The Gladwin Family Journal
Snapshots, Reels and Observations from August, by Peter Gladwin
from our Farming, Wines, Restaurants, Pubs & Produce
LOCAL & WILD
Local & Wild is both the brand and strapline of our restaurant/pub business. The concept is local hospitality, enjoyed by local people, using wild ingredients and wild ideas. The group now comprises: The Shed, Notting Hill; Rabbit, Kings Road; Sussex, Soho; The Black Lamb, Wimbledon Village; The Pigs Ear, Chelsea; and The Black Horse, Amberley.
It has been pointed out to me that the family name plus the three brothers’ strong profiles on social media sometimes overshadows our brand, so it is worth pointing out that there is much more to Local & Wild than just the Gladwins. Overall there are 130 members of the team, led by highly motivated and dedicated managers and head chefs. These are the people ready to welcome you, cook for you and host you the moment you walk through one of our doors. Here’s to the unsung heroes of Local and Wild!
The Partial Solar Eclipse
The Downs darken across golden squares of cut stubble, grouted with thick Hawthorn hedges. Beyond is a jet black sea, the sun slowly sinking to the west is quite suddenly partially obscured by an invisible moon.
I have one of those early childhood memories where you are never sure if you really recall it or whether you heard your mother tell the story so often, a firm image had fixed in your head.
We were living in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia at the time) and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother came for an official visit. Big excitement, the wide boulevards of Harare (Salisbury at the time) were lined with enthusiastic onlookers all waving union jack flags. When the carriage processed by, a five year old me was apparently chasing a butterfly and I missed the whole thing.
I regret that this months’ Solar Eclipse brought a little déja vu. There was a lot of talk about colanders and special glasses but some confusion over the time we needed to assemble for the spectacle. I did notice a modest darkening of the sky as I strode up a hill in the opposite direction from the sun but I am afraid I missed the whole thing so perhaps I just have to imagine:
Updates from the Vineyard & Farm
Briefing the Vineyard Workers
One of the most labour intensive tasks before harvest is to strip off the vines’ lower leaves to expose the fruit to sunlight. 75 new workers have been carefully briefed on exactly what they are and are not to eat. The key is to make sure they do the job but are moved elsewhere before they get a taste for the ripening fruit.
A Regenerative Plot
Gregory has been writing a passionate approach to how you really get the best out of soil in his latest paper on Environmental Sustainability in the Vineyard.
A Meeting of Minds
Richard and Oliver have been to meet Luke Smith, a large scale Sussex beef farmer, to learn all about his Regenerative Beef Farming.
Harvest Farm Feast
There are a few places still available for the Friday night Farm Feast at the vineyard on 18th September. Do join us to taste the new ferments and then enjoy a 5-course feast of local produce and delicious wines, celebrating the harvest season.
Harvest 2026
The Grape Harvest 2026 is about to begin. The continued sunshine and warm temperatures have delivered sweet, flavoursome, ripe fruit like never before. This years Harvest will kick off in early September. We are still recruiting locals to help with the picking, do give us a ring on 01798 815196 if you are interested.
"There is more to wine than just drinking it" - Oliver Gladwin
Please don’t judge us for the number of corks required to make these exquisite animal sculptures. Oliver was able to spend a few hours out of the burning sun on their family holiday entertaining his sons with his unique creativity - all it took was a bit of wire, a pot of glue and wine corks.
A Trip To The Suffolk Coastline
There remain 2 tennis tournaments in Britain that insist on all white clothing. It is considered to be one of the great traditions of Wimbledon but perhaps lesser known is- The Thorpeness Country Club on the Suffolk coast. Thorpeness was purpose built as a middle-class holiday resort in 1922. Visiting is like a journey back in time, family holidaymakers of all ages enjoying their wooden holiday chalets, the pebbly beach, the 2ft deep boating mere, ice-creams, donkey rides and of course the Country club - perhaps now a little dilapidated but definitely all players dressed very smartly in white.
Very sadly this part of the Suffolk Coast is suffering from severe sea erosion with cliff-tops and homes being swept away into the sea. I spent a little time with a talented young artist named Celia Fletcher who has holidayed in Thorpeness all her life - alongside her hosebox studio, painted oars and other works of art she shared this delightful but poignant poem.
This Month's Food Champion: Wild Mushrooms
Deep in the woodland, mossy, leaf littered, undisturbed soil beneath the deciduous beech and chestnut trees - there they lay, an exquisite, delicious, culinary delicacy
What's in Season?
Delicious ingredients available in September from the shore, field, farm and foraging
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IN THE WILD
Rosette Apples · Moreland Grouse, Wood Pigeon · New Season Partridge · Elderberries, Blackberries, Bulas, Damsons & Wild Plums · Chanterelle & Woodland Ceps
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FROM THE COAST
Mussels & Oysters · Sardines, Mackerel, Hake & Red Mullet · Plaice, Brill & Dover Sole
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FROM THE LAND
Squashes · Sweetcorn, Green Beans & Courgettes · Rainbow Chard & Cavalo Nero · Soil grown outdoor Tomatoes - every colour, shape & size · Green & Purple Basil · Cucumbers & Radishes · Kent Peaches
Seasonal Recipes
The Black Sheep of the Family
Given that our wayward family has three “black sheep” it seemed like the perfect name for a restaurant, but it wasn’t to be.
The moment we launched our stylish British restaurant in Wimbledon Village we were contacted by some fancy
lawyers representing a coffee shop brand that I had never heard of. They claimed that by naming our establishment “The Black Sheep” we were attempting to trade off their good name (presumably for take-away coffee and donuts). They went on to say that our logo, a silhouette profile of a Southdown sheep striding on 4 legs, was too similar to their cartoon logo of a sheep’s head wearing sunglasses!
Knowing that letters of this nature, written by a major City Law firm would be costing the coffee vendor a fortune, I had the fun of stringing the correspondence out a bit. Then reluctantly advised the brothers to change the new Restaurant name to THE BLACK LAMB.
That was all 5 years ago and to be honest we have never looked back. The Black Lamb in Wimbledon has established a great reputation and has a delightful, loyal clientele who we adore. Delicious new dishes such as Yorkshire Moreland Grouse, Beeef Carpaccio with Arancini, Devon Crab with Arundel Cucumbers & Radishes; and Brixham Plaice with Burnt Butter & Capers are all now on the menu.
We can't wait for the next time we eat there.
The Perfect Picnic Spot
What makes the perfect picnic spot? A view, peaceful surroundings, running water, a soft grassy bank or simply the company.
Photography by: Simon Wheeler, Ed Dallimore, Catherine Frawley and Oliver Gladwin. Designed by Olivia Thomas. Illustrations and copy by Peter Gladwin.