The Fat Badger

If the Gladwin Brothers had a spirit animal, it would be a fat badger.

After all, their restaurants (Rabbit, The Shed & Sussex) evoke the countryside with delightfully rustic interiors and voraciously moreish British food, much of which comes from their own family farm. It’s a thoroughly pleasing combination, and on any given evening, there are four great London restaurants whose diners feel very much like they’ve been plucked out of the city, and dropped in the middle of Sussex for a few hours. And now that number’s gone up to five.

Set up in Richmond, The Fat Badger is in familiar turf. The Gladwins are very firmly a West London restaurant group, only venturing as far east as Soho. Plus, Richard Gladwin (the business brain of the family) actually lives in Richmond, which helps. Here they’ve set up a polished-yet-pastoral venue where you can go for an intimate date, or just a quick pint.

As usual, the ingredients come directly from their Sussex farm, and are cooked up by chef-patron Oliver Gladwin into dishes like Stargazy pie (it’s made with potatoes, eggs, and sardines), whole steamed fish, and tomahawks of Sussex Simmental beef. There’s an old school charcuterie slicer on the bar for fresh cuts of local sausage, plus Maldon oysters, and a whole load of British cheese.

And naturally there’s beer and wine too, the latter of which comes from the Gladwins’ own West Sussex Nutbourne vineyard. Because of course they have a vineyard, too.

This won’t be the first fat badger they’ve helped create, that’s for sure.

NOTE: The Fat Badger is open for dinner Wed-Sat, lunch Thurs & Fri, plus weekend brunch and Sunday Roast. You can find out more, and book a table, at their website right HERE.

The Fat Badger | 15-17 Hill Rise, Richmond TW10 6UQ

Like a good Sunday lunch? Check out the best roasts in London.