Restaurant opens in picturesque grounds of award-winning Sussex vineyard Tinwood Estate

The Vineyard Kitchen opened its doors to guests at the Tinwood Estate Vineyard in Halnaker, near Chichester, yesterday. Recent years have seen the Tinwood team take their award-winning vineyard and open it up for vineyard tours and wine tasting, afternoon tea, boutique accommodation at the Vineyard lodges and now, the exciting opening of its restaurant.

The Vineyard Kitchen’s head chef, Santo Busciglio, had brings with him more than 40 years experience as well as two rosette restaurants, Michelin Star restaurants, and a MasterChef appearance under his belt.

Art Tukker, owner of Tinwood Estate, spoke to guests yesterday (Thursday, April 20): “I started selling wine out of a shipping container round the back Dad’s tractor shed in 2012. Then with my wife we built our tasting room ten years ago and through the years we have expanded with lodges and a bigger tasting room. We’ve welcomed tens of thousands of people to tour the the vines and taste our wines.

"Now, finally, we are developing the last piece of the puzzle, the Vineyard Kitchen.”

He added: “First and foremost the basis of the Vineyard Kitchen is on top quality, fresh, local, and great tasting produce. We have already forged relationships with some fantastic producers of smoked trout and veg in particular so far and will be looking to increase our direct relationships with producers as time goes on.

"Each morning, with this amazing produce we can find here on our doorstep, our chefs, led by head chef Santo, will create a range of small dishes, both hot and cold, to fill our shop.

"The menu, and what foods are on offer will change weekly depending on what is fresh, in season, and tasting best.”

The restaurant will be open seven days a week and boasts incredible views of some of Tinwood’s quarter-of-a-million vines at the edge of the South Downs.Three or four smalls dishes are recommended for guests, with Tinwood’s own wine range suggested as a pairing and on sunnier days diners can pick up a picnic blanket and savour the food and wine among the vines.

Current plates include: Spiced beef meat balls with Manchego cheese and mint in tomato sugo; hot smoked butternut squash with barred aged feta cheese, endive, roasted shallot and pumpkin seeds; chalk stream trout gravlax cured with beetroot and gin service with horseradish cream and fennel pollen; flat mushrooms charcoal grilled marinated in white balsamic vinegar with marjoram and garlic confit.

For dessert: Spiced buttermilk pannacotta with green apple compote; tiramisu, lady sponge fingers dipped in marsala spiked coffee, interlayered with a mascarpone zabione.

In the summer of 2022 Sussex wines, including Tinwood’s, were given a protected status similar to Champagne and Prosecco in a move that has been described as a ‘step forwards’ for local vineyards.

You can find out more about the Vineyard Kitchen by vising the website: www.tinwoodestate.com/eat/vineyard-kitchen or by emailing: [email protected]