Success for Lower Beeding restaurant after new head chef is appointed
A Lower Beeding restaurant is celebrating success after appointing a new head chef.
South Lodge Hotel’s Camellia restaurant was awarded three AA Rosettes in March.
The news came after Josh Mann became head chef in June last year, bringing experience from Horsham’s Restaurant Tristan and East Grinstead’s Alexander House Hotel.
A spokesman said: “Josh arrived at South Lodge with high ambitions for the restaurant. Only eight months after his arrival, Josh and the team were awarded three AA Rosettes in March 2022.
“Josh was born and raised in the East Midlands, however, has spent much of his career working across the UK and overseas, nurturing his culinary skill set and developing a globally influenced palate.
“This includes working in some of the UK’s finest Michelin-starred pubs and restaurants, as well as time spent in France and Portugal fully embracing their local cuisines. All of these experiences can now be seen in Josh’s cooking and menus at Camellia.”
The menu at South Lodge Hotel is said to reflect the seasons, featuring fresh produce and making the most of one ingredient on a plate.
A dish said to showcase Josh’s ethos is South Downs venison loin featuring venison faggot with Medjool date, Choucroute and wild garlic. Other highlights include rabbit black pudding-stuffed loin and buttermilk-fried leg with nettle and black garlic and butter-poached squid with braised oxtail, smoked potato, and preserved lemon jam for starters.
The spokesman added: “When not in the kitchen, Josh can be found fly-fishing at Albury Estate, located in Guildford – a pastime that transcends into his ethos of farm to plate and zero waste, as well as bringing a simple, single ingredient to life and bursting with flavour.
“The kitchen brigade is a young and aspiring team of predominately apprentices and exclusive chefs’ academy students; Josh strives to encourage and train his talented chefs of the future to bring their own ideas to the table and help develop the menu.”
1 £60 a person for three courses at dinner; £42.50 for three courses at lunch.