Ockenden Manor

[Andy Lynes]

<font size=6>Ockenden Manor</font size><br><br>

<P>Currently, there are only a handful of restaurants in the South East of England with Michelin stars. The closure of Fleur de Sel in Storrington (run by ex-Waterside Inn head chef Michel Perraud) has seen the number dwindle even further. Why such a wealthy area is apparently willing to support so few establishments that aspire above the level of a pizza-pasta joint is an enduring mystery.

<P>It may be that London sucks up all the available talent; equally as likely is that the Daily Mail reading well-to-do of the Home Counties would rather spend their money on a Beemer or two, a nice detached house and several foreign holidays a year than fork out the going rate of 50 quid a head for a meal of reasonable quality. It is heartening to learn that Ockenden Manor in the picturesque Sussex village of Cuckfield is bucking the trend with some success.

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<P>The hotel first won a Michelin star in 2001. The head chef back then was Martin Hadden, who left just 4 weeks after the announcement of the award to open his own restaurant "The Priory House" in Somerset. In 2003, Hadden decided that being chef proprietor of a small provincial restaurant (albeit one that rated 7 out of 10 in the Good Food guide and held a Michelin star) was not the ideal life for his family and returned to Ockenden as Group Executive Head Chef of Historic Sussex Hotels which also includes Baliffscourt in Climping and The Spread Eagle in Midhurst.

<P>The appointment led to the resumption of the working relationship between Hadden and the Manor's head chef Stephen Crane which began in 1994 at London's Halcyon Hotel, and has resulted in Ockenden regaining its star in this year's Red Guide.

<P>Martin Hadden's CV is impressive and includes the three star Pic (Valence, France) Gidleigh Park (under Shaun Hill) and Chez Nico at Ninety Park Lane. While there are certainly traces of Hill's stripped back, rigorously intelligent approach to cooking on the menu at Ockenden, it is Nico Ladenis, Hadden's great mentor, whose influence is easiest to see. A starter of foie gras "bon-bon" with orange and lambs lettuce salad is a take on the Nico classic that Hadden says in one form or another has rarely been off his menus.

<P>A sizable nugget of seared liver is clasped in shredded potato (long thin strips of the vegetable are cut using a mandolin, blanched and then laid out to dry. They are then folded around the foie to form a parcel and the whole is shallow fried in order to crisp the potato and warm through the liver). The dish is finished simply with orange segments, the lettuce, a few spoonfuls of onion marmalade and a Madeira sauce.

<P>Plating at Ockenden is simple allowing ingredients to make their own running rather then bogging them down with the Baroque curlicues of puree so beloved of our current crop of headline-hitting chefs. The presentation of a more complex main course of assiette of pork benefits from this light touch in the kitchen.

<P>Composed of the roast loin, braised belly and a spring roll, the dish is not forced to execute culinary handsprings, but is a simple arrangement of the sliced loin at the top of the plate, the burnished bronze block of belly at the bottom and the roll, cut on the bias, forming a vertical centrepiece. To its right, some deeply flavoursome creamed cabbage and on the left a tangle of carrot that appears to have been somehow extruded to resemble spaghetti. A glossy stock based sauce completed the picture.

<P>A dessert of tarte tatin was similarly classical and un-mucked about. Although not reaching the sublime heights of the very best examples, it was valiant effort and the accompanying vanilla ice cream hit its mark.

<P>The restaurant offers a plethora of menus, including a bargain £12.95 for 2 courses lunch. Dinner starts at a not inconsiderable £37.00 for the "Cuckfield" menu, climbing to £60.00 for a 7 course tasting menu, with a £49.00 "Sussex" menu and a 2 course, £26.00 vegetarian option in between.

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<P>The wine list is equally as approachable with a whole page of house selections (6 reds, 5 whites 1 rose) at £17.50. Particularly strong in Bordeaux, you could splash out £300.00 on a Chateau Margaux 81 or £250.00 Haut Brion 83, although your bank manager might be happier if you stuck to Alsace and a bottle of Gewurztaminer Les Sorcieres, Dopff and Irion 2000 at £24.50, or an Australian Pinor Noir, Windy Peak, de Bortoli for £27.00. If you are feeling particularly abstemious, the 14 red and 9 white half bottles might be of interest, although my eye wandered down the page to the selection of 7 dessert wines available by the half.

<P>Service is headed by the very professional William Spalla and although obviously reliant on the local populous to make up the numbers, is never less than efficient and often charming. The attractive waitresses are sadly kitted out in the ubiquitous and unflattering English provincial uniform of non-descript white blouse and black A-line skirt that brings to mind a deserted Hastings tea room.

