Amberley Castle restaurant, winner of three AA rosettes.
Amberley Castle is the beautiful historic hotel and restaurant retreat nestled in the Sussex countryside. It’s full of medieval heritage, character and charm, steeped in 900 years of history within 12 acres of picturesque landscaped lakes and gardens.
The Amberley Castle restaurant was triumphant at this year’s AA Hospitality Awards, winning three AA rosettes at the prestigious annual ceremony, presented by Claudia Winkleman at Grosvenor House in London. The competition for this title is tough with only 10% of all AA rated hotels across the UK achieving this accolade.
On the evening, the restaurant was commended on being an ‘outstanding restaurant that achieves standards that demand national recognition well beyond its local area’. Criteria to be awarded three AA rosettes also listed that cooking “must be underpinned by the selection and sympathetic treatment of the highest quality ingredients and that timing, seasoning and the judgement of flavour combinations are consistently excellent”.
“We are all delighted to have once again been awarded three AA rosettes for our restaurant and warmly congratulate our executive head chef Paul Peters and his team. Paul’s dedicated approach to his menus, grounded in classical influences and serving the freshest of ingredients, cooked in innovative and exciting ways, has long drawn praise from our guests, and we’re thrilled the AA has recognised the team’s achievements too”.
Piers Vowles, General Manager.
“The team and I are very happy to have been awarded three AA rosettes, and I’m so pleased their skill and dedication to consistently create great dishes has been recognised. We’ll keep pushing to create new flavours and menus and look forward to exciting times ahead”.
Paul Peters, Executive Head Chef.
Absolute Magazine was thrilled to hear of Amberley Castles wonderful success and went to visit the restaurant to taste their award-winning menu.
We arrived at Amberley Castle on a fresh crisp autumnal day. The glorious sun was shining on the South Downs which gave everything a wonderful golden glow. The hotel was an impressive sight as we approached up the long gravel driveway, then after a short stroll through the perfectly manicured gardens, medieval-stonework and rose-covered archways we came to the restaurant.
We were warmly greeted by the General Manager and the Restaurant Manager who led us to the main lounge to enjoy pre-lunch drinks and canapes. Each lounge is comfortable and relaxing, filled with beautiful fabrics, open fireplaces, polished wooden floors, antiques and original stone doorways. All the dining rooms are elegant spaces flooded with natural sunlight, adorned with beautiful tapestries, suits of armour, and each with captivating views of the scenic grounds and rolling landscape beyond.
Lunch was served in the magnificent Queens Room on the first floor, beneath the barrel-vaulted ceiling dating back to the 12th century. We dined by a huge bay window with perfect views over the gardens and ponds, by the warmth of the roaring open fireplace. Rich red curtains contrasted against the immaculate white linen that dressed the tables, with perfectly polished silver cutlery paired with sparkling glassware.
We chose from the 3-course lunch menu, which at £34.50 per person is brilliant value for this award-winning fine-dining experience. The extensive wine list offers a host of wines from around the world available by the glass or bottle, and there was so much choice, but our waiter and experienced sommelier was the perfect person to advise on wine pairing for our meal.
Our feast began with sumptuous starters of globe artichoke soup and duck, followed by delicious main courses of lamb and cod, and finished with decadent chocolate tart. The menu was seasonal, fresh and fragrant. Each dish had been thoughtfully designed and constructed, with care given to flavours, ingredients and presentation, and each plate of food that arrived looked too good to eat. The lunch menu clearly showcased seasonal and local produce, all expertly chosen and cooked to perfection by the talented Amberley Castle chefs.
After our leisurely lunch, we took a stroll around the beautiful landscaped gardens which encapsulated the very essence of autumn, with golden leaves and berries hanging from the trees and the glorious autumnal sun sitting low in the sky. During our walk we kept a look-out for the residential white peacock that roams around the hotel grounds, but unfortunately on our visit he was no-where to be seen.
Our lunch at this award-winning restaurant was an elegant dining experience where exceptional ingredients were cooked to the highest standards, and all the hotel and restaurant staff we met on our visit were so very friendly and welcoming. We couldn’t fault anything, and we are planning to return soon to sample more delights from the delicious menu, and to hopefully meet the infamous white peacock.
As well as the fantastic 3-course lunch menu, the award-winning restaurant also serves Sunday lunch for £34.50, a seven-course tasting menu available from £85, and afternoon tea packages from £34, with champagne from £49.50. The dress code for dining in the restaurant is smart casual, with no jeans or trainers, and children aged 8 years and over are welcome to join.
The Amberley Castle hotel and restaurant would be a beautiful venue for a wedding. Ceremony packages are available up to 12 guests, wedding day packages up to 40 guests, with exclusive use up to 54 guests or a bespoke wedding marquee in the gardens could cater for up to 170 guests, and the Amberley Castle wedding planner is included to help you organise your perfect day.
Amberley Castle has 19 luxurious guest rooms, offering comfort and style with double rooms from £195.00 per night for bed and breakfast.
Amberley Castle
Church Street, Amberley, West Sussex, BN18 9LT.
01798 831 992
Charlie McBrien