A lunch to remember in a West Sussex wine estate’s converted barn, nestled in the South Downs, but easily accessible by one of the county’s main route
Nestled on the side of the A24, in the shadow of Chanctonbury Ring, is the Wiston Estate, and its hidden gem restaurant Chalk.
Inside the converted stone barn, Chalk’s vaulted wooden ceiling takes your breath away, but there’s a very modern chef’s pass on the righthand side of the room, and a giant circular bar, with bottles of wine going up to the heavens dominating the centre. It reflects the general feel of the estate, which effortlessly mixes the traditional and modern – with flint walls abutting metal and glass, a car park boasting electric chargers, wooden bike racks, and a terrace just begging for the sun to come out.
For lunch we were seated in the far corner of the open-plan dining area, by the entrance to a function space large enough for eight diners. By the time we left the dining room was about half-full, but it never felt like we were butting into anyone’s conversations, or struggling to hear over the gentle soundtrack of classic soul. The modern industrial-style lighting hanging over each table also meant we weren’t squinting at our menus. It’s these sort of details Chalk has got right – from proper crockery to its friendly and attentive service, with our server knowing the menu backwards, and even anticipating the Wiston Estate apple juice my wife, the driver, was going to order.
It may have ‘just’ been a lunch menu, but it was packed - with four starters, mains and desserts, plus a trio of snacks and pair of side dishes to augment the main course. And Sussex oozed throughout – from the mains of Sussex pork loin and lamb rump, or South Coast fish, to the desserts featuring Estate honey cake, Skylark coffee and house chutney.
To start I went for the chicken liver parfait (£12), while my wife plumped for a crispy hen’s egg in a Jersey Royal veloute with hazelnut and wild garlic (£11). The parfait was a meaty Angel Delight, perfectly paired by lightly toasted soft brioche. And the veloute was a savoury masterpiece. Head chef Jordon had kindly added a house focaccia (£4.50) to our order too – the pillowy focaccia giving way under a salt and rosemary crust, complemented by a lightly whipped cultured butter.
My main of pork loin was perfectly cooked, accompanied by New Forest asparagus and a dreamy, creamed spinach (£27). If children of the early 20th century had been fed this there would have been no need to make it Popeye’s favourite food. Similarly, my wife’s lamb rump and confit belly (£30) were well complemented by a roast hispi cabbage, and the accompanying side of crisped potatoes and smoked garlic aioli disappeared in an instant.
Well-judged portion sizes ensured we both had room for a pudding, without feeling shortchanged. The creme caramel with Estate honey cake and poached Yorkshire rhubarb disappeared from my wife’s plate in seconds, whereas my rich 60 per cent Caraibe chocolate bar, with salted caramel ice cream and caramelised hazelnuts (both £10) was the sort of dessert you feel slightly childish in ordering but grown-up in finishing.
It would have been rude not to accompany the food with Wiston’s finest. A Wiston Estate Cuvee 2016 (£16 per glass) was a great opener, refreshing, lightly sparkling and with a trace of salinity making you thirst for more. My pork was accompanied by a glass of cleansing Wiston Estate Tank Five (£8 per glass), which we both noted for the future. But the best came with pudding, the fruit flavours of the Fifty Summers Rose (£9 per glass).
Perusing the evening estate menu (£65 per person) we realised we’d sampled half the dishes which would be served on Friday night - and envied those who still had it to come.
A la carte lunch Wednesday – Sunday from noon, evening estate menu Friday and Saturday, open for coffee and pastries Wed-Sun 9.30am-11.30am. wistonestate.com/chalk-restaurant
