Green Michelin-starred chef Chantelle Nicholson is bringing her regenerative food philosophy to West Sussex with The Cordia Collective. Olivia Palamountain reports

Opening in spring, 2025 at West Sussex's historic Borde Hill estate is The Cordia Collective, a sustainable food hub by Green Michelin-Starred Chef Chantelle Nicholson.

The multi-phase project begins with "Baked by Cordia", a bakery and garden café helmed by acclaimed baker Janine Edwards, formerly of London's Toklas Bakery and Little Bread Pedlar. Edwards will oversee daily-changing lunch menus and artisanal baked goods aimed at both locals and visitors.

By autumn 2025, the venture will expand into the estate's Victorian stables, transformed to house a destination glasshouse restaurant, café, and wine bar. A restored walled kitchen garden and adjacent biodynamic market garden will supply ingredients, embodying the project's field-to-plate ethos. Nicholson, who runs zero-waste restaurant Apricity in Mayfair, has partnered with Wine Car Boot co-founder Ruth Osborne. Osborne brings expertise from Stockholm, where she developed projects focused on local resilience and circular food systems, including wastED with Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

Chantelle Nicholson says: “To have the opportunity to be in the heart of nature, and work in tandem with the terroir and seasons is a true realisation of a dream. I can’t wait to immerse myself in it all and, alongside Ruth, create a new, dynamic collection of nature with delicious food and drink, and warm hospitality, welcoming guests from near and far to share this experience with us next year.”The drinks programme will champion Sussex producers and low-intervention wines, alongside garden-inspired cocktails served on a terrace overlooking Borde Hill's renowned botanical collections, including Champion Trees and rare plant species.

Set within 2,300 acres of Grade II* listed landscape, Borde Hill has been owned by the Stephenson Clarke family for 130 years. Fifth-generation managing director Jay Goddard sees The Cordia Collective as crucial to the estate's environmental future, aligning with Nicholson's commitment to sustainability and regenerative agriculture.

"Working in tandem with the terroir and seasons is a true realisation of a dream," says Nicholson, whose London restaurant holds a Green Michelin star for its sustainability practices. The project promises to become a dynamic celebration of local produce, biodiversity, and responsible hospitality.