Camellia Restaurant @ South Lodge Hotel in Horsham

We watched the series then booked the table at South Lodge and weren’t disappointed. A few minor issues that need attention, as mentioned in other reviews below, otherwise we would have given 5 stars. To start we had pigeon and lobster. Both of which were perfectly cooked but the lobster had way too much bisque, which was a shame. Then onto the turbot and the beef. The beef was cooked to perfection, but the turbot was just slightly overdone. Luckily the mouth-watering beurre blanc and caviar made up for this, but still something for consideration. The desserts consisted of the chocolate and peanut mousse and the olive oil sponge. Again, both dishes were superb, and yes, despite our concerns, olive oil really does go with all the other ingredients of the sponge! The service was attentive and professional, but it ‘dropped off’ as the restaurant became full. We even spied the Sommelier clearing plates… To conclude: A first rate dinner with some minor issues but still great value for money at £85 per head. Tom Hamblet is a young, rising star who has put Camellia restaurant at South Lodge on the map - which we were informed has been full every night since the start of the year! A real shame he is going to a sister hotel in Chichester after Easter.

We could not fault the whole experience. The food, drinks and service were amazing. Our favourite dish was the Turbot. We were lucky to meet Tom and he even helped us to take a selfie 😁. Thanks to the whole team for a fabulous evening.

Went for the much touted Tom Hamblet masterchef residency. Lovely dining room, nice service although a bit forced and good wine list, particularly by the glass selection. Sadly, for me, the food was a let down. Bread which was allegedly made with coffee but I could only detect liquorish, was too heavy and stodgy, not saved by the “cultured” butter. Starter of pigeon was overcooked heading to that unpleasant leathery stage. The prawns were topped with an unnecessary and unpleasant celery sorbet - complete mismatch. The turbot was cooked nicely but the two blobs of mousse were tasteless and added nothing to the dish. The three turned new potatoes and a shaving of baby leek and asparagus pointless additions. Good sauce though. Beef was nice enough but barely four mouthfuls plus an oyster and some mushroom with a quite bitter sauce. Best bit was an oyster / beef tartar on the side. Puddings - Olive oil sponge and chocolate tart were both nice and not too sweet. No amuse bouche or pre dessert which would have been nice and overall portions were too small and needed veg. The only side was mash with Parmesan and truffle. No green veg in site. Clearly Tom can cook but I think he would have been better served presenting this as a tasting menu.

Tom Hamlet’s MasterChef experience was amazing - what talent! I started with the roast scallop and artichoke which was innovative and flavoursome followed by the Guinea fowl with the most beautiful black truffle and Madeira sauce! We will follow your career with excited anticipation Tom

Ate here with friends recently, had followed Tom’s journey through Master Chef, so we were excited to actually get to eat his food. I’m a retired professional chef, so not the easiest person to impress, all I can say is we were totally blown away. All our party really enjoyed their meal, but for me , my choices were exceptional, the lobster was perfectly cooked, so often it is not, matched with the carrot purée and seafood sauce was everything I expected it to be, total explosion of flavour in the mouth, I followed with the guinea fowl, beautifully moist, accompanied by a delicious truffle sauce, particularly liked the use of torched lettuce, gave a good balance of textures to the dish. Finished with the chocolate tart, not the usual overpowering sweet chocolate dessert, you so often get. This was a true balance of flavours, perfect pastry, wonderful deep chocolate filling, loved the pink grapefruit, really lifted the dish. From champagne apéritif, to superb wine with the meal, perfect unobtrusive service, we all enjoyed wonderful evening. I just wished we lived closer, Cornwall is a long way away! Tom you really deserve your win, will be watching your career as you progress. Must add, my husband said the truffle mash potato, was the best ever eaten!

This meal was a wonderful experience of the highest level. The execution of the dishes in terms of taste, preparation and presentation was perfect. It’s obvious where Tom is going if this is his standard. The service was also impeccable. Whilst not a criticism, I’d recommend a re-think of the bread roll. It’s fine and the butter is excellent but I’d suggest the outcome does quite match the effort but this doesn’t diminish what is an outstanding experience. Undoubtedly recommended.

