Tillingham, Peamarsh, East Sussex: ‘not Much Cooking Was Going On’ – Restaurant Review

Tillingham is fundamentally a earthy biodynamic vino accumulation business moving complete 70 acres of mildly rolling countryside, adjacent Rye and nan Romney Marshes successful East Sussex. If only their main problem was making bottles of chardonnay and pinot blanc, aliases trading beautiful Tillingham beverage towels astatine £36 a pop. But no, Tillingham has (quite literally) galore different plates to juggle: it has a fancy edifice and a immense barn from which they service pizza, too.

There’s besides nan action to enactment complete successful doorbell tents, nary less, if posh hen weekends aliases firm bonding sessions are required. Or successful bricks-and-mortar rooms pinch existent plumbing, if nan tent’s compost toilet is not for you. If each this isn’t distracting enough, overmuch of Tillingham’s workforce must beryllium drained dealing pinch its predominant vino tours; vino experts plod groups of earthy vino buffs astir nan sheds, talking lovingly of clay alloy spontaneous fermentation and really nettle beverage immunodeficiency vine health. All that while handing retired samples of earthy wine, which naysayers mightiness find rather challenging, if not verging connected abrasive.

The ‘prettily arrranged’ citrus-cured halibut, astatine Tillingham’s restaurant.

Natural vino is, of course, wildly polarising. What everyone loves, however, is dinner, which is why Tillingham’s huge, general edifice overlooking breathtakingly beautiful countryside should beryllium its biggest draw. The Sunday feast, for example, has 3 courses for £45. The short menu, connected first inspection, sounds beautiful and locally sourced: braised Morebread Farm lamb, Beal’s Farm salami, house-made focaccia and baked cheesecake pinch poached rhubarb. The immense room was quiet erstwhile we arrived, though respective chefs seemed to beryllium difficult astatine activity successful nan unfastened kitchen, while serving unit hovered astir nan floor. So far, truthful good.

However, arsenic nan repast began, it transpired that not a unspeakable magnitude of cooking was going connected and, much pressingly, nary 1 connected nan level seemed to beryllium successful complaint aliases trained to activity successful a semi-formal restaurant. The amateur-hour shtick of Tillingham’s work could beryllium seen arsenic endearing – our portion order, for example, was taken pinch nary mention of nan vino that was being made each of 100m away.

Tillingham’s lobster linguine pinch a ‘good, rich, somewhat piquant, glossy herb sauce’.

It was midday connected Sunday and nan caller focaccia from nan sharing conception of nan paper had decidedly seen brighter, crisper days. Let’s telephone that time Saturday. The different “sharing items” were cashews and olives, which would hardly person made cook break a sweat. A starter of citrus-cured halibut pinch fennel, orangish crockery and wood sorrel was prettily arranged – successful a fancy, wedding-breakfast, mass-catering measurement – but lacked immoderate discernible zing. Another starter was courgette velouté pinch much of that old focaccia.

At this juncture, a sojourn to nan ladies’ room led maine to observe a mini chalkboard, astatine skirting-board level, alerting diners to nan veg from adjacent fields that had been picked and was being served today. Tillingham’s edifice seems wished to hide its ray nether a bushel. The main courses were nan stars of nan show: lobster linguine came topped pinch half a autochthonal lobster, pinch a good, rich, somewhat piquant, glossy herb sauce. The lobster nutrient was good judged, drenched successful ail food and intolerable not to love. Lamb chop was accompanied by crispy lamb and ail puree and a analyzable rosemary jus. Another main of nicely cooked skate helping pinch brownish shrimp sported a delightful beurre noisette. We saw immoderate awesome cooking here, and sumptuous sides of practice tomatoes and broccoli chargrilled pinch chromatic glaze were further clues that we were eating workplace to fork.

Tillingham’s rhubarb cheesecake comes ‘titivated pinch petals’.

Still, this is simply a edifice that seems to beryllium presently moving to a fraction of its potential; nan desserts were a prime of a rotation connected Eton mess, immoderate food and crackers, positive that baked rhubarb cheesecake, which we chose, hoping for thing Basque-ish, burnished and wobbling. Instead, it was thing intelligibly pre-made, pinch a digestive biscuit base, piped pinch rhubarb gel and titivated pinch petals. So galore cooks, not a awesome woody of cooking. Wine, vino everyplace and not a driblet of it mentioned to drink. We left, and skipped nan gift shop for keepsakes, because location was very small present to remember.

• Tillingham Dew Farm, Dew Lane, Peasmarsh, East Sussex, 01797 208226. Open lunch, Fri-Sun noon-2pm, meal Wed-Sun 6-8pm. Set luncheon £35 for 2 courses, £40 for three; group Sun luncheon £40 for 2 courses, £45 for three; à la carte dinner, from astir £55 a head, each positive drinks and service.

• The adjacent section of Grace’s Comfort Eating podcast is retired connected Tuesday 16 September – perceive to it here.