<P>The hotel, which in its current form dates back to the early 17th Century, is typical country house in style with lots of wood panelling and exposed beams, an American tourist's wet dream. The dining room is comfortable enough whilst falling short of being remarkable. The lounge overlooking the grounds is lovely however and the perfect place to enjoy coffee, armagnac and superb petit fours.

<P>HS Hotels website

[Scott]

Martin Hadden's saffron risotto is still one of the best things I have ever eaten.

[Andy Lynes]

Was that at the Halcyon?

The only other time I have tried his food was at The Priory House. I had a wonderful lunch there which seemed all the better for being just £20.00 compared to dinner at The Castle in Taunton the night before which had come to £94.00 (just for one person) and wasn't terribly good. I had planned to make the 260 mile round trip to try the tasting menu, but he sold up before I got the chance, which wasn't such a bad thing as now I only have a 26 mile round trip to make for his food.

[Scott]

Andy,

it was at the halcyon, he was turning out superb food there.

[tony h]

Andy - is this a review or a promotional thing you've been asked to write?

[Andy Lynes]

Glad to see you back on top form BLH.

[offcentre]

Lunch last friday. As this was a belated birthday meal I had intended to have a bit of a blow out at Ockenden Manor, but at £13.50 for a two course lunch and with crisp galette of pork jumping out at me from the starters and lamb fillet on the mains, I saw no reason of going for the £46 a la carte menu.

After a beer in the bar over menu’s we were invited into the dining room. There was a bowl of marinated olives, onions and peppers on the table that didn’t do anything for me, and a selection of breads was brought to us in a bowl folded from a napkin, including a raisin and walnut and various small white rolls, all of which were pretty good.

The galette arrived with a lovely sweet quenelle of caper puree on the top and sat on buttered savoy cabbage surrounded by a moistening of what could have been ham stock. It looked like a perfect breaded fish cake and was indeed crisp on the outside and full of a wonderful rillette mixture that tasted of all the good things about pork - meat, crackling and sticky fatty bits of belly all in one. M had ordered an oyster and mussel risotto with parmesan shavings and fine herbs and is always very generous with her food. I had a big mouthful of one of the two huge, slithery oysters buried at the bottom of the mound of rice and got some idea of what all the fuss is about oysters. The risotto was very delicately flavoured with a richness of taste and definite hints of the sea, the herbs and parmesan adding other light layers of flavour.

My fillets of lamb were two finger-sized pieces of meat, sliced, set alongside vegetables of wilted wild garlic leaves, confit of tomatoes with garlic and small dices of fried potatoes. This dish was also on the a la carte, although it was a small portion for lunch, and everything on the plate had something to say to each other. The tomatoes were an explosion of sweet, garlicky flesh, the lamb tender and moist and those little potatoes, looking more like croutons, somehow managed to stay crispy till the last mouthful despite having the tomatoes sat on top of them. M had poached smoked haddock on mashed potato, mounted with a poached egg and covered in a creamy grain mustard sauce. It was an arrangement of white on a white plate. The sauce had just a hint of white wine vinegar to give it a lift and freshness and was again very good.

M stuck with two courses but helped herself to my cheeses. They came along on a trolley with, luckily, our knowledgeable waitress, as I had no idea. There were, I reckon, about 20 to choose from. I selected about 6 including my first taste of epoisses and the best Roquefort I have ever had.

There was a small wedding reception due in the lounge, and the bar was full by the time we had finished our meal, so coffee and petit fours was had at our table. Along with a couple of glasses of enjoyable house cab sauvignon, a bottle of water and a budvar before the meal, the bill came to a mere £55.

I had a lovely time. Service was low-key but efficient and friendly. The building itself is probably a couple of hundred years old, the décor cosy, antique, low-beamed, giving an ambience of relaxed quality. The dining room has higher ceilings and seats about 30 on 12 well-spaced tables, with a second, smaller room off it for another 10 or so. There were 4 other tables dining during lunch and the atmosphere was a little like a library to start with, but we both, and it seemed everyone, soon relaxed and livened up a little as we ate. Certainly the food bought a smile to my face and a feeling of child-like excitement on several occasions, which is what I want from an experience such as this. I felt comfortable, relaxed and happy throughout. Although the portions are small, the three courses left me satiated.

I would definitely return to Ockenden Manor. The lunch, at £13.50 for two courses or £19 for three is fantastic value and also offered a potato and truffle soup to start and a fricassee of pink fir apples and vegetables as a main, with cheeses, a lemon tart and chocolate fudge cake for dessert.

[Andy Lynes]

Along with a couple of glasses of enjoyable house cab sauvignon, a bottle of water and a budvar before the meal, the bill came to a mere £55.

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I remember getting those sort of bills at lunchtimes about 10 years ago. Makes the whole experience that much sweeter doesn't it?