Dinner Tom Hamblet x Camellia The Champion of Master Chef UK: The Professionals 2023. A menu inspired by his time on the show. There's no guesses why we were in this part of the UK.The beautiful hotel with stunning countryside? Well, that might be one of the reasons. Another was to experience some amazing food cooked by Tom Hamblet, who has taken up residency of the Camellia Restaurant from January to the end of March. A three course A la Carte menu £85. With options to add extras. For starters, we chose: Prawns.Gambero rosso prawns, celery sorbet, tomato fondue,olive, gazpacho. Roasted scallop, Jerusalem artichoke puree, marigold oil, artichoke crisps, pastry tube with buttermilk, and artichoke mousse. We had to have the extra course of Lobster, curried carrot puree, lobster, ginger and chilli bisque, potato,mango and caper salad, lime vinaigrette. £35. Which we shared between us. Mains were obviously the TURBOT. Poached turbot topped with a fish mousse, potatoes, caviar, baby leeks,cornichon beurre blanc. And the beef fillet, oyster mushrooms, lovage emulsion, pané oyster, salsify,braised beef cheek, oyster, and beef tartare.£10 supplement. A side of Creamed potato, English winter truffle, pecorino.£9.50. Desserts. Chocolate and peanut mousse, feuilletine base, mascarpone Chantilly, nibbed peanut tuille, torched bananas, miso caramel Olive oil sponge, set lemon curd, olive oil jam, crème fraiche, fennel pollen tuille, toasted fennel seed ice cream. As Marcus Wareing would say, "Can't fault it, absolutely delicious." It was a great evening with the restaurant full to capacity, and the staff were totally on the ball,even though they were run off their feet.

We’re quite local to south lodge hotel so when the opportunity came to eat food cooked by another master chef winner from there we booked a table for an early Friday night meal. The restaurant is lovely, we used to enjoy lunch there quite regularly but sadly they no longer do lunch apart from Sunday. On arrival I mentioned a drink in the bar pre dinner. It was suggested by the waiter that we go to our table and have a drink. I’m pleased we took his advice and consequently we enjoyed a glass of English bubbly each whilst perusing the menu. Orders taken we sat back to enjoy the evening. Speed was the essence!! Very quickly my scallop appeared ( yes singular) and my husband’s lobster starter(£10.00 supplement). The accompanying pastry roll is served on a bowl of grains and unfortunately one of them had got into my scallop dish which was a little like biting on a small stone. Nevertheless the starters were delicious. Next I had hogget, the hogget tartare was extraordinary, an explosion of flavour in the mouth..again delicious. Husband had Guinea fowl which he enjoyed. Pudding was also delicious and in comparison a good portion. We both had panne cotta We were allowed about 15 minutes between main and dessert but we were probably in and out in an hour. It was as though all this beautiful food was on a conveyor belt quickly being distributed to all the diners to get the next lot in. The waiters were efficient but somewhat robotic. Great food Tom but I’m afraid I wouldn’t recommend the restaurant. I felt £300.00 for two spent in an hour was excessive!

This restaurant had a nice decor. No salt and pepper on the table the customer can not be trusted with these. Service started off attentively but became less attentive as the evening went on. Cocktails were very good. When asked how they make their old fashioned the waiter didn't know anything about it which struck me as odd. Bread course was ok. Had lobster and pigeon for starters. Lobster- not nice at all seemed over cooked weird flavours and way too much foamy sauce. Pigeon- Was alright there were elements on this plate that were over seasoned Mains Hogget and Beef. Hogget- Quite nice flavours were good but the fat was not rendered down. Beef- Sadly not good real waste of an expensive ingredient. Sauce was bitter mushrooms so pickled they were inedible. Did order the mash side which did not come but we were charged for this. Destert- Olive oil cake and chocolate & peanut. Both deserts were nice and the best part of the meal. The tea was horrible quality. Did not receive any petit fours. Felt quite forgotten at the end. Overall I wouldn't bother with this experience it was over priced and there is no guarantee Tom is actually cooking the meal you paid for. I am sure Tom has a promising career ahead but this was an over hyped let down. P.S portion sizes are tiny had to make a sandwich when I got home.

