Ashdown Park - Luxury
country house hotel
Ashdown Park - Clifford Mould
revisits a luxury country house
hotel in the heart of Sussex
When I heard that Ashdown Park
was promoting a new Sunday lunch
menu, it set me wondering how long
it was since we first reviewed
the hotel. I looked up the earlier
review, it was written in the last
century! May 1999 to be precise.
Chefs of course come and go, but
essentially the description of
the hotel and its idyllic setting
remains the same.
As I explained in my original
review, to qualify as a proper
country house hotel, certain criteria
have to be met. There should be
a terrace with views probably including
a lake, so that guests can eat
alfresco in the summer. Comfortable
lounges with roaring fires and
plenty of newspapers and magazines
are essential. Easy access to country
pursuits such as riding, shooting
and fishing goes without saying.
A private golf course is nice,
so long as it does not impinge
too closely upon the hotel itself.
The bedrooms should be luxurious
and the dining room should be the
principal place of entertainment
and delight. After my visit the
other day, I can confirm that Ashdown
Park maintains and fulfils these
criteria in abundance.
The Sunday
lunch menu, reasonably priced
at £26 50 for three
courses including service, is sensibly
traditional with favourite dishes
such as roast sirloin of beef,
with Yorkshire pudding and gravy,
or there is seabass, loin of pork,
or breast of corn-fed chicken with
Lyonnais potato sugar snaps and
salsify. Our old friend the desert
trolley is making a comeback nowadays,
while coffee and petits fours attract
an additional £4.25, which
can be served in the luxury of
the lounge. The Sunday lunch menu
is available all day - until 7
p.m. in the evening. It was explained
to me that this is to enable people
to plan their Sunday around their
chosen activities rather than a
specific lunchtime. Seems like
a good idea to me.
The weekday lunch table d'hote
menu is well priced at £23.95
for three courses and changes daily.
The a la carte menu, which although
weighing in at £49.50 per
person, looks interesting in a
slightly retro kind of way, but
definitely worthy of attention.
Sadly, it was beyond our budget
on that occasion. It's probably
worth pointing out that half the
six non vegetarian main course
dishes, that’s the Dover
sole, the fillet steak and the
Chateaubriand for two, carry supplements
of £8.00, £6.00 and £12.00
respectively. That leaves only
one meat dish, the canon of lamb,
unless you’re prepared to
pay nearly £56.00. However,
there is yet a further table d’hote
menu in the evenings, priced at £35.00
for three courses including service.
I am pleased to say that our lunch
was excellent. The leek and potato
soup was full of beautifully integrated
flavours, and the texture was as
smooth as velvet – someone
had been busy with the sieve! Rare
beef salad was generous with the
beef, which I imagine was cut from
a large joint that is only economically
feasible in a big hotel kitchen.
For his main course my guest enjoyed
the herb roasted loin of pork which
was miraculously tender. It came
with a delicious Dauphinois of
root vegetables and braised and
caramelised endive. I had the confit
duck leg which came neatly presented
on a tasty garlic rosti and with
a star anise reduction that was
a little unusual but partnered
the duck really well.
For dessert, the yoghurt tort
with zests of orange and lime was
a perfect way for my guest to freshen
his lunchtime palate. I was really
wowed by the beautifully constructed
orange curd tart accompanied by
a very naughty dark chocolate ice
cream. All our dishes were artistically
presented, in keeping with such
a lovely dining room. The service,
executed by a highly professional
French team, was both impeccable
and friendly. There is a most impressive
wine list, though it being lunchtime,
we prudently limited ourselves
to a glass each of a very drinkable
house wine.
All in all
a very enjoyable visit – but
what would I really like? To take
over the hotel for Christmas, and
invite all our friends. Dream on,
old chap!
Also see: http://www.dine-online.co.uk/ashdown.htm
Ashdown Park Hotel, Wych Cross,
near Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18
5JR
T 01342 824988
F 01342 826206