You might be interested in this event in the eGullet calendar which, by the way, I hope everyone is referring to. The calendar is now an important part of eGullet and contains a great deal of information that used to appear directly on the forums. It's linked to from the new front portal page which is here.

[Slim Slawson]

Stayed here last September on my wedding night and the night after that. Very impressed with the hotel, bar, and of course the restaurant, but I'm afraid it was all wasted on us! We'd overdone it at the wedding and couldn't stomach the rich 4 course meal I'd pre-booked, ended up mostly picking at the olives and sipping mineral water. We did ask for the cheese to be brought to the room later, which they were cool about. The bar is ace - so old school.

I know - we should have had more on our minds than food, but you gotta make the most of it eh?

[Andy Lynes]

The kitchens of Ockenden Manor are unique in the UK in being able to boast two Roux scholars - junior sous chef Matt Tomkinson won the competition this year while HS Hotels Group Executive Head Chef Martin Hadden bagged the title in 1989 (at 31 Head Chef Stephen Crane is now too old to qualify for a scholarship and will just have to make do with his Michelin star.)

The hotel was therefore the ideal venue for a recent Scholarship fundraising dinner. It was a return match of sorts for Hadden, who also cooked at the Waterside fundraiser in early April this year alongside fellow scholars Sat Bains, Andre Garret and Steve Love.

Michel Roux, Martin Hadden, Matthew Tomkinson, Albert Roux in the kitchens of Ockenden Manor

The evening began in the lounge with a champagne reception where the Gosset Grande Reserve flowed and trays of tapenade toasts; asparagus and hollandaise tartlets; smoked salmon, avruga and herb creme fraiche feuilletes; and mushroom and parmesan aranchini disappeared with unseemly haste. Star bite was a deep fried pigs cheek and foie gras "lollipop" apparently inspired by recent visit to restaurant Bernard Loiseau.

The five course menu started with an impression rendition by Crane of the modern classic "ballontine of salmon with herbs, local asparagus and fromage blanc." Two skinned sides of the fish are first cured in sugar, salt and lemon then laid top to tail, covered in chopped soft herbs and wrapped tightly in cling film to form a cylinder. The salmon is poached at 66 degrees for 6 minutes so that the flesh remains pink at the centre. The ballontine is cooled in its cooking liquor before being sliced into rounds and served with a quenelle of herb-spiked fromage blanc and spears of lightly cooked asparagus.

Crane and Tomkinson's potato gnocchi with spring vegetables, scallops, oysters and mussels continued the seasonal theme with peas and broad beans jostling for bowl space with the shellfish, nage, pillow-like dumplings and even the odd cherry tomato. Although its flavour couldn't be faulted, the addition of some saffron might have improved the appearance of the naturally grey broth.

A main course of roasted beef fillet filled with morels and foie gras was lifted directly from the menu of the 3 star restaurant Pic in the Rhone Valley where Hadden completed a month long stage as part of his scholarship prize.

This was a richly satisfying plate of food, and a ballsy choice to serve to 70 people in one go. Inaccurately cooking the meat would not only have spoilt the prime fillet, but would have reduced several kilos of duck's liver to an oily and very expensive mess on the bottom of the roasting pan. Not a pretty sight, especially if you're a kitchen porter. In order to aviod this potential disaster, the foie gras was seared before being stuffed in to the meat, adding flavour and achieving the desired fat loss before the whole was cooked.

The dish was finished with a puree of artichoke topped with Jerusalem crisps and an accurately cooked mound of spinach. The vegetable cookery was uniformaly on the ball throughout the meal, a notable achievement for banqueting-style service where the dangers of overcooking are ever present .

The Brigade at Ockenden. Head chef Stephen Crane is third from left

Cheese came in the form of a plated course of a deliciously salty and savoury cone of creamed roquefort rolled in crushed walnuts and served with mache salad and home made cheese biscuits on the side. An intensely flavoured bitter chocolate tart benefited from a light, mousse-like texture; a scoop of black cherry ice cream added a note of subtle acidity that further lightened the dish.

Wine matching was expertly done. The pairing of Moa Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2003 from Malborough with the salmon and Chianti Classico Riserva Petri 2001 Castello Vicchiomaggio with the beef were particular successes.

Although both Rouxs were in attendance at Ockenden, Albert, recovering from a recent hip operation, left it to his younger brother to do the talking. If you've read his autobiography, you'll know that Michel is not exactly the retiring and modest sort, so it came as no surprise that he used his after dinner speech to remind his audience that he has held 3 Michelin stars uninterrupted for 22 years (a record in Europe) and that around half the starred restaurants in the UK are headed up by chefs from the Roux stable.

