"Normandy a paradise for the kitchen"
Chef Edward Delling-Williams
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A strapping lad with laughing eyes, in love with good cuisine that he twists with lightness and know-how. For Edward Delling-Williams, it all started in a pub near Bristol, in the south of England, where he discovered cooking in a festive and family setting. Passionate and eager, he then trained at the St-John in London. But Ed has more than one trick up his sleeve... which he rolls up to create Le Grand Bain, a restaurant in the north of Paris. There, the good atmosphere and the local cuisine hit the mark: people crowd around this cheerful sign. Its sister the bakery Le Petit Grain opened two years later is also a hit.
Why stop there? After winning the Parisians’ hearts, chef Edward Delling-Williams moves to Normandy. In Heugueville-sur-Sienne, he visits an old presbytery nestled in the estuary of the river Sienne, where invigorating winds transport marine smells from the sea. The setting is a dream: he imagines bringing back to life the atmosphere of the pubs of his childhood where people share a Sunday lunch around large tables, the Sunday Roast. Even better, since he’d serve a well thought out cuisine combining bistronomy and local products
Terroir & Region
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The restaurant The Presbytere enjoys a prime location, between the sea and the Normandy bocage: shellfish and crustaceans from the coast, salt-meadow lamb, grass-fed beef, raw cream, permaculture market gardening, PDO cider... . All products arrive fresh and untreated at the restaurant. At Ed’s, there is no space for waste: the kitchen exploits each attribute of the food, thus avoiding unnecessary waste. Many small local producers provide the raw materials, contributing to the economic dynamism of the region.
The Farm 2 Table project
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Edward Delling-Williams, outstanding cook and the father of a small tribe of three children, is committed to doing more. An idea soon makes its way: Farm 2 Table ("From the farm to the table").
The project? A whole ecosystem which would gather around the Presbytere: the opening of guest rooms on the second floor, another kitchen entirely dedicated to making breads and cakes, a brewery that will supply the pub with delicious ales...
That's not all: the Farm here is a reference to... the Chef's future farm. Following his dedication to the exploring of the connections between working the land, quality control and reducing intermediate production links, the farm will grow market garden products, fruit trees and perhaps even a small livestock!
Added to this, the interior courtyard of the restaurant will soon host a weekly market highlighting the few farm products offered by this definitely uncommon chef. A genuine and resolute guideline though: to design spaces combining conviviality and gastronomy.
All this of course in continuous partnership with local producers, with the aim of working together for the greatest happiness of lovers of good food.
Feels like home
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The pub is designed according to the British tradition which follows the plan of a traditional house. The space is divided into several rooms giving the impression of entering a 19th century dwelling. Guests are welcomed by a magnificent wooden staircase in the entrance and can then appreciate the huge stone fireplace that sits in front of the bar.
At the Presbytere, the meal is sacred: in the Mirror room, spacious and bright, people sit around large wooden tables to share a shoulder of lamb cooked for seven hours or lunch of the catch of the day. More intimate, the Fridge Room welcomes rosy-cheeked lovers for a candlelit dinner. In summer, the large garden allows guests to sip a natural wine while sharing delicious plates, their faces warmed by the sun and the sea-spray.
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A tailored offer : from snacks to feasts
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Open every day from August 1, the pub welcomes guests at lunch and dinner. The menu changes regularly to the delight of taste buds eager for culinary discoveries. Whether it is for a simple starter/main course or main course/dessert or a gourmand starter/main course/dessert menu (and why not have a go at the house liqueur…), the guests have plenty to try out! And for parties of four guests or more, the pub offers a choice of dishes to share that give the impression of being back at Grandma's: it smells good like buttered potatoes and sweet childhood memories.
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