My mother and I had been following the Masterchef Pro comp' last year and were really keen to sample some of the winner, Tom Hamblet's, food. We travelled a 4 hour round trip for the experience. We don't eat at fine dining restaurants often but we are foodies. Firstly, the setting of the restaurant is very lavish and comfortable with warm low lighting. That said, the dinner experience was a little too dark for my mother so that's something to think about if you struggle with eyesight and low lighting. The service was friendly, attentive and speedy/efficient. The food: I'll start with the dessert because that was a real pleasure for us. We both loved the flavours of Tom's end of series winning dessert so the meal ended on a high (we ordered the Olive Oil sponge with lemon curd). I recommend not ruining your palette with the overly sweet petit four that are placed in front of you following dessert - unfortunately ours were more sugar flavoured than any other identifiable flavour. Our starters and mains were very VERY underwhelming. They arrived looking beautiful, neat and tidy but failed to deliver on taste. I had wanted the celeriac themed starter but the waiting staff told me the vegan/veggie starters and mains were created by their head chef and not Tom. That was disappointing as his 3 month residency was the reason we'd visited the restaurant. We ended up both having the lobster starters after the waiting staff recommended it highly as either a starter or an additional dish to share. The claw meat was minimal and tough and the foam mousse took centre stage on the plate. Whilst the plate had lots of textures to it, we felt it was unbalanced and generally with no 'wow' to it. We enjoyed the coffee and rye bread with butter and pollen/fennel that came prior to this thought. I ordered the Guinea Fowl as a main after the waiter described it as a gamey, dark and tender meat. I feel like a better description to someone that hasn't had guinea fowl before would be - 'it's like a chicken breast with a different flavour'. This is what arrived in front of me and I actually found it was quite dry and not dark at all! I would never have ordered anything that resembled chicken breast anyway so I felt ill-informed about my choice. I also thought the girolles were overwhelmingly tart. I didn't enjoy my main. Mum's Hogget was nice but average for her too. Last comment - I've never in my life paid £6.50 for less than 1.5ltrs mineral water - beware! I don't care how much money you have - it's water!!!

Absolutely great evening with Tom Hamblet’s menu. Top quality experience, the staff were unfailingly cheerful and professional. Our whole stay was a real pleasure and Chef Tom’s food was exceptional. Thanks so much.

Tom was our favourite on Masterchef from the start so was so excited when on the night of the final I managed to secure a booking. The food was good, don’t get me wrong but it didn’t have the wow factor. It felt, on the whole, lacking in taste and a tad disappointing. The pigeon portion was so small I thought it had been omitted from the plate! The side of mash potato was too overpowered by the truffle. After finishing the meal we discovered Tom was not cooking last night as it was his day off. This left us asking the question would it have been executed better if he had been there. I guess we’ll never know, so left feeling let down. I know Tom needs a day or two off each week but I would have thought 90% of the people booking were there to experience Tom’s cooking ability. So you should only have been able to book that experience when he was going to be present in my opinion.

Having watched Tom gain success on Masterchef we were thrilled to be able to sample his culinary skills at the Camellia, South Lodge. What a joy! The food was divine. Beautifully presented with a wonderful variety of flavours and textures. Well done young man.

We went following Tom Hamblett's TV success - and while disappointed this evening, remain interested to follow his career as we feel he has great promise. The menu consisted largely of dishes similar to those from Masterchef, a strategy I question. Certainly the combinations of starters and mains were challenging and lacked a certain flow, which led us to stare at the menu for some time. We had scallops and lobster to start - the first of which was pleasant, but my lobster was bland and accompanied by a great deal of two types of sauce of identical consistency to the point where I couldn't see why they were not mixed (and halved in volume). The beef main was good, fillet the right texture, jus was deeply flavoured, but the hogget less so, fat left on but not fully rendered or crisped/browned - and each came with a tartare with an excess of the taste of raw onion. Again, various sauces of identical custardy texture with the hogget. On finishing up, my last mouthful (mainly sauce) was flavourful and balanced and I got the first sense of Tom's palate and good judgement, but I think he needs to reduce and concentrate, as fine food portions simply cannot carry enough of his sauces to transmit his flavours. Olive oil cake was pleasant, chocolate tart was oversweet and busy, piled with (independently delicious) sweets which hid the mild chocolate flavour. As with the sauces, reduce, concentrate and a larger mouthful, ex sweets revealed the cocoa. Wines pleasing, Taittinger, Italian Red (name escapes me) Royal Tokaji all good. Service pleasant at the interpersonal level, we liked all the staff, but a tad disorganised - our mains came up extremely quickly after the starters went - and at other times we were left waiting for a first drink and so on. Sommelier didn't get to do his thing accordingly. Lacked rhythm. Three glasses each plus 13.5% service doubled the bill, but we did drink the nice wines. Reading back, this is critical, but I hope constructive - for us fine dining should only ever be 8, 9, or 10 out of 10 - my wife was at 6, I was at 4, the difference being menu choices. Whether delivery on the night was a factor, whether the dishes conception or their execution at scale were factors, I'm not sure - but we remain interested to follow Tom as he progresses and think these to be early days.

As a party of 5 at Toms Masterchef experience we decided to order as many dishes as possible and every item was superb.I won’t be describing each item as it will seem like a Tom fan club offering. We were very pleased to meet Tom who deserves all the success that’s hopefully coming to him. The staff were looking forward to the new experience and we were very well looked after. Well done South Lodge for showcasing the talent they have in their kitchens.

4 of us went to try Tom Hamblets menu having watched him wow the judges with his classic training and modern ideas. We chose different dishes to sample as much as possible and were not disappointed. Scallops were cooked to perfection and the dish was...

