Looking back at our first twelve months, I’m struck less by what Bohémien became, and more by how much it changed along the way.
The idea had lived in my head for years; French food, British produce, cooked properly. But the reality of turning that into something real was messier, more confronting, and far more educational than I ever expected. What this started as in January isn’t what it is now. And that’s not a failure. It’s the point.
The first twelve months taught me something important, that having a vision doesn’t mean you’ve finished figuring things out. What we served, how we cooked, and why we cooked it shifted constantly. Some of that was ego. Some of it was uncertainty. All of it was necessary to arrive at where we are now.
Stripping Back, Starting Again & Finding Who You Really Are
When Bohémien launched in January, I thought I knew exactly what the concept should be. We opened with 10-course tasting menus, full of flourishes, techniques, and descriptions written entirely in French. It looked impressive from the outside, polished, ambitious & theatrical. But when I look back now, with the honesty you only get after a year of work, it was… a lot.
Overcomplicated.
Egotistic, even.
More concerned with the performance of cooking than the purpose of it.
I cared way too much what other people in the industry thought. I looked more at what others were doing than what i was doing.
I don’t say that with regret, just recognition. Every chef has to go too far in one direction to find the place they were actually aiming for. And somewhere in the middle of the year, quietly, I started peeling things away.
Dish by dish.
Menu by menu.
Course by course.
And suddenly, Bohémien began to feel like itself for the first time.
The Year We Stripped Everything Back
Spending years behind a stove can give you blinkers, your only seeing your own ambition, your own opinion & rarely do you get to see ,let alone interact with the people eating the food.
There wasn’t a single moment where I said “let’s simplify.” It just happened, through cooking, through conversations with guests, through realising what felt right and what didn’t.
I stopped chasing complexity for its own sake.
I stopped dressing dishes with things that didn’t belong there.
I stopped pretending that French names or long menus made a meal better.
Instead, I focused on one thing with a kind of quiet obsession:
Make food that tastes amazing.
That’s it.
No fuss.
No bullshit.
Just flavour, seasonality, clarity and care.
And once we committed to that, everything clicked. The dishes felt more honest. The menus felt more grounded. The cooking felt more Bohémien.
2025 Was the Year We Found Our Voice
Looking back now, I can see that the early months were necessary. I was figuring out what I didn’t want this to be. Which, strangely, is the only way to learn what you do want to be.
Now we’re exactly where we want to be:
Stripped back.
Focused.
Clear in purpose.
Not performing French food, living our interpretation of it.
Not chasing refinement, respecting it.
Not showing off, just showing up.
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m not exactly the most comfortable public speaker or social person (see the very first edition of Bohémien bites for confirmation of that fact) but through directly interacting with you, the people who come and spend your hard earned money & just as important your time with us, Bohémien has improved leaps & bounds and you’ve allowed me to really find my voice.
Looking Ahead to 2026: Making Bohémien More Bohémien
Next year, we’re taking everything learned this year and pushing it further.
Our 7-course dinners will continue.
They’re at the heart of what we do, and they remain the closest expression of my cooking.
We’re introducing new 4-course dinners priced at £38.
Not as a compromise, but as a way to give more people a seat at the table.
Our first dates of this new concept (available right here on this website) are on;
January 17th at Full of Graze (SOLD OUT)
February 4th at Moura
These dinners are a chance for guests to step into what Bohémien is, without the time or cost commitment of our larger menus.
Portions will be slightly bigger, the feel will be slightly more casual & every dinner will have a full vegetarian menu option to choose from when purchasing your ticket.
We’re launching a monthly supper club with Môr by Barry Island Spirits.
Serving Six courses with the option to enjoy a flight of beautiful wines chosen by their team.
An evening completely built around collaboration and generosity.
Môr is such a special venue and because of its slightly smaller size it automatically becomes a much more intimate experience.
This is a collaboration I’m genuinely excited to build on throughout the year & beyond.
On Pricing, Accessibility & Why It Matters So Much
Lowering prices in 2025 and going even further in 2026 wasn’t easy. The hospitality industry is not exactly enjoying a period of stability, and margins are tight everywhere you look.
But Bohémien was never meant to be exclusive.
It was never meant to be reserved for special occasions only.
It’s about good food, good people & good times shared.
If I can make that more accessible without compromising on quality, then that’s what I will do. It’s as simple as that.
Launching the Website: A Proper Home for What We Do
In November we finally launched our website! thanks to the brilliant work from Clove Marketing (believe me, as asked me a basic question on anything involving technology will tell you, these guys have the patience of saints!)
It finally gives Bohémien a home beyond social media:
– Upcoming events
– Tickets
– Gift cards
– Our full 2026 calendar
– And this very blog!
It’s something I’m extremely proud of, a place where people can follow along even if they’re not able to attend a dinner yet.
Thank You — Truly
This year has been transformational.
Uncomfortable at times.
Grounding at others.
But always driven by the people who come to eat with us.
Whether you came to a dinner, shared a social media post, sent a message, or even just followed along quietly, I cannot thank you enough.
You shaped what Bohémien became in 2025.
And you’re shaping where it goes in 2026.
Here’s to the next chapter.
Here’s to growth, clarity, flavour, and the kind of food that makes people sit back and smile.
I don’t know where we will be this time next year, but I do know that as long as I’m cooking through Bohémien, I will be happy. Sometimes, that’s all we need.
I hope you all had an amazing Christmas & wish you all a very happy new year.
Tom
Chef & Owner, Bohémien
