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Restaurant Interlude

British, French·
££££
·
Silver Award
·

SquareMeal Review of Restaurant Interlude

Silver Award

When Charles II gave the grounds of Leonardslee to his physician, he might not have known that the land was un-farmable. This, it would turn out, was a blessing in disguise. In the absence of crops and livestock, 350 years later, the land has flourished into beautiful gardens and woodland, even sprouting a Michelin-starred restaurant. There, head chef Jean Delport uses foraged ingredients for his 17-course tasting menu. Even the caviar - the restaurant's most distant import - has a journey time shorter than the meal itself.

Local cheddar from across the road kicked things off, arriving as an impossibly delicate quiche, topped with the aforementioned caviar and nettle from the gardens. A showstopping potted lobster kept the standard sky-high, submerged under a heavenly layer of forest green wild garlic oil and with a crisp vetkoek for scooping. Snail fricassée with pickled mushroom might sound like some bizarre ingredient challenge, but would instead turn out to be a favourite of the night.

The slight lack of atmosphere endemic to all hotel restaurants was more than made up for by incredible service. The sommelier, Simba, cheerily guided us through a selection of mind-blowing South African wines. Some dishes in the middle portion were almost too rich, like a disc of poached cod with elderflower and champagne butter, quickly followed by grilled venison with juniper. But, thanks to a truly unforgettable Cabernet Sauvignon vigilantly topped up by Simba, it was hard to complain.

With palates cleansed by sloe gin sorbet, we were led into the woods by the desserts. These dishes ended the meal on a high, celebrating unusual flavours like hogweed, sea buckthorn and birch sap.

South African-inspired, Sussex-foraged is a concept that feels more adventurous than most. And, as with anything adventurous, there were bound to be missteps (a slightly flavourless chicken foot, for example). But missteps and chicken feet aside, Interlude is certainly one-of-a-kind.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - Over £80
Cuisines
British, French
Ambience
Glamorous, Luxury
Food Hygiene Rating

About

Interlude is a contemporary restaurant located in Horsham and set within the historic woodland gardens of Leonardslee Estate. Chef Jean Delport and his team are committed to providing each and every guest with a place to interact with nature and eat from the land in an unexpected food journey.

An ever-changing set menu draws inspiration from our listed gardens, produce grown in Interlude’s own vegetable gardens or surrounding land and by local farmers where organic principles are employed.

Our menu is guided by what is available in our garden, we strive to build our pantry through patient harvesting and preservation, taking food back to basics and showcase old traditional produce where possible. Our unique cuisine is built on old and new techniques and we endeavour to show enormous respect for nature and seasonality by bringing our gardens to life within the restaurant.

Location

Leonardslee Gardens, Lower Beeding, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 6PP

01403 289490 01403 289490

Website

Opening Times

Dinner
Mon Closed
Tue Closed
Wed 18:00-21:00
Thu 18:00-21:00
Fri 18:00-21:00
Sat 18:00-21:00
Sun Closed

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01403 289490 01403 289490

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