelin Pub Guide 2015: Michelin Inspectors Favourite
Top 50 Gastropubs Awards 2015 (ranked 20th)

2014

Runner up, 2014 Observer Food Monthly Best Ethical Restaurant
Sunday Times, Best Place for Sunday Lunch
Good Food Guide 2014
Michelin Pub Guide 2014: Michelin Inspectors Favourite
Top 50 Gastropubs Awards 2014 (ranked 15th)

2013

Alistair Sawday’s Pubs and Inns Local, Seasonal and Organic Award 2013
Winner, Scotch Egg Challenge 2013
Good Food Guide 2013
Michelin Pub Guide 2013: Michelin Inspectors Favourite
Top 50 Gastropubs Awards 2013 (ranked 14th; Highest Climber award)

2012

Best Food Pub of the Year, Great British Pub Awards 2012
Independent Pubs Winner, RSPCA Good Food Business Awards 2012
Top 50 Gastropubs Awards 2012 (ranked 32nd; Highest Climber and Best Newcomer awards)
Good Food Guide 2012
Michelin Pub Guide 2012: Michelin Inspectors Favourite

2011