Cuckfield’s Ockenden Manor offers a spectacular summer panorama while you eat, says Laura Paton
Book early, is my advice. And not for fear of being turned away, but in the hope that you may be given the best seat in the house, as we were when we dined at Ockenden Manor on a sultry summer’s night.
An Elizabethan manor turned luxury hotel and spa with an award-winning restaurant, Ockenden is located in the quiet village of Cuckfield, at the foot of the South Downs. And it’s thanks to this enviable position that we are being treated to a mesmerising view. Seated in front of open French doors, we admire the glorious Downs, perfectly framed by the branches of two mature trees, rustling gently in the evening breeze. In the distance, slow-moving clouds create shadows across the sundrenched hills.
Our reverie is broken momentarily by the arrival of the menus, one a three-course set menu (£65) and the other a six-course tasting menu (£90). We don’t feel we’re missing out by opting for the former as both consist of refined dishes with a distinctly French twist and a strong emphasis on local produce.
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