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Countryside manor house hotel, South Lodge, has officially opened its doors to The Pass, an “intimate” 28-seat restaurant led by the recently appointed head chef, Ben Wilkinson.
Wilkinson has permanently taken over the residency at the West Sussex site and is said to bring a wealth of experience to the restaurant following his success at The Cottage in the Wood, a Michelin starred restaurant with rooms in the Lake District.
His seven course tasting menu uses seasonal and local produce, starting with a selection of canapés, followed by Wild Sea Trout with oyster and cucumber, topped with roe, tomato essence, nasturtium and prawn.
For main, guests can have local Sussex Downs Venison with fennel, caper, smoke, and rye; Wild Cornish Turbot with leek, oyster mushroom, ossetra and champagne; Herdwick Hogget with turnip, peas, onions, and sweetbread. To finish, a Strawberry Ewes’ Curd with vanilla and elderflower; Hazelnut Coffee with maple and chocolate; and a selection of Petit Fours.
On the drinks menu there is a wide range of wine from all over the world, including a diverse selection of English sparkling wine, and specially curated wines from France, Austria, New Zealand and Croatia.
Wilkinson’s partner, Monika Zurawska, previously the restaurant manager at The Cottage in the Wood and Rampsbeck Country House Hotel, Ullswater, has also joined the team and is responsible for leading the front of house experience.
David Connell, general manager of South Lodge, said: “We are delighted that Ben and Monika have joined the team at The Pass. The past two years have seen us working with some fabulous chefs for short term residencies, however, we now feel the time is right to bring in a more permanent team to take the restaurant to its next level.
“The Pass has always been about providing excellence and fabulous dining experiences, and we believe Ben is the Chef to deliver this for the longer term. Having held a Michelin Star at The Cottage in the Wood in Keswick, along with being listed at number 24 in the UK Top 100 Restaurants list 2021, Ben demonstrates the quality of menu he can bring to South Lodge. The Lake District has fabulous local produce, but we also know that Sussex has too, so we are very excited by what he can bring to the table for our guests.”
Wilkinson added: “We are very pleased to be part of the new team at South Lodge to reopen The Pass. It is a fantastic venue where we will be able to produce a really exciting menu and experience for our guests, adding another great restaurant to the hotel. It is a big move down from The Lake District, but I am excited to begin working with the produce and suppliers of Sussex.”
