Wiston Estate Winery and Chalk Restaurant — Local services in Horsham

Chalk was overall a nice experience, only let down by a few minor flaws. I initially phoned to book a table, but was told they were fully booked. This was strange as their online res system allowed my partner to book online and showed several free tables! On the evening there were also several free tables.

Their wine list starts at £30 a bottle which is their own house wine made on the estate, which is quite expensive. It would have been nice to have an entry level bottle at around £20-£25.

The manager (dressed in her casual clothing) just poured the wine without offering a tasting, any description or even asking if everyone on the table wanted wine. She did not even check we had the correct bottle before opening it!

The menu was a set 5x course (no ala carte) and we had one in our party who was gluten free which we told them about on booking. We were then asked a further three times about allergies by different staff members on arrival, which I suppose is better than getting it wrong, but wish this was communicated amongst the team. They did however offer good alternative options.

The wine from the estate we tried was very good. As with all British wine, it's expensive for what you get, but still stood up well to similar French wines.

Food was very good, but a few minor issues let it down. The bread was superb and was your first course on the menu, as was the smoked salmon starter, although it was more like cured than smoked, as the smoke could not be tasted.

A risotto of pearl barley and mushroom with chicken was well executed and balanced, although very little chicken served considering the title was "roast chicken".

Sadly the duck main course served by the head chef was a let down. Sold as wood fired, this duck breast had virtually no sear on it, meaning the skin was chewy, fatty and had not rendered down at all. The under side of the duck breast had no seasoning and the skin with all the salt was inedible unless you like pieces of chewy fat, so the medium rare cook tasted bland. The duck was served with bitter chicory and turnips and a stock based sauce that was also quite bitter. A cherry puree sadly didn't add anything to the dish. The duck looked great, tasted okay but was not a good enough standard to be Michelin rated.

Raspberry and lemon verbena sorbet however was delicious, a really well made pre dessert. The main dessert was very sweet and for me a little sickly, although the white peach and almond tart was very well made (crisp pastry) and served with a super smooth meadow ice cream. The food presentation throughout was very good and the standard was also very good. It's not on a Michelin star level yet, but if that is the ambition then some improvement needs to be made. Service was friendly but staff need some additional training. While empty plates were left sat on our table the staff continued their social chat behind the bar. Not a problem if they are going for a casual style service, but everything else about the tasting menu, ambience, wine and price are far from a casual farm shop.

This venue will no doubt become a destination special occasion venue, so service will also need to step up.

Value for money was good, we cannot complain about that and overall we had a great evening.

The constructive criticism is left to help them improve and achieve their ultimate goals, which we felt was leaning towards rosettes or a one star Michelin...

There is no doubt that Wiston Wine is fabulous. However, I was disappointed by our dining experience. The service was poor. I called the restaurant 4 times in the week prior to our booking, including on the day, and the day before, requesting for the menu to be sent and it never was. I explained three times over the phone that one of the diners had a peanut and cashew nut allergy but upon arrival the waitress said she didn't know anything about this and had not been informed. I’m afraid your waiting staff need some very basic training. The young girl serving us although sweet, didn't know a thing about the food being served to us; she had exceptionally poor waiting etiquette and instead each time she was at our table she kept informing us of what she had scoffed in the kitchen! The menu wasn't great either and I’d say it was a very lazy menu by the chef. The entree was fairly interesting as far as the celeriac hob-knob but the carrot top soup seemed to having nothing else in it other than juiced carrot tops... BORING!!!! the salad was far too hot and poorly dressed offering no balance at all. Then after we had just got a plate of leaves and green juice down us, what should turn up but yet another plate of leaves and green juice. This time it did at lease taste good with interesting flavours but it was the same concept given twice. Again boring and unimaginative. The vegetarian starter was also a very dull after thought; a bit of raw celeriac and a few chopped raw gooseberries on top with a few flavourless petals that made the dish look pretty but did nothing for the taste. It was poorly executed and again a lazy dish. The steak was reasonable although mine was a tad tough and a steak with a bit of beetroot is hardly inventive. The pre-pudding and pudding were both very good. Considering most of the courses consisted of a few leaves and juiced leaves the food was exceptionally overpriced and I won’t be recommending the restaurant. I will certainly continue drinking the wonderful WIston wines but I don't think they have anything to do with the chef or the fact that the manager hasn’t given waiting staff the basic training that paying guests certainly deserve at the...

Had a lovely little tour around here after some nibbles in the courtyard. Now, as expected this is quite upmarket, and be willing to spend £35-60 per bottle, with food being similarly priced.

I have to say the focaccia was absolutely delightful, as were the desserts - although sadly their patissier is leaving in October!

I would say that I expected the tour to have covered more of the vineyards as it was a quick pit stop. But, as it turned out there was only that one field of vines within a short walk as the others were very newly planted. We did walk back to the field with the vines and took some very nice photos.

The information from the tour guide was very interesting, showing us the press they use (the only working one of its type in England!) as well as explaining the pruning process of the vines themselves. One thing I didn't enjoy as part of the tour perhaps was watching a 20 minute video that read more as marketing material, but otherwise the tour was excellently presented by the guide. Overall, if you are interested in wine this is the perfect place for you!

The tasting was interesting, but nowhere to sit, and no options for non-alcoholic/ designated drivers other than to drink and spit - which perhaps was to be expected but still surprised a little as there had been mention of soft drinks to be offered instead on an earlier phonecall.

But! The wine didn't go to waste, as another in the group drank it, yet even the guide remarked that it might have been nice to have a cup of...