The Journey to a Michelin Star
Restaurant Interlude’s journey to winning a Michelin Star
Join us for the latest ‘Growing Leonardslee’ podcast as estate general manager Adam Streeter talks with South African chef Jean Delport. They discuss with estate owner Penny Streeter OBE the amazing journey from setting up Restaurant Interlude together in the newly restored Leonardslee House in 2018, to winning a first Michelin Star in record time - and now retaining it for a second successive year.
It all started seven years ago when Adam, an aspiring chef, was living in South Africa. On a student placement at the South African Chefs Academy in Somerset West, he worked for chef Jean. Whilst Adam later decided that his future lay in management rather than cooking, a firm friendship had begun.
Both Adam and his mother were so impressed with Jean’s skills that they set up a restaurant in 2015, Benguela on Main in the Cape Town Winelands, with Jean as executive chef.
It was a stunning location, overlooking the Atlantic, with an exciting style of cuisine - à la carte combined with a tasting menu, that was to develop into the magnificent 21 dish experience that today draws guests to Restaurant Interlude here in the UK. Jean says in the podcast:
Executive Chef, Jean Delport
“My journey as a chef started at the Zevenwacht Chef School in South Africa, where I gained a classical grounding in French and English cooking, which then took me to Ireland for a short time. I worked very hard in those early years in a range of environments, including a steak house and fine dining restaurants. That suited me, a new challenge every day. I worked under great chefs such as Dan Evans - it's important to get lots of experience in the early years, to then start to develop your own style.
“I worked in Durban and then moved back to Cape Town, to be close to my family, at Restaurant Terroir at Kleine Zalze Lodge in the Cape Winelands. This is where I met Ruan Pretorius, who later joined me in the move to England and Restaurant Interlude.”
Following The Michelin Star
Adam knew that the dishes that Jean was creating at Benguela on Main, in his own style, were exceptional. He would frequently comment: “Jean, if only we could move you to the UK, I know you would win a Michelin Star”. It seemed an impossible flight of fancy at the time, that was to be realised in a remarkably few short years.
In 2016 Penny bought Mannings Heath golf club, near Horsham, which she set about converting into the UK’s first golf and wine estate. A year later she was driving by a field three miles away and saw a ‘For Sale’ sign. Out of her trademark unquenchable curiosity, she parked on the roadside and clambered through a jungle of weeds to discover an abandoned property, Leonardslee House.
Penny promptly bought the historic 240-acre estate, which had been abandoned and closed for eight years, and set about restoring it to its former glory - as originally conceived by the creator of the gardens, Sir Edmund Loder, one of the great Victorian plant collectors.
Penny knew it could be renovated and nurtured to become the national treasure that it is today, with its Grade I Listed gardens attracting visitors from around the world. She also considered it an ideal location for a restaurant run by Jean: “I have found the place where you will win a Michelin Star”, she said to him.
In the podcast, Jean explains the reason for his move: “There are amazing places to eat in South Africa, to match anywhere in the UK or France. So the fine cuisine sector is incredibly close-knit and competitive. Although Benguela on Main was very popular, it can take many years to make a name and really break through in South Africa, so I jumped at the opportunity and Penny’s invitation.”
Jean did not hesitate to accept the challenge, neither did Anya, his partner, who managed the front of house at Benguela on Main. So they closed the Cape Town restaurant, got married and arrived in the UK in February 2018: “It was bitterly cold and, arriving from Cape Town, I was completely unprepared for the weather; in the wrong clothing, but up for the challenge of creating an amazing restaurant from an abandoned mansion house,” says Jean in the podcast.
“I had complete faith in Penny. We shared a vision of a restaurant with a unique cuisine, including ingredients foraged from the amazing gardens, from our own beehives and flock of hens. We saw Leonardslee House as the perfect setting for a classic afternoon tea, allowing just enough time for my team to get ready to prepare dinner in the evening. With experience as a pastry chef, but none in English afternoon tea, I wanted to create a new and original experience. This has included every detail, down to the design of our crockery, cutlery and linen wear.”
Home Cooking
With long days spent in the Leonardslee kitchens, Jean likes to keep the cooking simple at home, he tells podcast listeners - with no more than half an hour spent preparing pasta and other dishes. Living and working with Anya is a major plus he says, in such a pressured environment as a Michelin Starred restaurant:
“I’m lucky that we have a close understanding. She knows what I am thinking. She is very special, great support, brilliant front of house, and the staff and guests love her.”
As one of the youngest chefs to win a Michelin Star, and probably in the shortest time from the opening of a restaurant, Jean’s ambitions naturally include a coveted second star: “We just need to further refine a few of the details. We are very consistent in delivering a top-quality experience. Our goal is to be one of the best restaurants in Sussex, England or anywhere.”
Adam says that before they actually dine at Restaurant Interlude, people Adam meets remark on the 21 courses as something extraordinary, bizarre even: “With the foraged and local ingredients, and the range of courses, it makes for a unique evening, a really enjoyable occasion. It's why we’re always booked for weeks ahead!”
When guests arrive, there is no menu. Jean’s foraging expeditions produce fresh seasonal ingredients from the gardens each day for his French-style cuisine, influenced by his South African heritage:
“Each course is like a walk through Leonardslee. There are corners of the gardens that are a favourite for me, untouched, offering wonderful ingredients for sauces and garnishes. There was a learning curve, of course, as the produce you find here is very different to South Africa. Interlude was a blank canvas on which to create something truly original.”
Wines are an important feature. Anya is very knowledgeable about Interlude’s selection and advises guests on how it complements each course, Jean says: “Three or four different wines work well in an evening, to enjoy alongside the menu. It’s great to introduce people to the wonderful wines from Penny’s South African vineyard at Benguela Cove. Since she bought and completely upgraded it in 2013 it has scooped a whole series of top wine awards. We like winning awards!”
The next major challenge for the team, says Adam in the podcast, is the launch of the new overnight accommodation in Leonardslee House, ten en suite bedrooms on the top floor, to create one of the best hotels in Sussex, England or anywhere:
“The rooms set a new standard of quality and luxury, from months of work using the top designers and suppliers. The accommodation really helps to complete the Leonardslee experience. So visitors can visit the beautiful gardens and see the extraordinary sculpture park, then enjoy afternoon tea and dinner in our Michelin Starred restaurant – with an overnight stay in rooms they will never want to leave!”