Fare Eatery closes on Christmas Eve

The Fare Eatery restaurant in Wokingham has closed after claiming its site was “not fit for purpose”.

The restaurant launched in the Grade II-listed Town Hall building earlier this year and served British cuisine.

It is owned by Tom Anderson and opened with the support of hospitality consultancy Truffle Hunting, which is run by former Fat Duck director Nigel Sutcliffe (pictured) and ex-Reads and the Greenhouse chef James Mclean. 

Josh Wilde, who has cooked at Tom Kerridge’s Hand and Flowers in Marlow and the Little Angel in Henley, oversaw the menu.

Fare Eatery ran its final service on Christmas Eve.

A post on the restaurant’s social media accounts said: “Today we have made the decision to close our restaurant on 24 December, until further notice. Our final day of service will be Tuesday 24 December.

“The hospitality industry is in a crisis and independent restaurants are struggling to stay afloat. As local residents, we have invested heavily into our small business, substantially more than we have earned, pushing to create and maintain careers for local people.

“We love what we have created at Fare, and we have worked tirelessly to give our guests the best possible dining experience. However, our building’s infrastructure has always been an ongoing challenge, where it’s not comfortable, air-conditioned or suitably heated for our guests. The current state of the building and its roof is simply not fit for purpose. Our landlord will need to work with us over the coming months to address these issues.”

The restaurant thanked customers for their support and paid tribute to Wilde for his “fantastic menu”.

Fare Eatery management said it hoped to reopen in 2025.

Truffle Hunting is also behind the Oarsman in Marlow, which launched in 2021 as its first fully-owned venture.