Yes, went for the Tom session, following his win on TV MasterChef. Bit disappointed overall, the starter, Prawns was outstanding however. The £10 supplements everywhere did seem a bit cheeky. My main the Turbot did not seem properly cooked, it was poached and very short...

I was initially upset that The Pass was closed when we stayed at South Lodge, however I am now a firm fan of Camellia. The set price menu was great value and we both could have chosen any of the dishes. My crab starter with...

Huge thank you to the camellia team, special mentions to Dominic & Lucas. Celebrating my wife’s birthday and we had a fantastic evening with great food, great wine and lovely personal service. Looking forward to returning next time. The soufflé was a highlight for me,...

We were given a very good table over-looking the charming grounds. Tables are well-spaced, the dining room is traditionally charming and the staff are, in the main very pleasant, although I would describe service as like the curate’s egg, “good in parts” Starters were fine,...

A superb evening, full of colour and exceptional flavours. This restaurant is located within South Lodge Hotel complex. We arrived early to have a drink in the bar prior to eating, but decided to sit outside on the south facing terrace instead. so peaceful. The...

Sadly I think this hotel is more about the spa facilities than attention to restaurant customers. We went 12/03/2023 for a birthday Sunday lunch and to say disappointing is putting it too lightly. Starters were good although my rabbit was a little sparse. However I...

Had a great dinner on a Saturday evening. Venison tartar, followed by beef and artichoke royal followed by cod. I’d happily order the exact same again and eat every day of the week! Hispi cabbage side was also amazing! Service was mega.

We have eaten at south lodge a lot over the years plus held our daughters wedding there which was amazing but I’m afraid our recent Sunday lunch experience was not the best. The starters were very good but the main courses were disappointing, my husband...

We eat in Camellia restaurant about 5/6 times a year, normally during the week although our most recent meal was Sunday lunch. The restaurant is somewhat comforting in an ‘old world’ sense with its old wood lined walls, comfortable chairs, white linen, etc. Any time...

Our family went for Sunday lunch and whilst the starters and desserts were excellent I felt the Sunday lunch let the whole meal down. The meat was fantastic but that's where it ends. The food was barely lukewarm and the Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes...

Treated to dinner by our boss. What a spectacular setting, attentive staff and the most amazing menu. It was very hard to choose as so many wonderful choices. I can say that the truffle mashed potato was spectacular - we haven’t stopped talking about it!...

Sunday lunch at South Lodge was a memorable (for all the right reasons) experience. The setting is beautiful and our visit on a sunny day meant that we enjoyed lunch in the restaurant followed by dessert and coffee on the terrace overlooking the expansive grounds....

The Camellia at South Lodge is delightful. The cod starter and beef main were both excellent and the sirloin was done to perfection. Superb staff, all so friendly and attentive without being overbearing. South Lodge clearly has a very discerning selection process. Coffee and liqueurs...

Sent our sincere compliments to the Chef after dinner, had to send 2 dishes back at breakfast, obviously a different chef!

We had a fantastic meal last night. Food was incredible, the scallops to die for! Staff were all so friendly and happy. Will be recommending to friends and will most definitely be back again. Thank you Camellia

Delicious setting where you feel truly spoilt and looked after. Menu offers a great choice and taste is fantastic. Taking a pre or post dinner drink in the bar is a bonus not to be missed as you relax in this stunning setting. Expensive though.

Simply, Josh Mann is a genius. We stayed at South Lodge for two nights, with the plan to eat on site the first night and venture further afield the second. Our experience on the first night meant we cancelled our evening plans for the second. We came back to Camellia.We had just got married and were taking a couple of days to destress. The meals we both had were the two best meals we have ever had. I didn't to drink my fabulous wine so I could hang on to the flavours a little longer. Our waiter Mike was another standout. Everything was so so good. Nice work everyone.We will be back, and it won't be long.

Over the years we have dined and stayed at South Lodge on many occasions. We returned for Sunday lunch today and realised that we take the exceptional quality and standards for granted, hence this review. The Sunday lunch menu offers a great choice, the food is always excellent and the waiting staff professional and charming. The overall experience feels relaxed, but very special. In short, we love South Lodge.

We really enjoyed our 3 course meal at Camellia. Every dish was delicious - Scallop, onion tart, cod, venison, lemon tart and cheese and biscuits. The wine was also superb - we chose an excellent Malbec. All in though, we were looking at around £100 per head so special occasion. The service was unobtrusive but super responsive and attentive.

Excellent helpful friendly staff, lovely venue, but why is Sunday lunch main course (tender roast beef) served at tepid temperature on lukewarm plates? So easy to remedy - please action.

