For One Night Only: Two Michelin Star Chefs at Restaurant Interlude

Guests at Restaurant Interlude in Leonardslee House can experience a special 20-course surprise tasting menu, showcasing the unique talents and styles of two Michelin Star chefs,  on February 28th 2022 at 6:00pm. The cost is £260 per head, with online booking. 

Resident chef Jean Delport, in collaboration with chef Gareth Ward, from restaurant Ynyshir in Wales, are creating a unique dining experience for the first Sussex Showcase Food Week, 28th February to 6th March, in support of the Table Talk Foundation. The charity raises funds in aid of food education in Sussex for the next generation, and to help the local hospitality industry, which has been hit by a succession of Coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions on trading. 

“I’m delighted to welcome Gareth Ward to Restaurant Intrelude, who is one of the top chefs in the UK. We will be cooking ten dishes each in the surprise menu, which promises to be a really special occasion. The goal is to showcase the best of Sussex cuisine, with donations from the week going towards the creation of a training kitchen at Plumpton Agricultural College. This will provide a dedicated space in which to deliver an inspirational food education programme, helping local primary school children to lead healthier, happier lives,” says Jean Delport. 

The event combines highlights from the menus of both Restaurants Interlude and Ynyshir. 

Restaurant Interlude’s tasting menu is inspired by the Grade I Listed woodland gardens with ingredients foraged or grown on the 240 acre Leonardslee estate. Other produce is sourced from selected local farms, all individually visited by Chef Jean. Restaurant Interlude is open for dinner from Thursday to Sunday weekly, with luxury accomodation Monday to Sunday. 

“We have designed each dish in the seasonal, multi-course tasting menu with a hunter-gatherer theme of food that’s foraged, cultivated or raised on the estate - or locally, very close by. The ambience is of an intimate dining experience; a small, exclusive dinner party within the estate’s Italianate mansion,” says Jean. 

Chef Gareth Ward, Restaurant Ynyshir

The Ynyshir restaurant, near the Snowdonia National Park, Aberystwyth and Machynlleth, holds 5 AA rosettes, the first and only ever to do so in Wales, and has held a Michelin Star since 2014.  

Chef Patron Gareth Ward serves alternative British tasting menus, showcasing the best of Welsh ingredients, following the seasons, such as Welsh Wagyu Beef and Anglesey Onions, locally foraged sea herbs from the estuary and greens from the woodland floor and gardens.  

During the hunting season guests can expect to see wild deer and local duck, grouse and partridge, and in summer Welsh Lamb. Gareth and his team pickle, salt, ferment and preserve fruits, leaves and berries carrying the harvests through the winter and into the spring. Ynyshir is a restaurant experience that finishes with a bed for the evening and breakfast the next morning.