Pensons is the latest eatery from heralded London chef Lee Westcott, a man with career stints across the likes of the Savoy Grill and Claridge’s to Tom Aikens and Jason Atherton’s various outposts. But eager to stand out on his own, Westcott turned away from the big smoke and recently launched Pensons, a fine diner on the 1,200-acre familiy-owned Netherwood estate on the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border. The restaurant itself sits within a series of once derelict farm buildings that have been re-imagined into a chic eatery merging its heritage structure with contemporary interiors, all manned by a six-member team.

The mantra here is ‘estate to plate’ and the restaurant’s accompanying acres of farm land have provided Westcott and his team with the opportunity to farm, forage and grow the majority of ingredients on the estate itself. There is an elaborate kitchen garden, bee hives, animals, game and plenty of foraging available in the neighbouring woods, alongside the benefit of living nearby a bevy of local local suppliers. The result is a menu that is seasonal, local and sustainable; the perfect partner to Westcott’s ‘imaginative, yet unprentenious cooking’. Think mains of mallard, heritage carrot, onion and damson, and dessert’s of rhubarb, milk and honey.

Pensons sits on the historic Netherwood Estate, which dates back to medieval time, though evidently the restaurant’s interiors are far more modern. Owner Peta Darnley faced the loss of the buildings in which Parsons sit, which took 18 months to transform into the somewhat-Scani, white-tiled space which now stands. While once scaffolding was used to kept the beams in place, a total restructure now sees the former barn laden with a menagerie of furniture and homewares created by locals in an attempt to re-establish the estate as a community beacon, from the light shades formed by local basket maker Jenny Crisp to the naturally dyed napkins used throughout. If you want to visit Pensons for yourself, make your way to the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border, half way between Bromyard and Tenbury Wells where you’ll find the historic Estate. etherwoodestate.co.uk