Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2008 | Page 99

FOOD & DRINK
Photos:
Paul & Cheryl Judge pictured
outside The Leconfield.
Inset: The newly refurbished
restaurant.
Bottom left: The cosy lounge
complete with open fire.

in the business with their
limitations. They have run
hotels and restaurants before:
Paul is a trained hotelier and
Cheryl, working beside him, has
developed some strong ideas
about a guest’s needs. They have
both cooked in the past – Paul is
a chef who fell out of love with
cooking – so they were delighted
when chef Jason Lefley came
their way. It was really for Jason’s
sake that Paul approached the
AA for accreditation – “I felt
he deserved some recognition
for the huge improvement he’d
made for us.”
“Traditional with flair” is how
Cheryl describes Jason’s style
of cooking. With characteristic
sensitivity to the expectations
of their existing regulars, the
couple worked with him to
develop and improve the fare.
“We didn’t want rich and fussy

– it is simple, uncomplicated, but
different.”
“Jason joined us early last year,
a local boy who trained on
the Island and who spent time
at the Seaview, among other
places, while he was developing
his skills. We worked with him
to develop the food, based
on our own experience of
what our guests like and enjoy
and looking at increasing our
popularity locally as well.”
When they took over the
hotel five yeas ago it was the
accommodation which needed
immediate attention. “It was
fine, it was tidy, just not 21st
century,” says Cheryl, who
wanted to keep a feeling of
tradition while notching up the
style. Her criterion is a simple
one: “I want everyone to feel
comfortable, as if they were in
my own home.” So there are

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comfy sofas to sink into, but also
more upright conservatory chairs
for older guests.
It’s another clever balancing
act. Thanks to its sensitive
improvements the Leconfield has
taken on the mantle of a country
house hotel: yet guests, when
they sit in the lounge or walk
through to the conservatory, feel
sufficiently relaxed to kick off
their shoes and put their feet up.
Which is just the sense of feeling
at home that Cheryl wanted.
The achievements don’t end
there. That five-star status was
“highly commended” to boot,
which ranks them with the top
10 per cent of hotels in the
country. The trade organisation
Visit Britain has given them Five
Star Gold status, which is the
most that could be achieved
within the category, and the
Leconfield has also been
shortlisted for the Oscars of the
industry, the South East Tourism
Awards which are presented on
28th Oct.
“But we couldn’t have got half
way to where we are today
without our fantastic staff,” says
Paul. “We tell them how much
we appreciate them, but I don’t
think we can say it enough.”
Given all that, it seems too good
to be true that they are not yet
fully booked for small Christmas
parties – they can seat up to 24
people – and their Dine and Stay
option is so reasonably priced at
£60 per head.
Martin Potter, Editor of
Island Life, writes:
PAUL & CHERYL have put a lot
of love and dedication into their
quaint guest house which is
perched up high, overlooking
the sea in Bonchurch. Their aim
is to raise Islanders’ awareness
of the quality of their food – so
they invited us to the Leconfield
to give it a try.
As most readers are aware I am
quite critical when it comes to
food. At first I was hesitant as
hotel food on the whole is pretty
average, (apart from the select
few, The Royal, The Seaview, The
Hambrough, The Priory etc) so

life

I arrived at The Leconfield with
this preconception.
However, on arriving I found
the hotel spotless – I think even
the spiders had moved out. First
impressions were good. If they
took this much pride in their
hotel then I was sure they placed
the same amount of effort into
our imminent dining experience.
The restaurant was impeccable:
the glasses were so clean we
had trouble finding them on
the table. The dining area was
furnished with wicker chairs
and glass top tables which
comfortably seated four people.
The only nag of the whole
evening was that I noticed the
older people found it difficult
to move the chairs once seated,
since there was nothing to grab
hold of, but they forgot this as
soon as their food arrived.
The menu was varied and
used a good selection of local
produce. The average cost
per head for three courses
was around £23.00 excluding
drinks. The food was very well
presented and you could see
that a lot of care and thought
had gone into it. The only minor
issue I had was the amount of
potato served. I think I would
ask for a separate side dish next
time.
The overall experience was
very enjoyable. The food was
excellent, and the sweets were
to die for.
Another couple dining there
that evening lived locally and
were planning to make the
Leconfield a regular dining
venue. So if you are local and
would like to sample something
different then I s VvvW7BF