Ockenden Manor - Haywards Heath

The decor's pleasant enough and the service was only average. We had to rescue the champagne bottle to refill our glasses. I did have high expectations when I saw the prices. Anyway, I plumped for pickled beetroot starter and then a burger as it said Sussex Angus beef and Sussex cheddar. I have had burgers throughout the US and to a lesser extent in Canada so I was expecting something very special for 22 pounds. Very disappointing. The overcooked patty lacked beefy succulence and the very thin white, membrane-like coating, did not taste cheesy enough for me. The bun, described as brioche, was not to my liking. The other person, also having a burger, left much of the bun. The chips were adequate. There wasn't time for pudding as friends had to leave early.

My twin sister and I celebrated our 80th Birthday in the Burrell Room for Sunday lunch. The food was outstanding and the service was impeccable. We received a very warm welcome from Russell and all the staff. It was certainly a celebration to remember. Thank you.

I went for a birthday lunch with friends, having been here many times before I was very disappointed on this occasion. I am dairy intolerant and this had been explained at booking and on the day. The starter and main course were great and I was offered a fruit salad with vegan cream for dessert. Shortly after eating I began to feel unwell, and then commenced to display all the unpleasant symptoms of having ingested dairy. We paid the bill and I discreetly explained the situation to the waitress as we left. I was confronted with denial of anything possibly being wrong with process. As anyone who is dairy intolerant will know, it doesn’t take very long after eating to show symptoms. I emailed when i got home, no response whatsoever, so if you happen to have food allergies or intolerances or are vegan, I would recommend avoiding as if an establishment is unwilling to recognise an error they will not learn the lessons required to avoid being repeated.

Lovely dining room, on a sunny evening the large doors were open and we looked out on beautiful gardens and scenery. Service was excellent, professional but still very friendly. Food was absolutely excellent: delicious, fresh and a little bit special. Sommelier helped us with wine and it was great. All in all a lovely experience and we’d travel to eat here again. And it was really good value for the quality .

3 ladies of a certain age enjoying a long awaited get together. Ordered drinks in the lounge and given menus. Within 2 minutes we were asked to move to the table having just sat down! We asked why we needed to be rushed? “We’re on a tight schedule “ says the waitress “ I’ll give you 5 more minutes” Duly she came back and told us to move no one else in the lounge btw. At the table Maitre d’ took our order of no starters but bread and olives please to share, then 3 main courses all the same. Sharing pieces arrived very quickly followed almost immediately by main courses! When asked why we were given no time to enjoy the olives etc Maitre d’ stated that the chef was ready for the dishes to come to the table. Clearly making your guests feel relaxed and comfortable is not in the training package. The restaurant was not over busy but guessing the chef wanted to get home. Certainly disappointed and won’t bother to go again. Food was average and menu not particularly inspiring.