Worcestershire’s only Michelin star restaurant to close its doors

A Worcestershire Michelin star restaurant is set to close, following “persistent inflation and interest rate pressures”.

Pensons, a rural restaurant in Tenbury Wells, is the only Michelin-starred venue in the surrounding counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire.

It will shut its doors on December 22 as “it is no longer financially viable to stay open”.

Set in the grounds of the 1,200-acre Netherwood Estate and led by head chef Chris Simpson, Pensons is one of few in the country to have a Michelin Green Star for sustainability, thanks to growing its own fruit and vegetables, sourcing grass-fed meat from local butchers and farmers and fish coming from boats in Cornwall and the South West, using sustainable fishing methods which are delivered fresh overnight.

Pensons was also recently awarded the ‘Editor’s Choice 2023’ by the Good Hotel Guide for ‘Restaurants with Rooms’.

In a statement, the “very sad but very proud Pensons team” said: “We are incredibly proud of everything we have achieved over the last five years, from the quality of the food and service to the collaborations with local producers and artisans.

“We aimed to showcase all that is wonderful about this area and raise the national consciousness of this small corner of the country. But most of all, we wanted to bring people together to enjoy the conviviality of a shared love of wonderful food and wine in beautiful surroundings”.

Customers will reservations past December 22, will be contacted by the team and those with gift vouchers have been urged to book before it closes.