A youthful Martin Hadden winning the Roux Scholarship in 1989

Less expected were his cryptic comments about some unnamed British restaurants doing "silly things" with food (a dig at his near neighbour in Bray perhaps?) and the arrogance of Restaurant Magazine for compiling a list of the World's 50 Best restaurants, an opinion that no doubt played well to the table from Caterer and Hotelkeeper.

With all food and wine being donated by suppliers and HS Hotels covering all other costs, the event raised well over 8,000 which will ensure the Scholarship will continue to help elevate the standard of cooking in the UK for at least another year.

[Pweaver1984]

Nice Review Andy!

Michel is not exactly the retiring and modest sort, so it came as no surprise that he used his after dinner speech to remind his audience that he has held 3 Michelin stars uninterrupted for 22 years (a record in Europe) and that around half the starred restaurants in the UK are headed up by chefs from the Roux stable.

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Just wondering though about the 3 Michelin stars? As in Restaurant Magazine this week it says Paul Bocuse has held his for 40, unless in those 40 years he's dropped one? I most likely have read it wrong Could you clear that up for me cheer!

[Andy Lynes]

I did wonder about that claim myself. I think its worth investigating, but I've just reported here what M Roux said on the night.

[jayrayner]

I did wonder about that claim myself. I think its worth investigating, but I've just reported here what M Roux said on the night.

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It's record in Britain, not Europe. Both Bocuse and the Auberge de L'Ill have held three for around 40 years, and I'm sure a bunch of other places can beat 22.

Edited May 5, 2005 by jayrayner (log)

[kutsu]

Sounds fantastic, thanks for the report!

[Andy Lynes]

It's record in Britain, not Europe. Both Bocuse and the Auberge de L'Ill have held three for around 40 years, and I'm sure a bunch of other places can beat 22.

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Thanks for the clarification.

I should add that Michel Roux's speech was very charming and entertaining and that his comments, although serious and not tongue in cheek, were made with good humour. Given the Roux's contribution to dining in this country, I think they've earned the right to say what they damn well please (although they should get their fact right of course!)

[Pweaver1984]

should add that Michel Roux's speech was very charming and entertaining and that his comments, although serious and not tongue in cheek, were made with good humour. Given the Roux's contribution to dining in this country, I think they've earned the right to say what they damn well please (although they should get their fact right of course!)

Cheers for clearing that up Jay and Andy, I wasn't trying to dismiss The Roux family achievements as I know they brought 1st rate gastronomy to this country, my meal at the Waterside Inn last summer was simply perfect, and I'm sure they will have 3 Michelin stars for many many years to come.... Really need to go to Le Gavroche!

[Andy Lynes]

Pictures now added to the report. I'm hoping to get a few more details about the food and its preperation which I will post in the near future.

[Andy Lynes]

I've now amended my report of the Roux dinner to add a few more details about the canapes and preperation of the dishes.

[Andy Lynes]

I took my mother-in-law for an 81st birthday celebratory lunch at Ockenden on Friday. A veteran of Gordon Ramsay, Chez Bruce, The Square and Bibendum and, um, Due South in Brighton (the less said about that the better) she has pretty high standards. The glass of champagne met with approval, although she informed us that her starter of pumpkin and truffle soup was not up to Ramsay's standards. Despite claims that her appetite is not what it was and that we should expect her to leave food on her plate, a small extra course of sweetbreads with celeriac puree, spinach and wild mushrooms with maderia jus disappeared at an alarming rate.

Main course of smoked haddock, poached egg, leek fondue, chorizo and red wine sauce was also snaffled up. She passed on some excellent chesse (the liverot was particularly outrstanding) but vanilla cream (panacotta) with fresh orange and chocolate sorbet saw her tipping the bowl to get the last drop of melted sorbet.

Oyster and smoked salmon beignets with creme friache and rocket was a truly great dish served straight from the deep fryerwith perfectly crisp batter. A pressed tomato terrine may have been a tad unseasonal but the friut had great colour and flavour, enhanced by a quenelle of tapenade and a couple of goats cheese fritters. Lemon tart could have come off the pages of Nico Ladenis's cook book, not surprising as ex-Nico at 90 chef Martin Hadden was on the pastry section that day.

Lunch menu was a very reasonable £19.50 for three courses while a lovely bottle of St Veran cost just under £30.00. Coffee was accompanied by some very impresive petit four presented on a plate with "Happy 81st Birthday" written in chocolate around the rim, which thrilled the M-I-L no end. A glass of armagnac did the same for me. Ockenden is now a serious contender for my Birthday celebrations in January where the wife and I might be persauded to do some serious damage to the wine list whilst scoffing down the £60 tasting menu.