Great setting, delightful staff. Food a bit too expensive for what it was but delightful event anyway

We stayed at South lodge and took our evening meal and breakfast at The Camellia, which is attached to the hotel.We dined on the terrace and the atmosphere and views really saved our evening.The food was just ok, nothing spectacular, but the service was very sub par!We ordered wine, which turned up after the main course and had a food stuck on a fork, again had to try to find a waiter to get a new one....all the time my dinner was going cold.No attention to detail - chipped plate and the next morning, at breakfast, my husband's coffee cup had two huge cracks running through it.Not usually too much of an issue but when you are spending £120 for a meal, you expect decent service.Will return to South Lodge but won't dine here again.

Al fresco dining overlooking Sussex countryside and South Downs national parkVery relaxed atmosphere Booking is well advised as very popularService was excellent Post lockdown experience-temperature taken on entrance- one way system in placeFood is excellent, portions more than sufficient and felt full Reasonable priced

My wife and visited this restuarant on 18th March, 1 day after our 45th wedding anniversary. The booking was made through Lisa Weymouth - due to my own personal issues (nothing to do with South Lodge) Lisa proved to be first class in handling my booking and was/has been completely professional throughout.On the evening of the meal, Lisa had (unbeknown to me) arranged for my wife and I to be welcomed with a glass of bubbly. The 2 waiters - James and Dara - were both a total delight throughout the evening and made my wife and I extremelt welcome - they were both a delight - thank you, guys!The meal itself was just perfect - very well presented and extremely tasty and satisfying. All in a all, my wife and I enjoyed a thoroughly pleasant and memorable evening. Well done to South Lodge and your excellent staff. All has been very much appreciated.As a post-script - As I write the reivew, the UK is going inot a lockdown, courtesy of the Covid-19 outbreak. I sincerely hope we can all get back to a sense of normality bfore too long and that once this happens, South Lodge is able to hit the ground running and manages to grow itself to good fortune.

Very peaceful restaurant, with excellent food and amazing service, I would highly recommend visiting here if you stay at the South Lodge Hotel or visiting the area.

We stayed at the South Lodge hotel and has meals on the Friday and Saturday. There was a good selection of food so no issues choosing different meals for each night. Whilst Saturday was busier the service and food was excellent both nights. All good was well cooked and very tasty. The blow torched Mackerel could have been torched a bit longer for our taste but was lovely. Would recommend the restaurant for a good quality meal out in lovely surroundings.

Excellent food and staff with very attractive surroundings and views. Possibly overshadowed by Tom’s place also in the hotel but we wanted the flexibility of the a la carte menu and we were not disappointed. Would definitely recommend.

We ate on Friday night and there rest of the restaurant was lots of couples. Service was a bit slow. We were bought out a carrot and orange Amuse bouche with focaccia bread which was a bit greasy- felt a nice simple fresh baked roll would have been preferred. Starters were good but not amazing as we’d hoped. Duck and Hake mains were very good and pork was ok but a bit small compared to other mains. We shared desserts which was good as the creme brûlée was huge! Overall we enjoyed our meal but guess had hoped for slightly more in all areas - service, flavours and extras. Think we’d try one of the other restaurants if we stayed again.

Food if you have a very sweet tooth then you are ok here every meal was far too sweet for us and when we asked for something different service manager very rude and very unhelpful. Restaurant staff over all very unhelpful and insisted we paid in full and no we could not speak to a manager. Would never go here again which is such a shame as we booked in here to start our wonderful holiday before our early flight.

A stunningly gorgeous hotel set in beautiful grounds. The Staff are very friendly, polite and welcoming and they deliver a 5 star service, the restaurant is very traditional as one would expect being located in a very grand country house however the food was very disappointing. We were a party of 9 celebrating my sons 40th birthday and very much looking forward to lunch having enjoyed a wonderful afternoon tea for my 60th in February. Unfortunately it really did fall below our expectations. The duck terrine was tough and the main course for everyone was at best tepid. My roast beef was grisly and very fatty BUT despite that I have to say everything else on the plate was very tasty. I had the cheese and biscuits for dessert and others in our party mostly enjoyed their desserts. I have very conflicting feelings about this restaurant as I was so looking forward to the meal and giving it a rave review as others have done. The ambience is lovely and relaxed and I will probably return because there were elements of the meal that suggested that perhaps on another day I would be writing a very different review.

