Booking: email reservations@silkhousedining.com or call/text/whatsapp 07463 897435. Silke is the owner & front of house manager and will be pleased to help.

You can book as a single person, couple, family or group. Tables may be shared as this is a "Chef's Table" experience - the dining room is integrated with the kitchen. When you contact us we may provisionally accept your booking by phone or email, and confirm by email and take your deposit when we have accumulated enough reservations: 6 usually though we do make exceptions. If we're unable to accept your booking on a given day, we always try to offer you an alternative. Guests book months ahead sometimes to reserve special days. We'll find a way to help.

Legal stuff: Terms & Conditions and general policies

Number: We usually limit reservations to 14 for daily service but can seat 22 indoors for events. Summer is easier as we use the lovely Japanese garden with up to another 16 seats & outdoor XXL Big Green Egg kitchen.

Prices: Set 3 course+bakery menus start at £50pp depending on courses or premium produce. We've very happy to cook special things for your group, but there may be a supplement. We use only the best quality organic produce from local suppliers we know and love, and you'll never leave hungry.

Sunday: Open for Sunday lunches - booking essential. Try us - it's luxurious and generous!

Sittings: Lunch & dinner Thursday to Sunday usually. We don't "turn"tables so you're never rushed.

Deposits: Deposit requested on booking confirmation. Not refundable unless we can re-sell the table.

Discretion: Business friendly, private and discreet. 100% friendly for LGBTQ+ too.

Allergies: see red heading below. We try to cater for all, but our small team & larder has practical limitations. If you're at risk of anaphylactic shock or an extreme reaction from food allergies please talk to us about it when you book.

Service: 12.5% is added to your total bill. If you have any issue with quality of service please tell us straight away at the times the issue arises and we'll amend it and try our best to put matters right. Service charges are shared in full fairly with the team, including staff you never see such as prep staff and washer uppers. If anything is even slightly wrong, please tell us straight away as soon as you are served or taste, and we'll fix it somehow as we really want you to be happy, full and content.

Sustainable: Yes. It's not just buzzwords for the media. No ultra processed. We don't waste stuff. No landfill. We recycle properly. All food waste goes into our compost and grows your veg & herbs. Wine leftovers make vinegar. We grow a lot of herbs, vegetables, salads and fruit in our large kitchen garden and glasshouses. It's the real deal.

Produce: We source the best. We're open about where it comes from: we know the best local butchers, farmers and fishers personally. We grow a lot. We don't cut corners on quality and sustainability.

Wine: Our Chef/Patron is licensed to sell retail wines. We have an extensive wine list of both accessible and very fine wines and champagnes, and also use the superb Coravin system that enables us to serve some fine wines and wine flights by the glass without removing the capsule or cork. Please enquire.

Corkage: We allow bring your own (BYO) but request that you also buy some wine from us - at least one bottle per table (zero alcohol ones do not fulfil this requirement). We do not usually permit BYO for wines that are also on our own wine list. Corkage £15 / 75cl still or half bottle, £30 magnum, £25 / sparkling 75cl, £40 magnum plus service. Includes fine Riedel stemware - indoors only. Fine stemware may not be taken outside. We do not allow BYO beer, spirits or soft drinks. If you want BYO wines chilled that''s fine and you may deliver them in advance. We can aerate young wines, and filter & decant fine wines requiring special handling: fines / sediment removal £10. Service applies to all BYO. We may vary BYO policies for regular guests - please discuss with us in advance.

Times: Gates open for dinner at 7 pm unless prearranged otherwise & service usually starts at 7.30pm and ends at 10.30pm. We close fully at 11pm. Gates open for lunch at 12.30pm for drinks, lunch service begins at 1pm unless otherwise arranged. Lunch usually closes at 4.30pm. If you're going to be late, please call us asap on 07463 897435 to let us know. You might miss a course, but you'll still have a great time and be well fed.

Tables: 3 large 6 to 8 seat and one 4 seat indoors, and at 3 more outdoors in summer. The oldest is from the Henry VIII early 1500's era so you'll get a slice of ancient history with your meal. Seating is casual and sometimes mixed so you may meet new friends (especially at occasional supper clubs), but we can generally do whatever you want. There is no dress code. We can combine 2 tables to seat a group of 14.

