Our editor visits One Kitchen at One Garden Brighton in Stanmer Park for a dog friendly roast to remember.
Regular readers will be familiar with my eternal love of Stanmer Park. I am completely obsessed with its endless green space and secluded woodland. It is, for me without doubt, the best place to escape Brighton and walk for hours with my dog.
Stanmer Park is also home to One Garden Brighton and at its heart is One Kitchen, who are offering Sunday roasts. I was invited along with my dog and son to try them out. We made our way up through Stanmer Park accompanied by bright sunshine and uninterrupted blue sky on the coldest of January days. Arriving at the restaurant, we were greeted warmly and shown to a window seat. There were lots of other well behaved dogs inside the venue sitting adjacent to their owners, all of whom were fixated on the plates of delicious looking food. This was a good sign.
I opted for chicken breast and my son chose the Sussex Aged Beef. All roasts come with an impressive array of vegetables; roast potatoes, red cabbage, honey roasted carrots and parsnips, green beans, kale, cauliflower cheese, stuffing AND a Yorkshire pudding. There is also a vegan/vegetarian option of Wellington and Sea Bass for pescatarians. So no (wo)man is left behind, or hungry.
The food arrived without delay and we were presented with huge piping hot platefuls. For me, it’s always about the roast potatoes and I am pleased to report they were crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy in the centre. It’s difficult to mass produce roasties to a high standard, but the chef achieved this. The chicken breast was succulent and all of the accompanying vegetables were really fresh (coming from the Plumpton Estate this isn’t a surprise) and delicious. The yorkie was akin to a small batch homemade one, perfectly risen and fluffy. I tried a bite of my son’s beef which was tender with minimal fat and he polished it off in minutes.
We decided to share an Apple Crumble as we were both stuffed to the gills, and along came a bowl of crunchy sweet crumble with tart, soft cinnamon apples with what I can only describe as whipped custard. Absolutely delicious and for me the perfect winter dessert.
The day was topped off with a walk back down the length of the park with one very happy dog and young man. Definitely book a table if you want top quality food and huge portions in informal family-friendly surroundings and to escape the city for the afternoon.
