Terms & Conditions of Business and General Policies & Information
Liability absolute limitation: We accept no liability whatsoever for guests, children of guests, visitors, your possessions or your vehicles and you accept that when you book with us and when you visit our restaurant or garden or premises.The gates are electrically locked when all booked guests have arrived, so your vehicles should be secure.
Guest Numbers: We usually limit reservations to 14 for daily service but with a simpler menu can serve up to 24 by arrangement.
Deposits: Deposit required on booking confirmation. Not refundable unless we can re-sell the table, which we always try to do.
Discretion: Business friendly, private and discreet. 100% friendly for LGBTQ+ too.
Allergies: see separate web site link please. This is on the button on the Book page.
Service: 12.5% is added to your total bill as a fixed service charge. If you have any issue with quality of service, please tell us straight away and we'll amend it and try our best to put matters right. Service charges are shared in full fairly with the team. 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 food. We don't waste produce. No landfill. We recycle properly. All food waste goes into our compost and grows your vegetables & herbs. Wine leftovers make vinegar. We grow a lot of herbs, vegetables, salads and fruit in our large kitchen garden and glasshouses.
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 Patron is licensed to sell retail wines etc. 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 require that you also buy some wine from us - at least one bottle for every two BYO 75cl. Zero alcohol wines do not fulfil this requirement though dessert half bottles do. We do not permit BYO for wines that are also on our own wine list. We can send you our (frequently changing) list by PDF on request when you confirm your booking. Corkage £25 per 75cl still or half bottle, £40 per magnum, £30 per sparkling 75cl and £50 per sparkling magnum, plus service. Includes fine Riedel stemware – which must be used indoors only and not taken into the garden. We do not allow BYO beer, spirits, minerals or soft drinks. If you want BYO wines chilled you may deliver them in advance. We can aerate young wines, and filter & decant fine wines requiring special handling: fines / sediment removal £10. Service charge of 12.5% applies to all BYO. We may at our sole option 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. We close fully at 11pm. Gates open for lunch at 12.30pm for drinks and 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 rectangular 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 but we do like guests to dress nicely. 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 24 people indoors and 30 if the weather is fine enabling us to use outside tables. This is a simpler menu. Prices start at £22 for two simple courses, plus service. This menu is only available for pre-booked garden group visits and the minimum group size is 10. All garden visitors are asked to make a charitable contribution of £10 per person. If you are a garden group smaller than 10, that is fine but our minimum charitable donation is £100 for the group. We support the National Garden Scheme and also a Whitechapel Charity that feeds homeless people, where we also volunteer sometimes.
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 or terminate admission or service to anyone, and kindly ask our guests to behave with courtesy.
Children: We are very happy to welcome children over 5 as long as this is pre-arranged with us on booking please. We can discuss child portions of course, but we don't have a children's menu as such: as our food is fine dining and focussed on adult guests. Because we are a chef's table set up, where guests are close to the action - which means hot things and sharp knives - we need children always to stay seated at the table please.The ornamental Japanese garden has a number of deep fish ponds, open bridges and stepping stones, so for safety reasons we do not allow children anywhere in the garden unless accompanied by an adult at all times. We only have a small team and so also require a parent or adult to take pre-teen children to and from the lavatory please. Pre-teen children are not allowed stemware - again for safety reasons as we only use delicate Riedel glassware. Children are not permitted alcohol by law.
Open kitchen: For safety reasons no guests are permitted behind the island pass or in the larder / chiller / prep room or cellar.
Menu changes: Menus may change without notice due to produce availability, quality, because we've sold out or the chef thinks something is better. For example: 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 but this will not change the set menu price. Our primary offering is a four course menu with a cheese course as an addition at a supplement. We source fine local cheeses in perfect condition and plate them individually. We can also do nine course tasting menus and matched wine flights.
Cakes & food brought by guests: We do allow guests to bring cakes for special occasions for which we charge £25 per cake plus service to cover the costs of plating, service and washing up. We can also make cakes for you or have our specialist local 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 or drinks for children. Based on experience we would gently suggest that when guests bring cakes in, very little, if any, tends to be eaten.
Parking: Free and plentiful. Behind locked security gates & hidden from the road. Private CCTV is in use.
Smoking: As licensed premises the law requires that we prohibit smoking in the restaurant. However, you may smoke outside if you are considerate of other guests and the property.
Take away "doggy bags": We do not do this as we cannot control how food is handled once it leaves our premises and we do not have tale away boxes. This is a food safety issue.
Disabled guests: Most welcome, though access to the lavatory may be difficult due to steps & narrow doors in this ancient tithe barn. We will assist where possible.
Dogs: Just guide dogs on a lead by your seat please. As an open kitchen pets risk our FSA 5 star hygiene standing and so are not allowed. Dogs are not allowed for garden visits.
Closing time: Dinner service ends at 10.30pm latest, fully closed by 11pm. Lunch service ends at 4pm and we fully close at 4.30pm for lunch. Variable by prior arrangement.