Review of Isca at Borde Hill Gardens

Isca at Borde Hill

This week’s review has been the second of recent weeks where I’ve revisited familiar restaurants that now have new occupants, writes Nick Mosley.

In last Friday’s The Argus, it was chef Charlie Simmons’ Ebb on the south pavilion of Worthing Pier – once home to Johnny Stanford’s Tern that has now relocated to bustling Warwick Street – but today its all about Borde Hill Gardens just outside of Haywards Heath. A place that has always been special to me both professionally and personally.

It’s hard to even begin to think of Sussex dining without making reference to Jeremy Ashpool, who over many years I’ve worked, laughed, played – and, if I’m honest – occasionally had the odd cross word with too.

Jeremy and his darling partner Vera ran Jeremy’s Restaurant and Café Elvira in the converted Victorian stables at Borde Hill for close to 25 years and – alongside longtime head chef Jimmy Gray and front of house team – gained an enviable reputation for quality, locality, integrity, service and bloody good cooking. Quite frankly in my eyes Jeremy remains the grand-daddy of the Sussex kitchen yet – as the saying goes – time waits for no man and he’s graciously hung up his apron and moved on to a well-deserved life of leisure.

Hence, it was with some trepidation that I returned to Borde Hill in mid-June to sample the new Isca restaurant, overseen by head chef Philip McEnaney and executive chef Jack Hazell.

Now I’m sure many readers will have dined at Jeremy’s in the past and know that the walled garden and terrace has always been stunning no matter the season. So when I say my jaw hit the floor – or rather well-manicured gravel path – I’m genuinely not overstating and I’m a hard cookie to impress. Although the duck pond, vine arbour and fruit trees remain, the space is now almost unrecognisable with new planting, walkways and features. I was quite overwhelmed how a place that was already so beautiful could become even more so.

Roast Orkney scallop at Isca at Borde Hill

My guest for the day – The Queen (of Brighton networking at least, I’m still working on Camilla) – exclaimed she felt she’d been transported to the south of France. With blue skies and a warm summer breeze, I couldn’t argue with that.

Although my eye was immediately drawn to the visually imposing yet extremely elegant new glasshouse restaurant structure, The Queen and I headed to the terrace for an aperitif as we scanned the menu.

The restaurant prides itself on using as much produce as possible that is grown on the estate. In fact, they’ve recently planted an organic market garden plot that is already producing soft fruits, onions, beets, tomatoes, salad leaves, courgettes, edible flowers and much more. Seafood and meat are predominantly local.

On the a la carte menu, starters are £10 to 20, mains £20 to 35 and desserts £10 to £16. Sides dishes are £6. There is also an ever-changing set lunch menu featuring hyper seasonal local produce – much of it grown or reared on the wider estate – available on Thursdays and Fridays for £49 for three courses. There's a decent selection of plant-based and non-gluten dishes.

The Queen and I slowly gravitated to our table in the spectacular dining room. ‘Spectacular’ is truly the right word; its a genuinely astounding space with light flooding in from three sides and the roof creating a connection with the garden around it. There’s a small lounge area with a jewel-box cocktail bar and various table configurations including banquette seating and tables à deux which is exactly where we plopped our derrières.

Mushroom and malt tart at Isca at Borde Hill

To start, I dived into the roasted Orkney scallop with spicy ‘nduja and sea vegetables. It was perfectly executed; delicately firm, plump flesh counterbalanced by the rich heat of the sausage. A marriage made in heaven.

The Queen’s mushroom and malt tart with wild foraged garlic velouté was a success. Incredibly elegant plating and a very nuanced layering of flavour and texture. And what is not to love about wild garlic?

For my main, stuffed courgette flower with broad beans and a purée of black olives. Lightly battered tempura style courgette flower is very ‘now’ in terms of both food trend and seasonality. It was surprisingly floral – and that might not be to everyone’s palate – however an enjoyable and well thought out dish to my mind.

The star of the show was undoubtedly The Queen’s South Downs lamb. Now is the perfect time to be enjoying lamb and although perhaps this could’ve been a little rarer for her taste there wasn’t a morsel left – other than the rib bones.

Stuffed courgette flower at Isca at Borde Hill

For dessert, we kept it local with a plate of Sussex cheeses – served at the right temperature for once – with fig chutney and malt loaf. And I snaffled a trio of truffles to feed to my mother later that afternoon, all of which resulted in little moans of joy before I packed her off back to Ditchling.

As a new restaurant opening, I think there are still a few little tweaks here and there to be done in the kitchen that is only to be expected for a hospitality operation with this level of scope and vision.

I can hand-on-heart say that the Isca experience is breath-taking; I’m lost for superlatives. Although definitely more informal – and offering a la carte rather than chef’s menus – as a dining experience its getting up to the heady heights of the likes of Gravetye Manor and Interlude at Leonardslee Gardens. I’ll definitely be back later this summer.

Isca, Borde Hill, Borde Hill Lane, Haywards Heath RH16 1XP

01444 441 102 • www.iscabordehill.co.uk