The owners of a new Mediterranean restaurant hope to bring a traditional taste of their home countries to Thatcham.
Co-owners of Terracotta Mediterranean Bistro, Nataliia Huba and her husband Indrit Murja, have opened the doors to their new restaurant on the Broadway in place of what was previously Alexander’s Restaurant.
Terracotta in Thatcham – Co-owners, Chef, Indrit Murja, Nataliia Huba and soon to be manager, Kate Mukho
“Opening the restaurant is a dream of ours, to represent ourselves and cook what we miss at home,” said Nataliia, who is originally from Ukraine but moved to the UK with her husband in 2022 at the start of the war against Russia.
Ms Huba, who has worked in the hospitality sector for over a decade, said they intend on staying in Thatcham “hopefully for a very long time”.
“We want to join the community,” she said. “It is important to belong somewhere and we want to gather people that share the same values.”
Her husband, co-owner and chef, Indrit, said the food served at the restaurant is inspired by his homeland of Greece, where he grew up and spent 25 years living.
Terracotta in Thatcham
Terracotta in Thatcham
He also spent six years in Albania and has travelled across Europe, which also helped serve as inspiration for his menu.
“The dishes and their tastes come from my mother and my neighbours, we like to cook [here] what we like to eat at home,” he said.
The menu explores various traditional, homemade Mediterranean dishes from Greek classics such as the short rib stifado and spicey baked feta cheese.
Terracotta in Thatcham – Spicy baked feta cheese
Terracotta in Thatcham – Short rib stifado
For fans of seafood, there is plenty on offer, with pan-fried trout, prawn linguine and linguine puttanesca.
Mr Murja has expansive experience in the industry, and after finishing culinary school in Greece he previously worked in five star holiday resorts, but says owning the restaurant has given him the freedom to cook whatever he finds most exciting.
“It [becoming a chef] is something I always wanted to do,” he said, “I like discovering new ingredients.
“When you work in a restaurant or hotel, you follow what the head chef or owner wants to cook, but here I can do what I like!”
Terracotta in Thatcham – Indrit Murja
The team currently consists of co-owners Nataliia and Indrit, and soon-to-be manager Kate Mukho, who also moved to the UK from Ukraine, and Ms Huba says they are looking to find more staff.
When searching, the couple were originally thinking of opening a café and had been looking for the perfect place to start their business for a long time, but after viewing the property in Thatcham for the first time they took the keys only 10 days later.
Despite only being opened a month, the new eatery already has returning customers, said Ms Huba, “which I think is a good sign!”
Although the menu currently consists of a range of dishes, Ms Huba says their goal is to eventually produce a seasonal menu with products only sourced from the West Berkshire area.
Terracotta in Thatcham – Lamb kofta
The couple first met in Greece when Nataliia had been working abroad at a Greek holiday resort during the summer, at the same hotel where Indrit was working.
After four years together, Nataliia moved to Greece and together the two decided to move to the UK during 2020, but due to the pandemic decided it was best to move back home to Greece.
Then in 2022, after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, the couple decided to try the move again – and they have remained here ever since.
Dining and Cooking