Back in August my best friend took me to Bristol for the first time, and I fell in love. Alongside the quaint vintage stores, I also booked us into Wilson’s, a sustainable restaurant and Michelin Green Star holder. Whenever I travel somewhere new, I like to try a sustainable restaurant or two, and Wilson’s was my top pick. This beautiful farm-to-table restaurant is located in Redland, and is well worth the uphill walk from the city centre. We were fortunate enough to enjoy a bountiful lunch full of end-of-summer pickings, and I wanted to share my appreciation of our meal there in this review.
Farm-To-Table, Personified
Wilson’s offers a clean, pared-back style, friendly yet not overly familiar service, and exquisite food. The space is small yet well proportioned, with warm woods, worn floorboards, and a select offering of food and drink. According to their site, Wilson’s was started in 2016 by partners Jan Ostle & Mary Wilson, and the team began cultivating their own two-acre market garden in 2019, where many of the vegetables, herbs and flowers on the menu are grown, prepared alongside produce from local, small scale, regenerative farmers and producers. Everything from the herbal garnishes to the fresh flowers on the table came directly from these producers, and the freshness showed.
We arrived on foot, and drifted past the heady smell of the bakery next door, stomachs rumbling. Our booking was for two, for lunch, with a note to customise the set menu for my friend who’s vegan. I was a little apprehensive; menu customisations are a pain, and I don’t particularly like asking for changes because I want to try the food as the chefs have designed it. Thankfully, we were reassured by the staff that this was all fine, and incredibly, every dish was sent out with a vegan alternative for my friend, without any issue.
We started with a fresh green tomato consommé, and the zing of the herbs and warmth of the clear umami broth were teasers of the menu to come.
Verdant, Homely Delights
For the £35 lunch menu, Wilson’s was incredibly generous. Following the consommé we enjoyed a platter of canapés served alongside fresh bread from the sister bakery two doors down – The Bread Shop – and delicious salted butter. For every item I was served featuring dairy or meat, my friend had an identical vegan alternative. It was fantastic to feel like we were sharing the exact same meal, without any fuss.
The mains came displayed on plates repaired with kintsugi, followed by a herbal refresher with soft meringue, and then dessert. Soft, tart, cherry sorbet was paired with basil and yoghurt, and delicate biscuit crumbles. And then the petit four, a baked treat and a jelly, to top off the meal, and complete our appetites.
My Rating of Wilson’s Restaurant: 10/10
Wilson’s is the crème de la crème of the seasonal restaurants I’ve tried on my travels. My friend and I had such an enjoyable meal, and we felt welcomed and comfortable from the moment we arrived. The food and service exceeded our expectations, and I was really impressed by the personal yet professional approach of the interior, service, and dining. Each element complimented the other in a really beautiful way.
The lunch menu at Wilson’s is offered at £35 a head, which is an incredibly accessible price point for the standard of food and service offered. We were very pleasantly surprised at the number of dishes and real care that was taken by the entire team at Wilson’s, especially in catering to my friend’s dietary requirements. Our experience was topped off by a personal conversation with the head chef, who, at the end of our meal, came to check in on my friend and discuss the importance of creating exciting food with the fruits, vegetables, and herbs available to them. All in all, it was a flawless experience.