Garden group visits: we can serve light 2 or 3 course lunches for up to 22 people indoors and 30 if the weather is fine enabling us to use outside tables. This is a simpler menu. Please enquire for prices.

Teaching: Courses for small groups: skills people struggle with such as sauces, pasta, baking, knife skills & sharpening, plating, etc. Please enquire.

Payment: We use Sum Up for credit & debit cards, cash & BACS.

Guests: We reserve the right to refuse admission or service to anyone, and kindly ask our guests to behave with courtesy. Children over 4 years only and must remain seated at the table. We don't have high chairs or baby change. For safety reasons no guests are permitted behind the island pass or in the larder / chiller / prep room or cellar. Children are not permitted in the garden unless supervised by an adult at all times, as there are trip hazards (Japanese garden which has bridges and stepping stones) and very deep water.

Menu changes: Menus may change without notice due to produce availability, quality, because we've sold out or the chef thinks something is better. Eg: it happens with fresh fish as we are in the hands of the weather and what the boats catch. Seasonal produce like local wild mushrooms or asparagus can have erratic supply too.

Menu substitutions: we do not permit guests to substitute menu items or swap courses, because we have a set menu offering at a set price. Any guest may opt not to have a course served if you wish. Our offering is a three or four course menu with a cheese course as an addition at a supplement. We source fine cheeses in perfect condition and plate them individually. We can also do tasting menus with more courses and matched wines.

Cakes & food brought by guests: We do allow guests to bring cakes for special occasions for which we charge £20 per cake plus service to cover the costs of plating and washing up. We can also make cakes for you or have our specialist cake maker do so, for example for a wedding celebration. We do not allow any other food to be brought to the restaurant or garden by guests, including food for children.

Parking: Free and plentiful. Behind locked security gates & hidden from the road. CCTV is in use.

Smoking: As licensed premises the law requires that we prohibit smoking in the restaurant. However, you may smoke outside as long as you are considerate of other guests.

Take away and "doggy bags": Sorry, we do not do this as we cannot control how food is handled once it leaves our premises. This is a food safety issue.

Liability absolute limitation : We accept no liability whatsoever for visitors, your possessions or vehicles and you accept that when you book with us or visit.

Disabled guests: Most welcome, though access to lavatory may be difficult due to steps & narrow doors in this ancient barn. We will assist where possible.

Dogs: Just guide dogs on a lead by your seat please. As an open kitchen pets risk our 5 star hygiene standing.

Closing time: Service ends at 10.30pm, fully closed by 11pm. Variable by prior arrangement.

We try to cater for all guest but do have limitations as everything is prepared fresh. You MUST inform us of allergies in advance especially if you are at risk of anaphylactic shock or extreme reactions to any food. We'll try to accommodate you but may not accept any booking at our sole discretion if we can’t deal with the allergy or intolerance to our satisfaction. It's a set menu or fixed tasting menu (not à la carte) and too late to tell us on arrival, though we may still check. We don't compute calorie or energy values in any dishes. We can adapt group menus for allergies if you tell us in advance. We can make vegan & vegetarian dishes avoiding animal products, but MUST have 2 days prior notice please.

It's not viable to produce "off menu" dishes: so if your group wants gluten free we can do that, but we can’t economically bake a gluten free loaf or cake for just one person. We can leave ingredients out for some dishes but don’t have preparation and service capacity to do a different dish or sauce for individual preferences or dislikes, especially without notice.

It's impossible to guarantee no trace cross contamination of ingredients and we do not do so. For example, we buy flour from a well-known superb organic mill, and they also produce gluten free flours by the sack. We can’t be 100% certain that it's zero gluten as we rely on the Mill. We don’t make gluten free bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits or crackers unless it is for the full group and prearranged. Supplements may apply.

Stocks & sauces are made in house with onions, celery, herbs & spices, flour & alcohol and potentially meat products. Gluten free sauces may be thickened with potato starch or cornflour. Dairy produce is in custards, ice cream, some sorbets, crème fraîche, yoghurt, cheese etc and contains lactose. Fermented, cured & baked products may contain wild or other yeast.

Allergies & intolerances: important information