insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 04 - June 2015 | Page 40
food+drink
Lunch at The Flint
Barn Restaurant
by Samantha G
When a steely determination for great English food meets a passion for fine
English wine, the result is simple yet wondrous – a sensational seasonal menu
with a beautiful paired wine list, and that’s just the start.
With a longing to escape the rat race but with
a passion for all good things English, husband
and wife team Colin and Christina decamped to
the glorious South Downs and took the helm at
The English Wine Centre in 2008.
With a stunning location in the South Downs
National Park, The English Wine Centre
at Cuckmere Barns already had a pretty
impressive first string to its bow; however, it
was through a painstaking labour of love and
a project of those quintessential 3 R’s – no
the other ones: Renovation, Restoration and
Rebuild – that saw this complex come into its
own.
Gone is the dilapidated Victorian chicken shed,
the slightly beleaguered and unloved barns
and a sense of being slightly unloved. Now,
much in part to the creative vision of Christina,
there stands instead, a beautiful 17th-century
oak barn used in the main as the complex’s
stunning wedding venue, especially during
the summer months when the marquee is
erected; the impressive new five-bedroomed
Green Oak Lodge, providing en-suite
boutique accommodation; and the Michelin
recommended Flint Barn Restaurant, our dining
destination of the day.
From the first gravel-crunching steps that lead
into the dedicated wine shop at the front of the
Flint Barn Restaurant it becomes apparent that
this is a great little find. A warm and friendly
welcome soon eased into a natural dialogue
that evidenced the passion for great food and
great wine held by Colin and Christina, and
which is shared by the small and carefully
selected team that work here.
There is no apologising (and nor should there
be) for the fact that here all things English are
celebrated, and right now there is no better time
to do so! It is now recognised that the South of
England is currently enjoying the climate that the
Champagne region in France had in its hey day
20 years ago. Hurrah! The result is now evident
in the award-winning and highly acclaimed
English wine that is being produced in vineyards
across the county and beyond, and The English
Wine Centre stocks an impressive selection
of over 150 varieties of English wine, which is
expertly paired with the innovate English dishes
that head chef Austin Gould executes from his
seasonal, locally sourced produce.
Taking our table in the intimate dining room,
which cleverly uses modern clean lines to
emphasise the rustic beamed barn setting,
my guest and I were eager to choose from the
carefully selected lunch menu.
We were delighted when a huge earthenware
bowl arrived proffering our first dish – the
celeriac and fennel soup of the day. The
smooth, flavoursome soup was delicious with
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the delicate celeriac complemented – and in
no way overpowered – by the aromatic fennel
and enhanced further by the clever sidekick of a
delicate but spicy curry oil dressing.
For our mains my guest eventually (decisions,
decisions…) opted for the Flint Barn fish pie,
and was not disappointed by the ample and
tasty portion of delicately smoked pieces of
locally caught fish in a creamy sauce and
crunchy potato topping, teamed by Colin with a
glass of Wickham white wine.
I was equally impressed with my slow-cooked
shoulder of Salt Marsh lamb. The confit
lamb was melt-in-the-mouth succulent and
served with a classic mint and rosemary
accompaniment, this time in the guise of minted
mashed potatoes and a rich rosemary jus. I
also particularly enjoyed the roast celeriac that
was a great partner to the delicious lamb, which
could be paired with either a delicate pale pink
glass of Gifford’s Hall Rosé from Suffolk, or the
more medium bodied red berry fruitiness of
the Bolney Estate’s Lynchgate Red from West
Susses. As they say, when in Sussex…
Feeling full, but not to be outdone, we of opted
for the marmalade bread and butter pudding
and the chocolate brownie sundae for dessert.
The oozing, sticky pudding was delicious
with juicy fruit and a crisp top, paired with
a decadent custard and a cheeky scoop of