The Felbridge Hotel & Spa's smart frontage opens out into a truly magnificent modern hotel, with the excellent Bay Tree Restaurant an integral part of its appeal. Stylish and intimate in vibe, the restaurant serves an accomplished menu of classic dishes, imaginatively accompanied and cooked to perfection.
As a starter, diners could try the pumpkin ravioli with sage and pine nut butter, or perhaps the simple, beautifully summery prawn and crayfish cocktail. For something really fresh, diners could opt for the flavoursome scallops of the day.
The Bay Tree menu of mains sources many of its ingredients from the counties that hem Felbridge. Beal's Farm, a Sussex charcuterie, provides the pancetta that's paired with the maple-glazed duck breast, while the plaice is caught on the south coast, before being stuffed with prawn and dill mousseline by The Bay Tree's talented chefs. The delightful macaroni cheese, meanwhile, is topped with melted Sussex scrumpy, which comes with hints of cider, garlic and herbs.
When the chefs at The Bay Tree can't find the ingredients close to home, they cast their eyes towards other top notch British producers — salmon from Scotland, sausages from Cumberland and black pudding from Wales. The pulled pork is British, too, served as a burger in a seeded brioche bun with hand-cut chips.
The desserts on The Bay Tree menu are also lovingly crafted, ranging from traditional treats like apple and blackberry pie, vanilla poached pear, and sugar-rich Sussex pond pudding, to chocolate fondue served with home-made shortbread, marshmallows, honeycomb and popping candy. All in all, an exceedingly fine finish to the evening.