Lunch Review: Jeremy’s Restaurant

In an age when we never leave the office but merely carry it with us via our mobile devices, Jeremy Ashpool, founder and owner of his eponymous restaurant in leafy Borde Hill, has turned technology to the foodie’s advantage

If you ask one of the diligent and friendly staff to email the lunch menu to you, you can take your pick of the mouthwatering choices by noon on the day of your reservation, and your order will be fast tracked, allowing you to get back to business in good time.

Not that you’d want to be too hurried about it.

When I visited I plumped for soup of the day (pumpkin and sage) and chestnut mushroom risotto with parmesan and chicory. It can be tricky to produce a good risotto in the frenetic conditions of a commercial kitchen, but the fact that I was able to deliver my order in good time produced superlative results. It is no exaggeration to say it was the finest risotto I have eaten this side of the Venetian lagoon.

If you can drag your eyes away from your plate, you will be rewarded with stunning views of Borde Hill gardens which are beautiful in all seasons.

Mr Ashpool celebrates 30 years of continuous trading next year. He puts the success of the restaurant down to the effort and commitment of his wife and partner Vera who runs the neighbouring Café Elvira, and their hard-working front-of-house and kitchen teams.

His young chef Jimmy Gray worked for his parent’s restaurant business in Chichester before training at Westminster College.

He says he joined the team at Jeremy’s knowing the environment was one in which he’d thrive. The owner encourages his chefs to express themselves within the restaurant’s simple ethos of fresh, seasonal, high quality and as local as possible – and this includes edible flowers from the gardens.

Jimmy’s talents and contribution was recognised when he won Young Chef of the Year at the Sussex Food and Drink Awards in 2013.

But what about the business end, I hear you cry.

The restaurant can comfortably find room for 55 diners for a sit-down event, an up to 70 people can be accommodated for a reception. For larger events of more than 100 people, you have the option of a marquee during the autumn and winter months.  You can also book the restaurant on an exclusively.

The combination of beautiful facilities, intelligent menu choices and the experience of the staff, makes Jeremy’s one of the finest flowerings in the Sussex restaurant scene.

Jeremy’s Restaurant overall rating: *****