Sven-Hanson Britt permanently closes Oxeye restaurant

Sven-Hanson Britt has permanently closed his Oxeye restaurant in London after less than two years of trading.

In a lengthy statement on Instagram, the chef thanked customers for their support but said the restaurant had been unable to continue.

He wrote: "The last couple of months for me have been the hardest of my life. I'm grateful for my beautiful children and Kae, but for one of my babies, Oxeye, it's the end.

"I've tried everything in my power to save the restaurant, to keep fighting, to regain control, to fundraise, to remodel, to regroup, to reimagine, to restructure, but nothing could be done for my first restaurant and my third baby.

"I poured my whole heart into that space and I'm so, so grateful to all those that came through the doors - both sides of the pass."

The chef added that he would "forever be grateful for the hard work, the blood, sweat and tears, and the joy" found in the restaurant.

Britt, who was a finalist on MasterChef: the Professionals, opened Oxeye in October 2021 in London's Nine Elms development alongside a bar and shop, event space, art gallery and terrace.

It served a creative tasting menu which celebrated the best of British seasonal ingredients.

In April, the chef shared how he had trialled dropping the restaurant's £50 booking deposit to just £5, but reinstated it at the higher rate after struggling with a rise in no-shows and cancellations.

Writing on Instagram, Britt said he hoped to carry on the "Oxeye journey" in future.

He added: "There will be something new coming, hopefully soon, for now I just need to say goodbye to Oxeye 1.0. Soon I will be ready to add something a bit more interesting to the staid and vapid restaurant scene that London is currently plagued with.

"I'm sorry to all those I've let down. I'm so so grateful to all those I've met along the way, thank you for your continued support."