Photos and video: I visited the new summerhouse café at Borde Hill Garden in West Sussex and tried its delicious signature ‘curlicue’

But its owners hope the Haywards Heath attraction will become known for its great food and drink too now that it has a new micro-bakery and garden café.

Baked By Cordia opened on March 31, representing the first step of chef Chantelle Nicholson’s The Cordia Collective.

A new summerhouse café, Gloriette, can be found in the garden, while a new coffee shop, Ginkgo, is situated in the visitor entrance.

Green Michelin-starred chef Chantelle said: “It’s about immersing ourselves in the community and really understanding the landscape and what is already in situ, working in harmony with it rather than coming in and abandoning that sense of what the place is about.”

Chantelle said the team focus on seasonal food that is either locally sourced or grown on-site. She said: “I’ve always been very much focused on seasonality in terms of food and what I eat, so it’s nice to see it in real time and be part of it.”

She explained that a lot of produce, mixed herbs and salad greens come from Borde Hill Market Garden, describing it as ‘a dream’ trying to do everything, from growing to cooking, in one place. “The whole ethos for me is it very much being it’s own ecosystem,” she said.

Chantelle said: “The people who work here are just amazing and it’s so nice to be part of a venue where everyone has a love for the same thing.”

This regenerative ethos also means the team can support many local producers. Chantelle said: “All of our fruit and veg comes from mostly East Sussex way, as well as suppliers I’ve worked with for a long time.”

She said her highly skilled team have also found many gems in the region, like High Weald Dairy for their organic cheese and Weald Smokery for their bacon baps. She explained that bread, cakes, pastries and other baked treats are made onsite, overseen by master baker Janine Edwards, with a focus on ‘whole’ rather than ‘ultra processed’ food.

She added: “We’re very lucky there’s lots of wild garlic on the estate. The magnolias also go into our signature bake (the ‘curlicue’), which is our take on a cinnamon bun.”

Of course, the health benefits of organic foods are important, but the team haven’t forgotten to offer some ‘intense’ flavours too. Baked by Cordia’s ‘curlicue’, for example (so named because it is coiled like a fern), uses enriched dough with butter, sugar and other ‘good things’. I tried the delicious magnolia and cinnamon one alongside a wonderfully rich flat white coffee. Rhubarb crumble and meringue and caramelised apple are also among the ‘curlicue’ flavours. Among its many dishes, the café offers focaccia sandwiches too, as well as apple and ginger cake and brown butter chocolate chip cookies.

“Everything has a huge amount of time put into it,” said Chantelle, adding that the cafe aims to offer visitors ‘a bit of a subconscious education’ on what Baked By Cordia does and why. She said they hope to celebrate people and the planet, while ‘treading more lightly’ when it comes to their carbon footprint.

Jay Goddard, née Stephenson Clarke, the fifth generation custodian of Borde Hill, said: “One of the joys of Gloriette being right in the middle of the garden is that visitors get to experience the beauty of the garden and the collection while enjoying the delicious baked goods and coffees.”

She said: “It’s wonderful to see Cordia Collective and Chantelle bringing the garden to the plate.”

Jay continued: “Borde Hill is historically known for our woody plants – so magnolias, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. We are national collection status for our rhododendrons with over 1,000 varieties. With our magnolias, we have 180 different varieties across the garden, which is a huge amount.”

Both Jay and Chantelle explained that the next step for Borde Hill would be the opening of a glasshouse restaurant and wine bar later in the year. Chantelle said this promises to be ‘incredibly beautiful’ and will overlook the walled kitchen garden. There will be a bigger bakery coming too, as well as a workshop space.

At the moment, families can enjoy Bertram Bunny’s Easter Adventure until April 21. Children can follow the Easter holiday story trail for £4.50 each, plus admission. Visit bordehill.co.uk.