Harriet Mansell announces permanent closure of Dorset restaurant
Lilac, a wine bar and restaurant in Dorset, has announced it is closing its doors later this year.
Harriet Mansell is a distinguished British chef known for her innovative use of wild and seasonal ingredients and her strong commitment to sustainability at her restaurant Lilac and former restaurant, Robin Wylde.
She trained at the Tante Marie Culinary Academy before gaining valuable experience at internationally acclaimed restaurants such as Noma in Copenhagen and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.
Harriet also appeared on the 2020 series of Great British Menu, representing the South West region.
Located in a 16th-century cellar, Lilac offers an intimate, relaxed setting, combining organic and natural wines with a menu of small plates that celebrate the local environment.
Harriet also owned Robin Wylde, a fine dining restaurant with dishes inspired by the Jurassic Coast, which closed in September 2023.
Read more: 'Harriet Mansell announces her Robin Wylde will close at the end of September'
Now, Harriet has announced that Lilac will permanently close on August 3, 2025.
In a post on social media, it read: “I trust you are all enjoying this beautiful Spring weather. An absolutely wonderful run of stunning days in the sunshine. But, like the seasons, all things must come to an end and so I am writing here to let you know that the 3rd August will be Lilac’s final dinner service.
“To mark the occasion, and to really go out on a high, we
are hosting two special weekends that bring together the best of the past few years, which will be held over the first and last weekend of July. Across these weekends, myself and chefs will be preparing a very special tasting menu that truly speaks of the English summertime and is packed full of wild edible treats. It will be a weekend full of talks about wild foods and myself and chefs are working hard already to prepare, ferment and preserve ingredients that will make their way to this menu. Think magnolias, ground ivy, wild alliums, seaweeds, forsythia and other flowers, grasses and more.
“Until then, it’s business as usual.
“Thank you to Kathryn for the wonderful variety of magnolias she allowed myself and Chrissy to pick from her garden, they truly offer up the full spectrum of ginger, and you will certainly be seeing these on the menu over the summer.
“There is no sadness in us closing, rather a gratitude and a trust in the process, there is the closing of a chapter, a clearing of space for what is to come.
“And... there are of course provisions for the future. If you would like to follow the journey and see what comes next, then head over and subscribe to my newsletter on my main website which is where I will continue to communicate updates, but for now, what I can say is that I am excited to see us finish Lilac on a high.”
The Staff Canteen has approached Harriet for comment.
Written by Abi Kinsella
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Harriet Mansell announces permanent closure of Dorset restaurant
