7 minute read
THE PASS
BEN WILKINSON AT THE PASS
Special ingredients
We talk to Ben Wilkinson, Head Chef of The Pass at South Lodge, about the many di erent facets that make it such a memorable experience
By MARK KEBBLE
The Pass at South Lodge has only been open since last summer, but already it has left an indelible mark on the Sussex food scene. We have already enjoyed two restaurants at the iconic hotel – Camellia and Botanica – but Ben Wilkinson’s 28-seater experience has taken the food o ering up a notch. Just as we have quickly taken to The
Pass, Ben has also been enjoying getting to know his surroundings. “It’s still very new to me down here, but I have found a couple of great local suppliers,” he smiles.
“In particular, amazing fish landing in to
Newhaven and some great venison from the
South Downs. I’m hoping to find some more in the new year. It’s exciting to find new local producers and build a great partnership.”
THE PASS IS AN INTIMATE EXPERIENCE Ben Wilkinson at The Pass, to give its full name, suggests how highly the chef is rated in the industry today. Sussex is just the latest county to be privy to his culinary talents. “At 15 I started out washing pots on the weekend at a little golf course in Derbyshire,” he recounts. “That got me hooked on the kitchen environment and led on to starting catering college after school. From there I moved to London for a couple of jobs including my first Michelin star job – that really opened my eyes to the world of fine dining and I knew that was the direction I wanted to go.
“Three years in the Netherlands was next,” he continues, “before returning to the UK. A good couple of years at Holbeck Ghyll in the Lake District, a year at Misummer House, then a return to Derbyshire to get some hotel and kitchen management experience before I took my first Head Chef job back up in the Lake District. That led to being o ered Head Chef of The Cottage in the Wood [in Malvern], where I was able to win a Michelin star of my own in my first year. I had nearly four years there, and now we are here at South Lodge.”
Of those experiences, does one in particular stand out for him? “Probably working for Henk Savelburg in the Netherlands,” he says. “This was o the scale hospitality, absolute luxury for the guests, but also the kitchen was the most well equipped, beautiful space I have ever worked in. You could see chef Henk’s love for his business in every aspect and was so inspirational. It was the first time I had seen what can be achieved when you take equal care of all aspects of the restaurant.”
The Pass has, of course, existed in a di erent incarnation, so why was Ben keen to take over it? “I think it has amazing
potential,” he says. “Small enough to o er a very high level of hospitality to guests with a small team, but the support of a much larger team within the hotel, and Exclusive Collection beyond that. The reputation of Exclusive and what other chefs have been able to achieve with them sealed the deal.
“The concept of sitting at the pass and being able to watch the chefs at work is a big part of the appeal of the restaurant,” he adds, “but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a crutch that we lean on. If we have guests that aren’t too interested in that side of things I want to make sure that they have a great time
THE TEAM ALLOW INGREDIENTS TO SHINE
anyway, make sure that we are a fantastic restaurant, with great hospitality and just a nice place to sit, relax and eat amazing food.”
On his style of cooking, he says: “I have a good base of classic French cooking, but we use quite a few more modern techniques to make the food lighter with clean and fresh flavours. Dishes are based o classic flavour combinations, just two or three main components and I make sure we don’t add unnecessary complications. The most important thing should be the quality of the products we use, not how clever we have been preparing it.”
The 28-seat restaurant ensures it’s an intimate experience, and there’s no shortage in opportunities to sample Ben’s cooking. “It allows us to really do our best food,” he says on The Pass’s tasting menu approach. “We don’t waste any time or produce preparing options that guests might not choose on an a la carte menu. It suits our restaurant well, with guests joining us for a curated menu and experience in The Pass. It’s a very di erent concept to the other restaurants at South Lodge so we are able to complement each other and o er guests a choice across the resort.”
A new addition to the menu really does showcase Ben’s style of cooking. “It’s something served in two parts, but sharing the same ingredients: a little crisp tartlet of beef fillet tartar, dressed in smoked oil with pickled celeriac, and then a second little bowl of smooth celeriac royale with slow cooked beef cheek, bone marrow and fresh winter tru e. We follow this with a favourite of mine, very gently steamed wild turbot, with leeks, mushrooms and a classic ‘champagne sauce’ made with Ridgeview Blanc de Blanc, a lovely English sparkling wine from our friends at Ridgeview located just down the road at the foot of the South Downs.
“We have a few ideas we are working on at the moment to keep pushing forward with what we o er our guests,” he says on 2023 plans. “We have already started with plans for the kitchen garden so spring and summer are looking exciting.” Thou shalt Pass.
A RARE BREED
Take one globally acclaimed chef, pair with Rare Champagne, and you have recipes that will dazzle and delight
Rare Champagne o ers carte blanche to chefs whose talent reveals a diamond in the rough, fresh and with an exceptional future ahead. Now, Rare Champagne has entrusted chef Mélanie
Serre with their new Rare Pairings series.
In Megève, St. Barts, Monaco, and
Paris, chef Serre approaches her work with a joyous heart, while creating tailormade dishes that show a deep respect for the terroir and nature. Because of her philosophy, Rare Champagne have entrusted chef Serre with this new Rare Pairings series. Rare Champagne allows her to explore her creativity, linked to each of the
Rare Champagne Millésimes, for a unique sensory experience. Chef Serre, a Gault & Millau Young Talent Award winner, is also listed among the “1,000 Women Chefs who Count in the World” and is one of the six French female chefs recognized for their personality, as much as their culinary art, by Le Parisien magazine. Serre’s first position was as chef at Atelier Etoile Joël
Robuchon, a two-star Michelin restaurant in Paris, where she became executive chef one year later. She now o ciates at Louis
Vins restaurant, near Notre Dame in Paris.
Her Rare Rosé Millésime 2012 spring/ summer menu features: Razor clams in parsley sauce with pine nuts and basil for an amuse bouche; Fresh tomato soup with black cherry, goat's cheese ice-cream and crushed pistachios as a starter; a vegan course of salad of green beans with raspberries, almonds and date vinaigrette; fillet of red mullet with edible scales, young courgette and bouillabaisse sauce for mains; and a dessert course that is featured right.
NAGE OF SPICED FOREST FRUIT AND SPECULOOS BISCUITS
INGREDIENTS
• Water • Sugar • Vanilla • Fresh basil cinnamon • Speculoos biscuits • Fresh forest fruit
PREPARATION
1 Prepare a syrup with water, sugar, basil and the stick of cinnamon; 2 Prepare the Speculoos biscuit paste and cook. While still hot, shape it as desired; 3 Wash, sort and prepare the forest fruit; 4 Place the forest fruit on a plate. Once cold, add the syrup and the basil; 5 Add some Speculoos biscuits to the side of the plate. Place the rest on the sliced forest fruit.
FASHION
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