Restaurant at Ockenden Manor — Restaurant in Mid Sussex

I detest this place, avoid! They first ruined an anniversary and now twice ruined lunch. I will never go again and broken silence so you are spared the overpriced, bland food and the poor, POOR waiting service. See my other reviews, they're rarely this negative. Firstly, the check-in desk is a dark and dismal cubby hole with barely a sideboard to rest an arm. The ceilings are so low, maybe this represents an oppressive atmosphere the staff suffer. There is always some smug person at front desk with an ugly, garish shirt bearing down on the uniformed team. Do they employ them young or foreign so they don't have to pay them very well? The Kitchen appear to actively victimise anyone with an intolerance. Yes, they list every single allergen on the photocopied menu but make no effort to find an alternative for you, merely pointing out that you can't eat it. I asked for crackers once, instead of bread, and was told, "we have party poppers?!" This time I was told I could have (from a paultry selection) a Naked burger, which sounded great, but actually meant it arrived without any bun - charging me the same price. The worst part, and this has never changed, they regularly interrupt your conversation mid-sentence, clearly they think the waiter's time or the food is more important! This time he tried to warble his way through the menu but did it standing right in front of the sun so both my business guest and I were blinded asking him to move. Overall £80 for a burger and chips with a couple of cokes was laughable. Save your money and go to the Talbot in the village or even better the Gingerman in Brighton - at least they value their customers and don't sneer down their noses because they once had a Michelin star....I wonder why Ockenden...

We had a wonderful lunch at Ockenden Manor on Saturday. The food was extremely well prepared, the service we received from Louisa and Elisha was absolutely spot on. We finished our meal with coffee on the terrace enjoying the beautiful surroundings and view of the South Downs. The lunch was to celebrate a special event and having read some reviews, I was a little anxious. Yes, the wine is expensive, but wine is expensive in a good restaurant. The lunch menu is limited, but with two vegetarians and two meat-eaters, there was something delicious for everyone. Wholeheartedly recommend and will...

We have known and stayed at Ockenden Manor since 1975. Staff are superb. The catering, however, has now moved into the pretentious category with a menu that is specialised, limited in range and depth and wine list which is a tad removed from normality. Ockenden Manor is lovely but no longer a reasonable...