Gleave has become chef-patron of Ed Wilson and Josie Stead’s restaurant, which the pair opened in 2021.
Under his leadership, the restaurant’s Mediterranean focus will continue to evolve with the creation of an expanded selection of bites and fried snacks alongside a daily changing menu with a strong focus on seafood and vibrant vegetable dishes.
New menu additions include soused sardines on toast; fried courgette flower and Cantabrian anchovy; scallops and garlic butter; squid sandwich; chorizo sandwich; mussels and ‘nduja; cockles pil pil and ramsons; pollock, preserved tomato and olives; and cheesecake.
Gleave’s culinary career includes training at Harvey Nichols, The Square, and Arbutus before heading to Australia, where he spent hos formative years as head chef at Garagistes restaurant. On returning to the UK he played a key role in launching east London restaurants P Franco, Bright, and Peg and most recently led the cookshop at east London butcher and restaurant Hill & Szrok.
“I’m excited to move to the coast and team up with Ed and Josie, whom I deeply respect,” he says.
“As the seasons change, I look forward to introducing fresh ideas. It’s simple: cooking by the sea and focusing on seafood. The older I get, the more I value restraint - maintaining intelligence and care while letting exceptional ingredients speak for themselves.”
Sargasso was co-founded by musician and DJ Matthew Herbert, who met Ed and Josie while they were managing their first Brawnswood tent at the We Out Here festival.
“We’ve known William for a while - he even spent a few months in our kitchen at Brawn,” says Wilson.
“Now, everything has come full circle – first we adopted Bright’s fried squid sandwich onto the Sargasso menu as a tribute to its creator, Bright’s co-head chef Peppe Belvedere. So, William joining us here feels like a natural progression.