PI People: Lucy Carr-Ellison Co-Founder Wild by Tart
Tell us about Wild by Tart. 
The site for our restaurant used to be a power station and coal store that supplied energy to Buckingham Palace! The sheer size of it gave us the chance to create the multi-purpose space we had dreamed of. It’s not only a restaurant, it combines a restaurant, bar, deli and kiosk, retail shop, events space, and photography studio. Beautiful high glass panelled ceiling, a light and airy oasis within the hustle and bustle of Victoria. 

 

What was your motivation to start Wild by Tart? 
When we came back to London a few years later, we were buzzing from our experience. Happily, we found that a food revolution was taking place in the UK. People had begun to put more thought into the quality of the food they ate, and good food was more popular than ever. But we realised that one thing was missing, a boutique-style catering company that made wholesome, attractive food that people actually wanted to eat and we decided to set up Tart. Having run as a successful catering company for years, we looked ahead to the future, and both felt our dream next step would be to open our very own restaurant, a multipurpose venue, with space to carry on catering for events and a shop to sell our wares. 

 

Have you made efforts to be more sustainable? 
Our commitment to the environment reaches far and wide. In our kitchens, we utilise every leaf, stem, and core to minimise food waste and reduce our impact on the environment. Seasonal ingredients appear in every corner of Wild by Tart. Baked into kiosk pastries, mixed into our cocktails and juices, pickled and potted to take home from our deli, and finally on our menu as daily specials.  

 

Are you a fan of vintage and antique pieces? 
100%. Many items form our Wild Shop have come from our scavenger hunts for unique, vintage pieces. Whether it’s from Kempton Market or exploring farmers market on our travels. 

 

What do antiques mean to you? 
Giving something precious another lease of life.

 

Do you have a favourite vintage piece? 
A beautiful diamond ring passed down from my Grandmother.

 

Which of our PI London pieces is your favourite and why? 
I love the Victorian Engraved band - a really special piece. 

 

What was your inspiration behind the wild by tart interior? 
We wanted to create an oasis within busy Victoria, using warm colours to create that feeling sun drenched Moroccan walls. We wanted it to be unpretentious with a relaxed vibe - a space that you would be comfortable in from dusk till dawn and dawn till dusk. 

 

Where did the name come from? 
Tart - because we used to get nicknamed the kitchen tart's when we were first starting out - and Wild because we wanted it to feel fresh and wild inside, full of greenery. A lot of the produce that we use is foraged - our cows are native breeds that are brought up on the hills of Northumberland and our pigs roam free in our woods in Somerset. Our parties often get pretty wild too! 

 

Could you send us your favourite recipe? 
Of course, it’s our Spicy crab papperdelle!
https://tart-london.com/Recipes/145