We try to cater for all guests but do have limitations as everything is prepared fresh and we are a small team with a relatively small larder and set menu. Please inform us of medical allergies when you book and preferably at least 4 days in advance, especially if you are at risk of anaphylactic shock or extreme reactions to any food.
There are 14 allergens listed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), who inspect us regularly and provide our 5 star rating. These are: celery, cereals containing gluten (e.g., wheat, rye, barley, oats), crustaceans (e.g., prawns, crabs, lobsters, langoustines, crayfish), eggs, fish, lupin (a type of legume from the same family as peanuts), milk, molluscs (e.g., mussels, clams, scallops, oysters, squid), mustard, peanuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites (if present at >10mg/kg or 10mg/L), and tree nuts e.g., almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pine nuts. We are aware that some people have sensitivities to certain fruits and things such as podded peas and beans, at certain times of the year. Please let us know if this applies to you.
We'll try to accommodate you if we think we can but may not accept any booking at our sole discretion if we feel we can’t deal with the medical allergy or intolerance to our satisfaction. Our food offering is a pre-chosen set menu or fixed tasting menu (not on arrival à la carte) and it is much too late to tell us about allergies on arrival, though we may still check.
We can usually adapt large group menus for allergies if you tell us sufficiently in advance. We can make vegan & vegetarian dishes avoiding animal products, but MUST have adequate prior notice please and must be pre-paid. Preparing vegan menus alongside our standard menu is significant extra work and requires additional product sourcing. We don't compute calorie or energy or carbon values in any dishes.
It is not economically viable to produce "off menu" or adapted dishes for individual preferences, likes and dislikes: so if for example your group wants gluten free we can do that for you, but we can't bake a gluten free loaf or cake for just one person without a supplementary charge to cover special ingredients and extra labour and energy costs. With adequate notice we can possibly leave ingredients out for some dishes but we don’t have preparation or service capacity to do a different dish or sauce for individual preferences, likes or dislikes, unless you book it for a whole group of at least 6. Supplementary charges may apply for special items not on our normal menu that you or your guests request.
Fats: The Silk House is a fine dining restaurant and fats add flavour, binding and texture. If you are on a low fat diet, then we can accommodate that in a menu as long as it is for a group of at least 6 people pre-paid. However, in general we use butter extensively, cold pressed Kent rapeseed oil, avocado oil, high quality olive oil (both extra virgin and green first pressing), ground nut (peanut) oil for deep fat frying, sesame seed oil, cold pressed seed oils, rind oils (such as lemon), lard, dripping and other animal / poultry fats including fish fats, ghee (clarified butter with the fat solids removed), fish oils and some specialist oil based herb and fruit dressings that we make in house. Occasionally we use mustard oil, which is not cold pressed. We do not use walnut oil or Brazil nut oil at all.
Nuts: we usually use groundnut (peanut) oil for deep frying. We use almond flour and flakes in numerous products, such as baking, tarts and pastries. Cashew, Pecan and Macadamia nuts are sometimes used, as are pine nuts (classed as tree nuts). We rarely use peanuts except for their oil. We do not usually use walnuts or brazil nuts (chef is allergic to both) but may do if requested for a bespoke pre-paid group menu. We also use some nut based "milks" in some sauces. These may be commercial non-dairy "milks" or may be made in house.
It's impossible to guarantee no trace cross contamination of ingredients and we do not do so. For example, we buy stone ground bulk sacks of organic flour mainly from the excellent Shipton Mill, and they also produce gluten free flours by the sack. We can’t be 100% certain that it's zero gluten as we must rely on the mill. We don’t generally make gluten free bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits or crackers unless it is for a full group and prearranged. Price supplements may apply.
Stocks & sauces are all made in house using animal or fish bones and shellfish, with onions, celery, herbs & spices, flour & alcohol and potentially meat, dairy and nut products as well as mustard. Gluten free sauces may be thickened with potato starch or cornflour or natural gelling agents. We use whole fresh free range eggs extensively in baking, ice cream, meringues, custards, pastry, cakes and sauces and so we do not exclude eggs from our cooking unless we are doing a full vegan menu which must be prepaid in full. Vegan food is kept as separate as reasonably practicable in preparation and cooking - we use separate pans, knives and boards, but we cannot absolutely guarantee no cross contamination, as for example fat molecules disperse in the air.
Dairy produce is in butter, custards, ice cream, some sorbets, crème fraîche, yoghurt, cheese etc and contains lactose. Most of our cheeses are made from cow's milk, but we also have cheeses made with sheep and goat milk. Cheese that we make ourselves is derived from unpasteurised raw cow milk from one of two farms from which we source direct. The heating process in making cheese tends to reduce risk but if you are pregnant then you should probably avoid unpasteurised cheese. Please tell us.
Yeast: fermented, cured & bakery products contain wild or other yeast. We can bake yeast free (except for airborne yeast) soda bread or unleavened bread at a supplementary cost as it is extra labour.
Most wines, craft beer and artisan fine cider contain very small amounts of sulphites which is an allergen, and can have an adverse effect on asthmatics for example. Our chef is a lifelong asthmatic and still consumes the wine, beer and cider that we stock.
Allergies, intolerances, preferences - policy and information
