It\u2019s a restaurant unlike any other. It offers a dining out experience unlike any other. \u2018Unique\u2019 is a term that\u2019s so often overused, but on this occasion, it\u2019s wholly applicable to Richard & Grace Stevens\u2019 tasting menu restaurant on the border of Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ufeffIt\u2019s a restaurant unlike any other. It offers a dining out experience unlike any other. \u2018Unique\u2019 is a term that\u2019s so often overused, but on this occasion, it\u2019s wholly applicable to Richard & Grace Stevens\u2019 tasting menu restaurant on the border of Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ufeffIt\u2019s safe to say that Restaurant Jericho is a place like no other. Located on Richard Stevens\u2019 family farm, which has been in the family for four generations, it\u2019s situated in the village of Plungar in the Vale of Belvoir. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before we go any further, we ought to acknowledge that the village is on the border of Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, so technically not in Lincolnshire, but on this occasion it\u2019s worth us playing fast and loose with county borders in order to recommend a dining experience that\u2019s really quite extraordinary in terms of its ambition, scale and creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, we can\u2019t think of a comparable dining experience anywhere else in Britain, never mind in our neck of the woods. Founded by Rich and Grace, it follows a tasting menu format comprising no fewer than 20 courses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is served to just 14 diners on a Friday and Saturday and priced at \u00a3140 per person with an optional flight of half a dozen wines for \u00a380.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rich is self-taught and opened an artisan butchery on the farm in 2017, then a steakhouse called Dickies before Covid sent the whole hospitality sector into torpor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it reopened, Rich and Grace had reinvented the place, establishing Restaurant Jericho adjacent to a kitchen garden with a view to producing ultra-seasonal dishes from a single menu that evolves every single week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our visit came at the worst time for the couple. It was a Saturday morning with a kitchen team prepping for evening service, when Rich and Grace were due to fly out to Dublin to the Michelin Awards for GB & Ireland 2026. There they were to find out if they would retain their Michelin Green Star, an accolade that was established in 2020 to recognise \u2018sustainable gastronomy and eco-friendly practices.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, and did we mention that Grace was due to deliver the couple\u2019s fourth daughter as Pride goes to press? Suffice to say the couple are very busy indeed… as is the restaurant itself, it seems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, during our visit in early February, the place was booked up until April, with hopeful diners on a waiting list, keen to secure a table in the event of a cancellation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walking through the door the place was as we remembered it, but… even better. The door in question is a heavy, weathered Corten steel one, leading to the dining room with an open kitchen at the far end with open flame cooking ranges. There are timber beams, timber and metal cladding, painted timber floors, a turntable with vinyl records, a wood burner and metal topped tables. At the centre of the room is a reclaimed workbench with a Bonsai tree and green moss. It\u2019s all really rustic and really cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next to the restaurant is a bar with a similar vibe; retro seating and chunky furniture with a sort of rustic\/Scandi colour scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re used to Michelin-level dining, you\u2019re probably accustomed to white tablecloths, formality and adaptable service. That is the antithesis of what Restaurant Jericho is about, but any perceived inflexibility is simply a reflection on the labour that goes on behind the scenes. The restaurant can\u2019t cater for vegetarians or vegans and can\u2019t accommodate substitutions… it\u2019s just not possible at this level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, Rich and the team grow their own produce in their kitchen garden or, when quality and consistency necessitate, source produce like potatoes from the farm five minutes down the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a trained butcher, Rich and his two chefs take whole carcass pig, beef, lamb and venison, using every last bit, ensuring no waste. Meat is hung and dry-aged in-house for as long as possible, far exceeding the usual 28-days quoted by most butchers. Game is sourced from Belvoir and Buckminster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition the team utilises raw milk from less than a mile down the road to make their own cream and butter in-house as well as baking the restaurant\u2019s bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Working in such a way means the availability of ingredients changes from day to day and so the restaurant\u2019s menus change every single week, the brigade thinking on their feet and creating new dishes each week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That fact, and the restaurant\u2019s long lead times have led Rich and Grace to offer Work in Progress evenings, colloquially, \u2018WIP\u2019 nights on Wednesday and Thursday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea is that instead of a 20 course menu at \u00a3140, you can enjoy six to eight dishes currently under development. Feedback is actively sought and when diners love the kitchen\u2019s WIP dishes, they make it onto the Friday and Saturday tasting menus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The couple have certainly raised eyebrows in the industry. After all, so few covers, so many courses, the restaurant\u2019s price point and the fact that it\u2019s only open for diners four evenings a week, not to mention the labour-intensive nature of the dishes would conspire to make even the bravest restaurant owners nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the couple are smashing it out of the park, not because of the fancy nature of the dishes, or the smart dining environment. The best explanation we can offer for Restaurant Jericho\u2019s demonstrable success is the authenticity and down-to-earth warmth of experience. At its heart, Rich is really down to earth; \u2018humble and honest hospitality,\u2019 as it says on the restaurant\u2019s website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fundamentally, Rich and the team of chefs understand farming, ingredients, and about bringing a warm welcome to diners. For all its drama and the extensive number of courses, Restaurant Jericho is about local, seasonal ingredients, really good food and a great evening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s absolutely unique and the couple really do deserve all of the success, having created something very different… but really quite brilliant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the Menu: Restaurant Jericho<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Artichoke, White Stilton, Damson. 20-course menu \u00a3140 per person; Kitchen Bench \u00a3160 per person; Paired wines \u00a380 per person. Restaurant Jericho:<\/strong>
Jericho Charcuterie.
‘Dans Ma Bulle’, Les Enfants Sauvage, Cotes Catalanes, 2021<\/em>
Lincolnshire Poacher Churros.
Pigs Blood Tart.
Chicken Leg.
Lamb, Blackberry.
Duck Leg Croquette.
Patchwork, La Cuverie, Savoie, 2023<\/em>
\u2018Our Bread, Our Butter.\u2019
‘Keep on Pushing’, Baby Bandito, Testalonga, Swartland, 2022<\/em>
Celeriac, Celery, Apple
Today\u2019s Cheese, Leek, Red Onion
‘Cool Moon’ Les Enfants Sauvage, Cotes Catalanes, 2021<\/em>
Garden Herb Chawanmushi,\u00a0
Ox Liver Bushi.
Squash, Naked Oats,\u00a0
Lincolnshire Poacher 50.
Blaufr\u00e4nkisch, Judith Beck, Burgenland, 2023<\/em>
100 Day Old Chicken,
Tenderstem, Chicken Liver.
Lamb, Date, Turnip.
\u2018Absteme S\u2019abstenir, \u2018Cosse Maisonneuve, Cahors, 2018<\/em>
Pork, Beetroot, Bramley Apple.
Botterill’s Duck, Fig.
Silage Ice Cream.
‘Blet Tendre’, Les Terres Blanches, Oiron, 2021<\/em>
Apple, Crown Prince\u00a0
Squash, Caramel.
Parsnip, Hazelnut, Molasses.
Stilton Creme Br\u00fbl\u00e9e.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NB: Menu changes every day, based on what is seasonal and fresh, this is a sample menu only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pitch:<\/strong> \u201cA dining experience inspired by humble ingredients and the most honest way to cook; fire. 20-course tasting menu from the kitchen garden and local farms.\u201d
Menus:<\/strong> Work in Progress (WIP) Wednesday, Thursday, \u00a350 per person. Tasting menu of 20 courses
Friday, Saturday \u00a3140 per person. Booking essential.
Restaurant Jericho Orchard Farm, Plungar, Nottingham NG13 0JA. Call 01949 869733 or see www.restaurantjericho.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n