L’Ortolan near Reading, a beacon of UK gastronomy for four decades, is to close down at the end of next month.

Peter Newman, the IT entrepreneur who has owned the restaurant since 2000, blamed the closure on a familiar combination of Brexit, pandemic lockdowns and the cost-of-living crisis, which left customers less inclined to spend on fine dining.

Set in an early Victorian former vicarage in the village of Shinfield, the restaurant was established by chefs Richard Sandford and then Nico Ladenis in the early 1980s, and was first named L’Ortolan by John Burton-Race, who began his long tenure in 1986.

Ambitious Scottish chef Alan Murchison ran the restaurant for 10 years from 2004 under Peter Newman’s ownership, and has been followed by a succession of head chefs. Jamie Pearce was appointed to the job just two months ago, following the departure of highly praised young chef James Greatorex, who left for the Grove of Narberth country-house hotel in Pembrokeshire.

The 2024 Harden’s guide describes L’Ortolan as a “superb” restaurant, with a legion of fans who say “we’ve been visiting for years and it’s brilliant“. However, the influential French tyre men lost enthusiasm for the restaurant two years ago, removing the Michelin star it had held for 18 years.