Restaurant Interlude — Restaurant in Horsham

I feel it is important to share my experience to make potential diners aware of how The Interlude handles unforeseen and unavoidable situations. While I understand the need for policies, the lack of empathy, clarity, and flexibility we encountered was shocking and deeply disappointing. We had a reservation for December 28th to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, due to illness in our family, we were unable to attend. My mother-in-law has recently been diagnosed with cancer and was unwell over Christmas. Additionally, both of our children had high temperatures on Boxing Day, and one later began vomiting. We attempted to call the restaurant multiple times on Boxing Day to discuss our options (rescheduling or bringing the children along) within their stated policy, but no one answered. One staff member later claimed they were "too busy to answer" on Boxing Day, but another said the restaurant was closed. I was then passed to Anya, the manager, who showed zero empathy. When I explained that I had called several times without a response, she simply stated that the policies were "there in black and white," offering no flexibility or understanding. It remains unclear whether the restaurant was open or closed on Boxing Day. If they were closed, how are customers supposed to provide the required 48-hour notice? Without voicemail or a way to communicate, the policy becomes unfair and impossible to follow. When we finally reached someone the next day, we were told:

We could only bring our children if we paid £120 each for the tasting menu, even though they would not eat (they are 5 and 8 years old).

Rescheduling was not allowed, despite the circumstances being entirely out of our control.

The most upsetting part of this experience was the manager’s behavior. I sarcastically suggested we bring "sick buckets" if we wanted to attend. I questioned whether she thought other diners would appreciate vomiting children during their dining experience, but her response reflected a complete lack of professionalism and compassion. She said it would be fine to do this if I wanted too! ( for the record I'm considerate amd would under no circumstances force my sick children to sit in a restaurant whilst vomiting let alone considering others fate ). To make matters worse, communication was inconsistent. We were told there was no manager available, then that a chef had spoken to one, and finally that the manager was busy cooking. Because if this is admittedly i got angry as the answers to my questions were unclear and I've been left unanswered. I did ask anya if she had children herself and would she bring them to a fine dining restaurant herself. I was confronted with how she is a hard working mum. So am I and we work hard to to be able to pay for a lovely meal. While they have since offered a 50% gesture of goodwill, this still feels like an insult. There has been no acknowledgment of the lack of clarity regarding their policies or the challenges we faced trying to communicate within their stated terms. We were not trying to cancel out of convenience but due to genuine, unavoidable illness. We even offered to pay a reasonable fee for the inconvenience but were charged the full amount without any flexibility or compromise. This experience has been incredibly upsetting, especially during what has already been a stressful time for our family. Policies are there for a reason, but rigidly enforcing them without considering individual circumstances or providing clear communication is unfair. I would strongly advise potential diners to consider this before booking. If anything unforeseen happens, you may find yourself in a similar position, facing inflexible policies, poor communication, and a shocking lack of empathy from the staff. Not once did anya acknowledge my sick children or my sick mother in law.. We explained our child care had fallen through due illness but also the added addition for our children to be unwell too. The behaviour showsthey only care about money! There is lack of thought of care...

For the first time ever, if I could leave a zero star review, I would. We have categorically never received service as poor as the service provided by Restaurant Interlude! My fiancé booked our trip in April, to drive 6 hours, to visit Leonardslee Gardens followed by a visit to Restaurant Interlude as part of my 30th birthday celebrations. At the time of booking he stated my dietary requirements, to which the website stated would be catered for. 3 months passed. A week before our reservation we received an email to say with regret the menu could not be tailored to meet the requirements of a diary free diet as this would ‘lose the story of the menu’. I phoned the restaurant to discuss this with front of house manager, Anya. Never have I been so astounded by the shocking disregard for meeting the needs of a customer. The restaurant took no responsibility for the short notice cancellation or inability to cater for my needs. In fact, I was told “other customers in the past have chosen to just eat the menu or have taken pills to allow them to dine here”, which left me feeling very angered. I expressed my views: disgust at the inaccuracy of the website, the shortcomings in relation to time and service and the shocking inflexibility to accommodate. Following what can only be described as a rude and abrupt exchange, I was told I would receive a call back, a call which I’m still waiting on! To cut a very long review short, I cannot comprehend that a Michelin star restaurant (which is an award in recognition of food as well as exceptional service) in today’s day and age would actually suggest a customer risks becoming very ill opposed to adapting their menu. It is my experience that any good restaurant will seek out dairy and vegan alternatives to if not accommodate, assimilate their menu for those with allergies to partake. Not here. As an avid lover of literature, my parting note to the chef and front of house here is that a story is made by the characters, not the setting and with regret, this review is not the end of this story as I will be reaching out to Michelin to report this chronic inadequacy in service.

My advice to anyone thinking of dining here, dietary requirement or not, is to think again and consider what you are buying in to. As our experience shows, this is an inflexible production line rather than an exquisite dining experience for each individual.

Ironically, as a side note, the small Leonardslee Garden cafe was able to offer a dairy free ham sandwich and a vegan cake for dessert at lunch, and as fate would have it, we ended up with a last minute cancellation at a fantastic restaurant which went above and beyond to cater for my dietary requirements. It goes to show, you don’t always get what...

Great British Menu has introduced us to a range of chefs, some we have been lucky enough to visit. This year has to be the best one yet!

It was the final heat of the series and Chef Jean Delport strolled into the kitchen. As soon as he was introduced as a Michelin starred chef celebrating South African cuisine, our ears perked up. Then he spoke... a South African accent! Intantly we were hooked. We had a patriotic favourite! All we hoped for now was that he would perform well and progress through the competition. And boy, did he do just that!

I almost instantly booked a table for lunch, and within 3 weeks of the competition finale airing, we sat down in the bar at Restaurant Interlude. What followed for the next 4 hours can only be described as exquisite. The food was beautifully presented, lovingly prepared and wonderfully tasty. My favourite was the main course, Jean's GBM There and Back Again, an ode to Charles Ignatius Sancho, but the goat was changed to pork. The pork curry was gorgeous, the smoked rice with (I think) mushroom bernaise was epic and the quenelle of chilli pepper 'puree/paste' was stunning. It was super hot, but even with that heat, you could still taste everything on the plate. It was a fantastic show of skill allowing the heat to shine without overpowering everything. The chargrilled broccoli and okra with peanut satay was very moreish. The fruity, mixed spice dust on the fondant potato was like nothing I've eaten before and added a very interesting element to the dish. Love love loved this whole plate of food.

The fish course and Rabbit meets Carrot course were also exquisite, but in reality I'd struggle to find anything I didn't like about any of the courses.

I can honestly say that Jean and his amazing kitchen team, plus Anya, Helena, Simba and Ndosi and their front of house team were brilliant. We were very well looked after.

The gardens around the house are great too for a before or after meal stroll. Some of the art displays in and around the property are fantastic. Let's not forget the vineyard there too...

Make the effort and visit, you will not regret it. We...