Elodie at Birch (Selsdon) – a new restaurant by Lee Wescott

The news that Lee Wescott would be manning the flagship restaurant Elodie at the new Birch retreat in Selsdon made us very excited. A retreat which encompasses a 200-acre rewilding project, we knew to expect food that spotlights the natural agriculture of Birch (Selsdon) and the produce it inhabits. Wescott’s previous venture Pensons opened in 2019 at the Netherwood Estate in Hertfordshire; his focus on the seasonal British produce foraged at the Estate earned Wescott a Michelin star within the short year of his tenure. Wescott and Birch sounded to us like a match made in rewilded, field-to-fork, foragable heaven… and our trip to Elodie proved us totally spot on.

Image: Lee Wescott.

On entering Elodie the sense of calm is immediate. The mansion’s nineteenth century features – exquisite ornamental ceilings and grand arched mahogany windows – are married together by designer Sella Concept with woody textures and buttery hues giving the space a current and relaxed boho air. Abundant plants drape over the walkways throughout the restaurant bringing the outside of Birch to its insides – a theme which is maintained throughout the Elodie experience, even within Poppy Ellis’ wall-art which incorporates bright green branches in urban portraiture

Image:Elodie, Birch Selsdon. Photo by Adam Lynk.

To begin our eight course seasonal tasting menu, we were treated to a gin-based aperitif adorned with pineapple weed from the gardens at Birch. Tangy but extremely drinkable, this was the perfect opening to the courses to follow. Our first course, a summer green bean croustade, was served in a thinly cut pastry infused with IPA brewed on site at Birch. Bite-size and zestful, the creamy wild garlic and cods roe summoned recollections of cream cheese and lox bagels in surprising but wonderful ways only.

Two further small plates followed: the first a potato finger delicately dolloped with the most perfectly seasoned aioli, the second an unexpected standout of IPA (Birch is appropriately proud of its ale!) sourdough with marmite butter and roasted yeast. Umami seems to be the flavour of the moment with chefs in London and beyond making miracles happen with tahini and miso alike. It was a total joy to see their humble British ancestor, Marmite, elevated to new heights. We went back for second and third helpings of the smooth and glossy marmite butter and nearly asked for more of the IPA sourdough to mop up the final smudges.

Image: IPA soughdough. Elodie, Birch Selsdon, September 2023. Photo by Lucy Firestone.

Image: Summer Green Bean Croustade, Elodie, Birch Selsdon, September 2023. Photo by Lucy Firestone.

Before moving to our main dishes, a note has to be made of the spectacular sommelier service we received during our meal at Elodie. The explanations of our wine pairings were some of the most holistic and educational we have received for some time. The polish it brought to the experience cannot be understated and more importantly it allowed us to truly appreciate the consideration behind the pairings and exactly which flavours in the food we were experiencing thanks to the wines.

The fish dish was hand dived scallop accompanied by sunflower seeds, Jerusalem artichoke, yeast and apple. It had a freshness reminiscent of the gin cocktail we began with and the cooking of the scallop, tender and delicate, was faultless. Wescott is renowned for his abilities with vegetables so it was to no shock that the dish listed humbly on his menu as ‘Grilled Courgettes’ was something special. A semisphere of courgette grilled to delicious smokiness on the barbecue and then steeped in an elderflower vinaigrette was one of those morsels you keep checking out on your fork to try to understand its magic.

Image: Hans Dived Scallop. Elodie, Birch Selsdon, September 2023. Photo by Lucy Firestone.

Image: Grilled Courgettes. Elodie, Birch Selsdon, September 2023. Photo by Lucy Firestone.

Our final main was Herdwick lamb cooked rare and leaning against fermented leek tops. Of all the dishes, the lamb was most enhanced by its wine pairing – an unusual young Bordeaux which gave the whole dish a richness, cut through by the sharp green olive sauce. 

Image: Herdwick Lamb. Elodie, Birch Selsdon, September 2023. Photo by Lucy Firestone.

Image: English strawberry with yoghurt & cherry blossom. Elodie, Birch Selsdon, September 2023. Photo by Lucy Firestone.

Dessert was as perfectly sweet as our sommelier, who by our last bite was already assessing the best cocktail with which we should finish the meal. Beautiful strawberries served with a cultured yoghurt whipped atop a round shortbread were a triumph of British summertime and could not have been a finer finale to the showcase of seasonal flavours we had enjoyed.

The terrace outside the restaurant is scattered with beanbags and fairy-light lit – a perfect place to enjoy our final cocktail and let the meal sink in.

As expected, Wescott and Birch have come together to bring something really quite special to the Greater London dining scene. At a steal of £69 per head for the tasting menu, we wholeheartedly recommend a stroll out to Selsdon for your next fine dining occasion.

Location: Birch (Selsdon), 126 Addington Rd, South Croydon CR2 8YA. Website: birchcommunity.com. Instagram: @restaurantelodie.

 Words by Lucy Firestone