New small restaurant with high profile chef is putting the Forest of Dean on the foodie map

A new small restaurant in Newnham on Severn is making big waves in the foodie scene in Gloucestershire.

Seating just 20 diners, Post is founded by Ben Thompson and Florence de Maré, who moved with their two young children to a smallholding on the banks of the River Severn five years ago.

Doubling as a bottle shop, with colourful bottles lining the walls, it features a concise weekly changing menu that delivers fresh, vibrant flavours.

With an open kitchen, chef Fred Page, former head chef of Marle restaurant at Heckfield Place in Hampshire, provides a theatrical backdrop while he's also able to keep an eye on diners enjoying his dishes.

Fred, who led Marle's kitchen to earn a Green Michelin star, uses local produce to create a new menu each week depending on what's flourishing in Ben and Florence's smallholding.

Recent menus have featured light bites of fried ox tongue with green aioli, pink fir potatoes with seaweed butter as well as olives and spiced seeds and nuts.

Small dishes can include pickled mackerel with fennel, blood orange and chilli; radicchio with pear, walnut and Roquefort and potato, taleggio and wild garlic tortellini.

Popular mains have been roast skate with brown butter, salted rhubarb and cauliflower and Huntsham pork belly with parsnip puree and sweet and sour bitter leaves.

Desserts of chocolate and marmalade choux bun and meringue with cider granita and Wilding pomona chantilly have gone down a treat with loyal locals who now visit regularly.

Restaurant owner Ben, who is also a well established interior designer, says the opening earlier this year was all about embracing the town's enthusiastic community spirit and celebrating great local producers, from rare breed farmers and heritage veg growers to low intervention cider makers.

And he could be onto something — the town was recently named one the 'coolest' places to move to in 2025 by The Times.

His partner Florence, who grows much of the produce, is proud of what they've created. She said: 'Fred’s cooking is an ode to locality and seasonality.

'His menu planning each day is wonderfully spontaneous and immediate, changing the menu moments before opening depending on what’s at its peak in the plot. It’s an immensely satisfying approach, especially when one’s grown it.'

Over the coming year, the couple intend to increase their market garden at home, working alongside biodynamic grower Penny Redman to supply more produce to Post.