AN innovative restaurant in Moreton is emerging from pandemic restrictions with a traditional reliance on local producers and some cutting-edge technology.

Henne, on the High Street, was opened two months ago by Nick Fenton and chef Darren Brown, who has more than 30 years experience of the catering world. Its founding principle is to offer an “ethical, sustainable local experience”.  

While locked-down diners have been lured in by the promise of an ever-changing, seasonal menu created by Darren — previously of Chipping Norton’s Kingham Plough — their 14-seat venue has been full most nights with the help of a digital platform called Superb.

Nick knew that — when opening Henne — his venue needed to offer something different. Superb, an online platform from Denmark, allows restaurants to keep useful details of restaurant visits, particularly things like dietary advice. 

Nick said: "With a small staff and small menu that relies on local, seasonal goods, advanced notice is vital to us providing a top class experience.

“Superb supplies us with, in advance, all dietary advice and needs of each customer. This isn't just great for guests, as we can create bespoke requests with no delays when they arrive, but also — with only one chef — Darren gets plenty of time to plan and make arrangements for their food.

“We can now, for instance, see which wines a guest enjoyed on a previous visit so we can create appropriate pairings with their food on the next visit.”

 An additional advantage of the system is to help ensure that guests keep to their bookings. 

“Bad weekends of 'no shows' can be fatal in this climate,” said Nick. “A local business near here lost 70 per cent of their business on one Saturday — purely because of this.

"Superb allows us to take a deposit from each table upon booking. 

“This is a game changer for a small business like ours, by taking £25 per person as a deposit you guard against 'no shows'.”

The deposits are fully refundable if a cancellation is made more than 24 hours ahead.

The restaurant — named after “Mersh Henne”, the town’s first recorded name — offers a six-course tasting menu, with the option of paired wines for each course. 

Reservations can be made on the venue’s website at restauranthenne.com.