Lee Westcott to relocate Elodie restaurant after Birch hotel closure

Lee Westcott has said his Elodie restaurant will reopen in a new site following the closure of the Birch Selsdon hotel by administrators.

The chef opened 100-cover Elodie as the flagship restaurant at the South Croydon hotel and members’ club in April, serving a five-course tasting menu showcasing foraged ingredients.

However, the property shut down on 29 November after seven months, with administrators Moorfields Advisory Limited blaming “cash constraints”.

Westcott, who also ran the Vervain brasserie at the hotel, wrote on Instagram that Elodie would “live on in a new site in the near future”.

He said: “It’s been a wild ride since joining and opening the two restaurants within such a short space of time. I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every staff member that worked alongside me and helped us achieve so many amazing things together.

“Thank you to all the amazing guests that dined, stayed and drank with us. I’m sure I’ll see many of you around.

“To all the suppliers, firstly thank you for everything and secondly, I am deeply sorry for how this has panned out. I look forward to working with you all again in the near future.

“Elodie will live on in a new site in the near future, so keep your eyes and ears open for that.”

The hotel’s closure came a week after its sister property, Birch Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, closed and appointed administrators.

The 140-room Cheshunt hotel opened in 2020 and featured two restaurants overseen by chef Robin Gill, as well as a farm, three bars, 20 event spaces, a bakery, fitness studios and screening rooms.

Gill wrote on Instagram that he believed the closure was "strictly a financial hit due to a lack of funds required for reinvestment into the sites that was needed to bring the properties up to standard".

The Birch hotel projects were originally overseen by Chris Penn, former managing director of the Ace Hotel London, and entrepreneur Chris King, but they both left the business last year.