Michelin-listed restaurant announces it’s shutting after 4 years as BBC star chef says there’s ‘no sadness in closing’
AN iconic wine bar and restaurant in Lyme Regis is set to shut its doors for the final time this summer.
The owner of the Michelin-listed eatery announced it will host its final service on August 3.
Harriet Mansell, who propelled to fame in 2020 when she competed on BBC Two’s Great British Menu, shared that Lilac will pull the shutters permanently after four years of trading.
“There is no sadness in us closing, rather a gratitude and a trust in the process, there is the closing of a chapter, a clearing of space for what is to come,” Harriet wrote in an Instagram post.
To mark the closure and Lilac’s achievements over the years, the restaurant will host special events on the first and last weekend of July.
“Across these weekends, myself and chefs will be preparing a very special tasting menu that truly speaks of the English summertime and is packed full of wild edible treats,” Harriet said in the post.
“It will be a weekend full of talks about wild foods and myself and chefs are working hard already to prepare, ferment, and preserve ingredients that will make their way to this menu.
“Think magnolias, ground ivy, wild alliums, seaweeds, forsythia and other flowers, grasses, and more.
“Until then, it’s business as usual.”
In 2021, the acclaimed chef opened the establishment down the road from her first restaurant Robin Wylde, which closed its doors in 2023.
“Lilac was meant to be our kind of funky little sister venue to Robin Wylde – it was born out of necessity really,” Harriet told The Staff Canteen.
“We were trying to find creative ways to use up some of the by-products and waste from Robin Wylde, and Lilac became that solution.
“The idea was to make Robin Wylde more sustainable and also create more local jobs.”
She went on to explained the location “was never supposed to be a main restaurant”.
“It just became its own thing – it evolved into something much bigger than we originally imagined,” the chef continued.
“I think that’s the beauty of Lilac – it had this sort of natural evolution, very organic.
“People loved it, and so we allowed it to grow into itself. And now, after three years, it feels like it’s had a beautiful life cycle. I’m proud of what it’s become.”
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
Lilac received high acclaim, including the Trencherman’s Award for creativity and innovation, as well as featuring in the Good Food Guide, Michelin Guide, and the SquareMeal Top 100.
“It’s a successful business. It’s been hugely popular here in Lyme Regis. And that’s not just down to me – it’s a testament to the people who’ve worked in that building over the last three years,” Harriet said.
“It’s easy to overlook just how much we’ve achieved in a relatively short time. We’ve done things differently, and people noticed, that means a lot.”
While Harriet did not expand upon the reason for the closure, she famously called it a day on Robin Wylde after explaining that she achieved everything she wanted to with the eatery.
“There’s this idea in hospitality – maybe in life generally – that you’ve got to keep pushing, growing, expanding,” Harriet said.
“But I don’t believe that has to be the only way. I think there’s also power in knowing when to stop. In choosing to stop.
“We’re not closing Lilac because it failed – far from it. It’s done really well. But success isn’t just about staying open forever.
“Sometimes, success is knowing when to bow out gracefully. Just because something is going well doesn’t mean it has to go on and on.
“That’s not always sustainable either – emotionally, creatively, or physically.
“This feels like the right moment. I’ve always believed in seasonal change – not just in food, but in life. This is a new season.”