Ockenden Manor

Excellent restaurant. Some rooms are well below the standard that you expect from such a place. Unfortunately, we were housed in one of those.

We came down here from London as part of a special birthday treat. I admit that I was expecting a grander building from the outside, but the rooms inside had a classic style and historic feel. I particularly enjoyed the dining room and I wondered what entertaining would have taken place there 100 years ago.
We were directed through to the lounge after we arrived. We had some amuses bouches there while studying the menus. There are tasting menu options, but we decided to go a la carte. We placed our orders and also asked for a bottle of Pinot Noir from the Alsace region. The head waiter said they didn’t have that variety of wine, but was quick to confirm we could still have it when he realised his mistake later. When it was time to move through to our table in the adjoining room, the wine was already there which I thought was a nice touch.
I had the asparagus soup for starter and my wife had the scallops, which were recommended. The scallops had a £5 supplemental charge. They were nicely cooked but the other ingredients on the plate didn’t really stand out, although they were not bad.
We both had the Sussex Lamb for main course, it came with a £5 supplemental charge. The lamb came many different ways. A portion of lamb loin cooked pink was a delight. There was a small rectangle of lamb belly which had a delectable crackling of fat on top. Lambs tongue, lamb croquette, savoy cabbage and baba ganoush completed the plate. This was the centerpiece course which showed off the technical skill of the chef using a famous ingredient of the region.
My wife had the hazelnut millefeuille for dessert. She raved about this one and has gone on to buy the book written by the pastry chef here. The flavours were good and it was technically excellent. I had the rhubarb clafoutis. Rhubarb is my favourite dessert at the minute. This was also good, but it was the 2^nd best dessert at the table.
We had a coffee and a tea with petits fours in the lounge.
The service was friendly, but could do with some polishing around the edges. For example, my wife was literally still eating some of the bread, yet the waiter took away both of our bread plates. This is not good form. There was no-​one around to show my wife to the bathroom and she accidentally found it herself before anyone noticed that she was looking for it. These are small things, but you expect a Michelin starred restaurant to get these right.

I’m here for what must be the 4^th or 5^th time for lunch. The food us really good and merits the Michelin star. What’s great about lunch is that you can have a 2 course lunch for £20, although we always seem to end up paying for lots of extra treats!

Ockenden Manor, why aren’t you closer to home?
The gardens, the ambiance, the food… all perfect. Does it get better than dining on ox cheek and truffled cabbage in a gorgeous room from the 16^th century?
I came to Ockenden Manor for a company dinner. Having not done my research beforehand, I was pleasantly surprised to find the restaurant holds a Michelin star, making it my first starred experience! We had a three-​course meal. This included, for me, poached salmon with quail egg and various greenery, the before-​mentioned ox cheek with mash and truffled cabbage (let me just state for the record that I could stand to eat truffled cabbage every day for the rest of my life), and a small rhubarb cake with crème fraîche ice cream.
If I had a car with which to easily make the trek back to Cuckfield, I would gladly go again and again. Oh, did I mention the truffled cabbage?

Ockenden Manor is a beautiful Elizabethan manor house situated Cuckfield village in West Sussex. It is a 22 room hotel set in 9 acres of stunning grounds, with views reaching out as far as the south downs.
I cannot comment on the hotel itself but the restaurant is a great experience, being the only establishment to hold a Michelin star in Sussex.
They offer the full al a carte menu plus a seven course tasting menu which we just couldn’t refuse. This included such delights as foie gras, scollops, lamb and lemon tart, an apple and calvados sorbet as a pallet cleanser plus the cheese trolley and coffee with a selection of petite fours if you still have room! They also have a huge wine list and the staff are happy to offer recommendations. Be careful to check the price of these though as a glass of wine suggested to compliment the the foie gras put an extra £10 per head on the bill! The tasting menu is expensive but worth it for a special occasion or if you are just feeling flash!
The restaurant is comfortable and unpretentious but I feel the whole experience can be slightly bettered at places such as Gravetye Manor which doesn’t have a Michelin star.