The camellia is a nice place to eat for a special occasion. The grounds are lovely and the dining area itself very grand and nicely decorated. Our table had a nice view of the grounds as well. We were able to select from a few starters and mains on a set menu. The starters were great as were the mains. The portions were quite large and we simply didn't have room for desert so opted for coffee instead. Service was initially good until the mains were delivered where we were left with finished plates in front of us for some time. In my opinion it would be better if you could choose two or three courses as i felt we overpaid for what we actually ate. Hence why this review is only 4 stars.

A really lovely hotel with wonderful views. Not too sure about the amount of gravel in the car park when wearing expensive shoes! Sunday Lunch yesterday; the service was impeccable, couldn't fault it at all. It was so good not to have the waiting staff hovering, we were just left, after the initial 'is everything o.k.' to get on and eat. A three course set meal with a good choice, although it may have been an idea to have another choice of roast. We both had roast beef, excellent with lovely veggies and out of this world horseradish - beautiful.Two small gripes; the main could have been a lot hotter and we had to leave the bread - the crusts were far too tough - we weren't going to risk the expensive implants!!!! A lovely occasion. Thank you.

A great restaurant for a special occasion! My family and I all enjoyed wonderful food and service at the Camellia. Recommend the crab or lamb to start and the beef or lamb for main! Also the jam sponge pudding was a great desert. Jamie Gibson is an excellent chef!!

Ate here while staying in South Lodge hotel, on the evening of 17th August.

The food here was lovely, the beef especially. The setting is great too and the service was warm and friendly.

The restaurant staff appeared untrained. At dinner I was seated immediately opposite the window which overlooked the movie night showing of Top Gun- although there were plenty of other tables available... not quite the experience I was expecting to enjoy a sumptuous menu- it was quite off putting.

I booked a table for Sunday lunch as my family were visiting. I had heard good things about the restaurant, so was looking forward to it. The restaurant itself is nice and the atmosphere was ok. I saw from the website that you could get 3 courses for a set price, but it did not state that it was a 'set menu only' on Sundays. If I had known this I wouldn't have booked as the choices are so limited and not everyone likes to eat 3 courses. I had the roast chicken which was nice, but the meal should have been hotter. We were looking forward to our "sundaes" for dessert, but were rather disappointed. It was literally 3 scoops of ice cream, a drizzle of sauce and 3 small pieces of cake. If I had just wanted ice cream I would have gone elsewhere. The vanilla scoop lacked flavour, the chocolate was slightly better. The cake had no flavour either. I expected a higher standard for the price, considering where we were.

As mentioned in my review of the hotel, it was my meal in the restaurant which let the hotel down. A party over eight gets a vastly reduced choice and I felt this restrictive for a hotel of this quality. The food was ok, good but nothing to shout about. The service was adequate to poor for a place of this quality and price.

Finally made a long awaited visit to this one of three restaurants at South Lodge (regular at Penny Hill one of the same group of hotels, so expectations were high)

Delicious food, great service, beautiful setting. Have purchased a voucher for parents to go and enjoy it too as we loved so much. Amazing violet dessert!

Delicious menu and the food did not disappoint. Beautifully presented and delicious. The staff were very personable too.

This was for a birthday celebration as part of an overnight stay. The food was fantastic and the service excellent. Well worth the money and definitely recommended

To celebrate a 75th birthday, we treated ourselves to a meal at The Camellia restaurant at South Lodge Hotel in Horsham; we were certainly not disappointed!

Hadn't visited the Camellia restaurant for a little while, but it had always been a pleasure previously. Who couldn't enjoy calling in at the marvellous South Lodge Hotel; a large and imposing former victorian house that's always impeccably naintained, full of life, and positioned in acres of well kept grounds.

There is avery consistent feel to the Camelia restaurant. Food is excellent quality and well presented. Service is always on form, and pre drinks in the bar a delight. Loads of cocktails and Gin mixtures.....always extra snacks...... for a very safe bet and good service you cannot fault....

Our last stay in 2016 was amazing, we ate at The Pass which was a fantastic experience.

Visited the Camelia restaurant for afternoon Tea with a Friend and couldnt be happier with the experience.

Very nice for a special occasion and all the staff are very welcoming.

Such wonderful setting and great food .....had pheasant which was really tasty and the home made chocolates with coffee are amazing, especially the mojito truffles. This is the fourth time I have dined there for my birthday and every time it has always made it special. The staff are very attentive and polite.

