GARDENS AND GOURMETS
Wallabies and deer are not the only foragers at Leonardslee. The Michelin-starred Restaurant Interlude (open evenings only) focuses on ingredients foraged, cultivated and raised on the estate or close by.
The chef is award-winning Jean Delport, a notable innovator who Penny Streeter brought over from his native South Africa. The 14- or 19-course tasting menus deliver dish after dish of exciting and unusual combinations, each a work of art. Guests dine in the restored mansion, originally built in 1855, with views of the gardens. With just 10 tables, it feels like a small, exclusive dinner party.
The menu changes according to season, but some of the delights which may feature include salmon roe and a smoky dressing flavoured with oca grown in the gardens; the yolk from a happy hen’s egg with Exmoor caviar; a corn and potato foam presented in a ceramic egg; a pink slice of pigeon breast with blackberry jus and barbecued pigeon legs served on a grill.
Desserts might be
sheep’s milk sorbet served with rich, syrupy birch tree sap (from estate trees), buttermilk sponge and poached quince; estate-acorn mousse in a shell of chocolate or Japanese Dogwood ice-cream served in a cone.
Courses are complemented with fine wines. In a couple of years corks should be popping at Leonardslee’s own vineyard. The first commercial Pinotage vines in the UK were planted here in 2018, while the vines at nearby Mannings Heath will be producing Estate Sparkling Wine by 2023. The soil, climate and topography are perfect for grape-growing, being similar to that of Champagne. Indeed, Taittinger in 2017 made history by becoming the first Grande Marque Champagne house to plant vines in the UK (in nearby Kent).
Another gourmet option at Leonardslee is cream teas, served in the mansion from Wednesday to Sunday. These are elegant affairs with garden views, enticing patisserie and an optional glass of Benguela fizz.
Restaurant Interlude: Evenings only. Prices from £90 per head. Book online, www.restaurant-interlude.co.uk. Afternoon Teas served WedSun. Booking recommended. Prices from £40 per head. 01403 289490.