Opening on 17 November following a complete refurbishment, the pub will have a new menu and will be led in the kitchen by Wilford who will take up residency in the kitchen from opening for a limited time.
Following four years as head chef at Fallow and a recent sold-out residency at Naughty Piglets, Wilford will bring his own take on modern British pub food to Earlsfield, with seasonal British produce and sharing dishes.
The pub will be open for breakfast pastries from Greenwich’s Paul Rhodes Bakery and sandwiches including sausage, egg, cheese and hash brown; halloumi with egg, avocado and sriracha; and Symplicity sausage. Sandwiches will also appear on the lunch menu and will include mortadella with stracciatella and pistachio pesto; harissa-pulled chicken with cabbage and dill aioli slaw; calamari with crushed split peas and tartare sauce; and crispy fried cauliflower with garlic kale and melted cheese.
Dishes on the evening menu will include potato Wotsits with chive emulsion; Baron Bigod cheese crumpet; hispi cabbage with Marmite butter and yeast crumb; Old Spot pork collar with char siu and pickled turnip; and fried cod wing with mussels and tartare sauce.
Wilford’s menu will also champion whole-animal butchery and whole fish with a 30-day aged Longhorn ribeye on the bone, served with whipped beef fat butter and priced daily on the board.
“There’s something really special about getting to cook in the neighbourhood you call home. I live just round the corner in Southfields, so I already know and love the area and I’m looking forward to The Grosvenor Arms becoming part of the community here,” says Wilford.
“For me, the residency is a chance to do what I love – cook with great seasonal British produce, creating great dishes that people will want to come back for.”
The newly refurbished pub will retain its traditional Victorian layout with a wood-panelled bar, marble top and brass foot rail, and mosaic tiling.
“We don’t think the British pub needs reinventing, it just needs looking after. We want The Grosvenor Arms to become a genuine part of Earlsfield – somewhere people can use in completely different ways throughout the week and, importantly, somewhere everyone feels welcome,” says director Dan Jackson.
“We’re putting a huge amount of thought into the food and drink, but ultimately this is about creating a brilliant local. Great food, a good pint, warm hospitality and a team that genuinely enjoys looking after people.”