Although I had attended a meeting here some years ago this was our first visit to the restaurant and was a birthday treat for my wife. The building is suitably imposing, of the baronial type where you might think Poirot would appear at some point and we were warmly greeted by one of the reception staff and shown to the restaurant. The maitre d'hotel was great, I gather he was usually in their other restaurant the Pass, he wished my wife Happy Birthday having noted my notification at time of booking, and was friendly and knowledgeable. The restaurant itself was firmly in keeping with my anticipation being wood paneled and suitable drapes and hangings but it was a pity the large fireplace did not contain a blazing log fire for the frosty November evening as this would then have been perfect. There was a group of ladies who seem to have gathered from various parts of Europe also dining and their merry chatter gave a lively atmosphere,

We booked Sunday lunch here as a birthday treat , have to say that from the moment we arrived until we left the staff were very good , the choice of food was good and also the portion sizes were more than we had expected , granted it`s not the cheapest Sunday lunch around but for something a bit special it`s worth a visit , we will be back and will also try out the afternoon tea option

What a great time we had for our Anniversary, the food was first class as with the staff, we have been a couple of times and on all occasions the service food and wine was perfect, we will be back soon for some more great food, many thanks to the staff and the chef.

Been quite a while since been at this restaurant and whilst still on the pricy side, the food and service was top quality. Such a lovely hotel and the staff were clearly well trained.

It was a beautiful Autumn day when we arrived at South Lodge, the hotel & grounds looked stunning. We were welcomed & escorted to the Camellia & went into the nearby bar for a pre-lunch drink. The service was excellent & very friendly. The restaurant is lovely, it was a busy Sunday lunch but the service was still good. I enjoyed my 3 course Sunday roast beef lunch & finished off sitting on the terrace for coffee & shortbread biscuits. A special dining experience

Food great, service atrocious. They didn’t have enough menus for all guests. Waiting staff did not know who ordered what. Drinks requested did not arrive. Coffee was not even offered after the meal. I’d expected so much more given the £80+ per head experience.

Great venue with superb facilities. Food was excellent.

Beautiful view and perfect food and service. A lovely venue for a leisurely lunch.

This is very well run hotel with good, reliable restaurants and nice staff.

A very delicious meal with great service. Was a real luxury to have such tasty food in such a lovely environment. It is not the cheapest of places but it is definitely worth it!

Absolutely outstanding, the food was impeccable, the service was amazing I literally couldn’t recommend this restaurant enough and the grounds are stunning, the only disadvantage were the drinks were pricey £15.00 for an aperol spritz but hey I didn’t let that ruin it

The meal was excellent though there was an error in not processing a dessert order.

It was very quiet on the Thursday lunch we visited but the food was lovely.

We had a special wedding anniversary dinner here. We had the best table with a view out to the lawns. The food was amazing very tasty and the service impeccable as you would expect. Very peaceful and perfect for a special occasion. Cannot wait to go back.

Always great food and sevice by attentive and friendly staff.

Camelia restaurant South Lodge. We really enjoyed our lunch at the Camelia. Service was as one would expect of a 5 star hotel. Our waiter was efficient but sadly lacking in personality, but the other staff were great. The food was delicious and well presented. I would thoroughly recommend this establishment, but people should expect to pay premium prices for premium quality.

Really lovely, quality innovative food in lovely surroundings. Service good and all staff seemed to have a smile on their face. This is not a cheap restaurant, but you do get what you pay for. One minor criticism would be the wine list. I understand that wine is an opportunity for restaurants to make money, but there were a dearth of options in the £30- £40 range (let alone £20 - £30). Also £5 for a bottle of water seems a bit excessive. This is a restaurant to go for a celebration. We would love to go back.

We are now regular visitors to South Lodge. We have had meals, afternoon tea, and a stay in one of their wonderful suites. A great place for a special, luxury treat.

Obviously not cheap, for example £9 for scoops of ice cream, but the food was extremely good and very tasty. Friendly staff.

