With Borough Market literally right around the corner, Native is in the heart of London’s most food-obsessed areas. But what makes it stand out from the multitude of other restaurants nearby is what’s on the menu – a melange of lesser-known plants, foraged herbs and wild meats sourced from the British countryside.

Yarrow, gorse, woodruff and alexanders aren’t exactly the sort of ingredients you find in the shops, and could be regarded as intimidating to some diners. The key to Native’s success is by incorporating these flavours via infusions, powders and other cheffy techniques, to create dishes which are familiar and packed with flavour. Owners Ivan Tisdall-Downes and Imogen Davis ensure that even though the ingredients might be different from the norm, there are never any dishes on the menu that are there simply for the sake of using them. Flavour always comes first.

Along with the foraged and wild plants, vegetables and herbs, there’s a focus on seasonal game and sustainable fish. Food waste is a hot topic too, with as much of every piece of produce used as possible – fish trimmings are turned into a dish similar to Chinese sesame prawn toast with rhubarb-based hoisin sauce, for example, while vegetable tops and leaves are dried and blitzed into a powder for garnishing.

The restaurant itself is a large, open dining room with tables spaced generously apart from each other. With stripped back, neutral colours and plenty of plants throughout, the natural light floods in from the street. Service is relaxed and, for those who want to know more about the ingredients and food they’re being served, very informative.

Menu-wise, things are kept simple – there’s an à la carte or a full tasting menu, both with a selection of snacks (which are one of the ways the kitchen utilises ingredients and trimmings which would usually go in the bin). There are plenty of wines available by the bottle and glass, but it’s the cocktail menu that really shines at Native – many are made with syrups and vermouths showcasing the flavours of different foraged herbs.

A meal at Native is guaranteed to offer a taste of something you’ve never had before, even though many of the ingredients grow in abundance in the wilds of the UK. It’s one of the most exciting restaurants in London, proving that you don’t have to travel very far at all to find incredible produce – a lot of it grows right under our noses.