Michelin star restaurant on the Shropshire border has closed

A Michelin star restaurant on the Shropshire border has closed for the foreseeable future.

Native, a fine-dining restaurant at the Netherwood Estate in Tenbury Wells, closed its doors only weeks after receiving its first Michelin star earlier this year. 

The businesses revealed the closure is due to a broken extraction system with the costs to repair it called "the straw that broke the camel's back".

A spokesperson for Native told the Hereford Times: "Extreme highs are often followed with extreme lows. 

"Following the amazing news at this year’s Michelin awards, we have returned home to find a broken extraction system.

"What we hoped was a quick fix turns out to be a deeper problem with our systems and so sadly, cannot be an immediate fix. 

"The large cost to repair this equipment is unfortunately the straw that broke the camel's back and has had a huge detrimental effect on a small business with such tight margins, and unfortunately has put us in a position whereby the directors at Hestia Ltd have taken the decision to close the restaurant for the foreseeable future."

The eatery had opened in April last year after moving into the home of  former Michelin star restaurant Pensons.

Chef Ivan Tisdall-Downes and business partner Imogen Davis are behind the Native restaurant brand and introduced a hyper-sustainable menu to the rustic building.

The duo used the local countryside to forage and grow their garden kitchen, which they then translated onto their plate—helping them achieve their Michelin status. 

Pensons closed in December 2022. Native is also featured in The Good Food Guide. 

The Good Food Guide website reads: "After chef Ivan Tisdall-Downes announced his departure from Native last week, the restaurant appears to have closed with immediate effect.

"The concept, which started life as a street food stall in 2012, was acquired by new investors and opened on the Netherwood Estate in Worcestershire (previously the home of Pensons) in May last year, earning a place on the shortlist for Best New Restaurant at The Good Food Guide Awards 2025."