A special occasion really spoiled by poor service, the old adage ‘you pay for what you get’ really is not befitting here. Three of us booked to go to the South Lodge last Saturday evening 4th August 2018. We were hoping to dine in the Pass but it was fully booked but we were happy enough to dine in the Camellia restaurant and when it was as beautiful day as it was, it looked like it would be a perfect evening. We arrived at 6:50pm for a 7pm booking and were greeted by the entrance to the gardens whereupon we were asked if we were dining, yes we were and did we wish to have a drink on the patio first. We opted to have a drink on the patio, all good so far. The lawns were beautiful and the views towards the South Downs were amazing too. It was at this point and far too soon in the evening that it started to go downhill. I have no objection to families and children and dogs, I have children and I have dogs too but I never imagined that I would be sipping a £15 Gin and tonic watching a dog toileting on the lawn – right in front of us. Would I now go and sit on the lawn after knowing that it is a dog’s exercise area where dogs are allowed to foul – no I wouldn’t. Couldn’t you insist that dogs should be kept on a lead and exercised in the rough ground or in the numerous fields surrounding the hotel? The waiter then approached our table, some 5 minutes after serving us our drinks and olives and asked us if we would move to our designated dinner table as other guests wanted to take these seats and we did have a table reserved. No real problem but I felt very second rate now. We were enjoying the early evening sun and were asked to move. Our drinks were moved but we did not get to enjoy any olives and nuts as these were taken away. A little disheartened and with some of the edge taken off our evening we placed our orders. The waitress brought out some lovely warm bread. After a couple of minutes she did not return so I called her over and had to ask for butter. Maybe it is normal to have plain bread but I have always been given butter or oil and vinegar with the bread course. We ordered two bottles of wine. The waiters/waitresses paid no attention to us throughout the service, if we had waited for the wine to be topped up in our glasses we would have gone thirsty so we topped our own up which is terrible for a restaurant of this standing. We also asked for a jug of tap water for the table. They didn’t bring a jug but bought small blue glasses which were topped up as frequently as the wine was. I ordered the mackerel to start which was divine and the fillet of beef with black garlic mash to follow. The waitress said it would be served medium rare – perfect. It was served well done and at £35 that is not acceptable. Not once did a waitress come and ask us how any of our courses were – not once so I did not have the opportunity to flag this up. If it were served medium rare the knife provided would have been fine but I actually needed a steak knife, very disappointed. With a final bill of £350 for three of us and with such consistently poor service it would take some convincing for me to return.

We celebrated two 70th birthdays in style! Very attentive staff and excellent food. Being able to sit outside under a canopy could not have been better with the hot weather.

Stating her at mo waiters trying hard very young cant even pour a drink problaly need training u dont touych a glass with a bottle u twist it so it is not thrown everywhere not a snob basic stuff and blokes in vests at dinner u for real 5 star ???? I have worked all over the world

Having called in the afternoon to confirm that we would be able to have dinner on the terrace we were advised on arrival (at 6.45pm) that there weren't serving outside despite the warm sunny weather because they had put the cushions away due to earlier rain! I know we've been spoilt with the weather recently please don't take it for granted, it will be over before we know it. For the record we live locally and there had been no rain at ours and the hotel grounds were dry. Personally, it just smacked to us of laziness and if they bring that attitude to the highly anticipated new spa they will have real problems maintaining what I am sure will be very expensive membership.

We first enjoyed a delicious Sunday lunch at the Camellia when expecting our first child and since then, we have returned many times. It is hard to find a luxury hotel which welcomes young children into the restaurant and we have always been impressed with how accommodating the staff are at South Lodge. The food has never been disappointing and there is a generous wine list. It’s become our first choice for special occasions.

Quality good but expensive. Service haphazard. Good wine list.

This is a place to go for a special occassion but the service really spoilt the evening. Got it wrong right from the start when one of our pre dinner drinks were forgotten (only four of us eating!) and we had gone through the drinks order twice. I then had to chase the waiter as I overheard them about to order the wrong drink.

I have stayed here before. Stunning and sublime are words that should be used to describe this fabulous hotel.

We sat outside in beautiful weather for my mum’s 70th birthday. Food excellent, limited lunchtime menu but all delicious. Service great and they brought a birthday dessert for my mum unprompted.

Awful service from the moment we arrived. Had to send back meal 3 times and was still cold. Waiter spilt my drink all over the table and did not even offer to get a new one. Service was so slow, after many complaints our dessert still took over half an hour. Will definitely not be coming back and will not recommend!

Stayed at this hotel on many occasions with equal regard for the hotel and for the restaurant. The hotel remains superb whilst the restaurant is appalling. The starter was uninspiring and overpriced whilst one main was satisfactory and the lamb almost a joke. Three small pieces badly presented with boiled potatoes again lack in presentation but more importantly taste. An imbalance between taste and presentation against price. Thoroughly disappointing not helped by a bossy rude head waiter. Overall so bad as to make staying at the hotel questionable in the future which for us is a big shame. Let’s hope that our experience was a one off but I wonder.

Excellent service, fantastic food and restaurant. Very relaxed and lovely to sit outside in hot weather under canopy. All our family really enjoyed it and can't wait to go back again. Thanks

We were seated outside but not through choice. Some in party were in full sun with temperature in high 20s making it uncomfortable. Didn't get round table for 8 as expected or 70th birthday message on dessert plate as promised.

Outstanding food and sevice in a quality country home setting.

Stayed Friday 11th May. I can’t express how impressed I was with the hotel, room and service. However, our evening dinner reservation absolutely exceeded expectations at the Camelia.

Fantastic Sunday Lunch sitting outside on a beautifully warm day with views across the South Downs highly recommend this for a special occasion or for a nice relaxing meal out.