Marle at Heckfield Place

It’s a delicate dance to balance a luxurious restaurant without stifling the offering with stuffiness. Against the odds Skye Gyngell and her team have created a wonderfully indulgent space in Marle which still retains elements of relaxed homeliness.

The tone is set with the interiors; a lofty, open space with an orangery-like section to one side and wide terrace to the front. Here light wood and marble are mixed with neutral soft furnishings and sculptural use of the estate’s botanical bounty for a naturally whimsical flow that extends through the menu.

Each of the dishes on the short a la carte is carefully crafted using hyper-seasonal produce grown organically on the estate itself or by producers nearby. There’s very little going on in terms of intervention, just a handful of clean flavours on each plate. Starters of a creamy mushroom ravioli coated in a bright lemon butter sauce and sweet, perfectly caramelised scallops with a mellow sweetcorn puree are perfectly portioned to allow for the full three course experience. Elsewhere, a main of wild, locally caught seat trout, hollandaise and cucumbers was harmonious with herbaceous notes through the sauce.

The best was saved to last when a caramel chocolate tart arrived by way of the genial staff. Here, a smooth caramel reservoir is caught under a smooth chocolate tart filling and topped with wonderfully thick cream (from a very generous cow who had the good fortune of calling Heckfield home). 

Drinks are given no less reverence with cocktails like a Bloody Mary having been given a glow up with clear tomato water and horseradish-infused vodka combining to create a lighter version of this classic serve. Elsewhere there’s a carefully honed wine list, and softs are equally as sophisticated as the alcohol on offer, with homemade lemonades and fragrant lemon verbena pressés.

This kind of laidback luxury doesn’t come cheap, with dinner easily clocking in at £100 per person, but for a little countryside escapism within a stone’s throw of London there’s nowhere we’d rather temporarily call home.

In just two years Heckfield Place has positioned itself as one of the UK’s leading hotels, and as any staycation loving Brit knows, the test of a really good hotel is in its restaurant.

Marle is the flagship restaurant (although there are other places to eat on site) and is headed up by Skye Gyngell – who just so happens to have been crowned our Female Chef of The Year in 2020. Australian-born Gyngell previously worked at Petersham Nurseries, earning it a Michelin star, before opening Spring in Somerset House under her own leadership.

Marle, with both indoor and outdoor spaces has a dining room that is open and airy with relaxed, light furnishings aiding the bright and breezy atmosphere. Open to both hotel guests and visitors, Marle allows diners to get a feel for the overall ethos of the hotel, which presents guests with the ultimate in sustainable luxury. In the restaurant this translates to much of the food used in the kitchen having been grown on the estate’s own organic (and very nearly biodynamic) farm, waste being kept to an absolute minimum and no single use plastics being allowed across the threshold. In fact, the hotel has a goal to eventually be fully self-sufficient.

As you might expect, the menu changes seasonally to make use of the best of each month’s bounty, and produce is treated with a delicate touch to ensure crisp, clean flavours are found on each plate. The a la carte menu doesn’t come cheap, with mains going into the £30 territory, while starters sit between £15-20. However, during the week there are plenty of set menus to take advantage of should you wish to – think a pre-screening set three course affair at £29.50. Here guests are invited to dine at the restaurant before watching a film at the onsite cinema. Elsewhere on the property there is a walled garden and glasshouse where guests can dine as well as a spa.