Knepp wilding Kitchen in Horsham

I really don’t know where to begin, I live locally and was very proud to show off this amazing place to my Irish cousin who is a champion vegetable grower in Ireland! So the barns are beautiful the tea garden is beautiful the walks brilliant! But what a shock in the cafe when we ordered a Spanish ‘ cold ‘soup ?! By mistake! The staff explained it was a soup but failed to tell us it was cold ! So no sorry that is not what you expect in a rural setting! So we asked for a plate of chips and out came crispy potatoes with a awfull green sauce very herby , and the tomato sauce in a bottle that came from Italy!!! .we spoke to the manager and told her that we were very disappointed with the menu!! Why do they have to have Spanish soup in our lovely country setting? And one more thing they asked about allergies and we said yes. Gluten free but you told us you didn’t have any??? What!! Sorry but we will not be eating there again! Very disappointed indeed! Anthea Fielder

A different, informal dining experience in a lovely rural setting with excellent friendly staff. We did the short walk and the market garden tour first which added to the experience. Best to get there early if you want a sharing steak. The Chef’s Table dining option worked really well for us and included much of the produce from the Knepp estate.

Enjoyed a glorious walk around the Knepp estate and enticing entrance courtyard tempted us to lunch which motivated us on our marathon. Initially we moved tables three times as there were a lot of wasps around which were difficult to escape. The menu was small but we appreciate the focus on quality over quantity. Overall the food was good. We ordered two charchuterie non-plow ploughmans, one of which was missing ingredients that the other had. We mentioned it to a waitress clearing a nearby who said "sorry!" but did nothing. We had a side of potatoes which were fabulous apart from the strands of hair in the accompanying sauce. We ordered a brownie to share as a dessert which we had to chase to get delivered and the water station was out of water so we had to ask multiple members of staff for water and was sent on a wild goose chase. The maitre de was lovely and created a really hospitable environment. Overall we were impressed and we'll give it another shot on a non-bank holiday weekend. It has the potential for greatness so perhaps we just chose the wrong day.

We loved it so much that we have just read all the reviews and it looks like we had wildly different experience. The food was absolutely gorgeous, we didn’t have to wait long at all, the waiter was fabulous and we feel that for the money we paid we got a lot of value out of it. In fact the portions were so generous that we asked for take away boxes and just had another full dinner out of it.

Disorganised. Very chaotic service. Had a ceased salad which was awful. Wrong sort of lettuce, powdered Parmesan and almost no dressing at all. Seemed to be only one card reader so huge queues waiting to pay/order.

Very enjoyable lunch. Delicious food, interesting and tasty combinations and the venison was so tender. Special shout out for staff on duty, Jamie was lovely. Very attentive and knowledgeable in service. Thank you!

I’ve visited Knepp a few times now since it opened last summer and it’s still not improved. The environment is lovely, the barn very beautiful. There is no food served between 11 and 12 (apart from a few stale looking cakes) which is a strange idea, I’ve never been anywhere else that does this. The menu is very limited which would be fine if the options were better. We chose red pepper frittata which turned out to be leek and spinach when it arrived. It was served not with the salad as listed but with some big roast potato’s and a dry coleslaw. This was £14 (!) The whole meal was extremely dry and crying out for a dressing of some sort. It also desperately needed seasoning. Finally we waited half an hour for 3 cups of tea (in a very small pot) Reading all the reviews I feel that someone needs to have a chat with the chef and the team as a whole, and really change things up, it’s a lovely environment but that’s about it.

We ate in the restaurant. From the first moment the service was great. We had the menu explained and awaited the food. The mushrooms were so tasty, the carrot was imaginative and delicious. We tried the sausage and thyme sauce, and loved it. The main course was the 500g steak cooked over flame on the bone. It was well rested and seasoned. The crispy potatoes came with an amazing emulsion that was bursting with flavour. I didn't have room for desert. It was all very tasty. My lunch companion said it was definitely a 10/10

A bit off the beaten track, a surprising substantial coffee shop /cafe in a lovely new building. I recommend the house cinnamon bun.

Poor choice on the menu, my friend ordered just before me, I ordered a beef sandwich, my friend had finished lunch by the time I got mine, bread was hard and dry with no butter, only filled at the front of the sandwich and far too many slices of gherkins, very disappointing and omg £11.00 far too expensive for what I got, I wouldn’t recommend.

Beautiful venue and atmosphere, food to match. Staff and facilities were great. Easy to get to, plenty of parking, will be back soon.

Way overpriced! Iffy warm (not hot) coffee with suspect milk. Tasty hunk of chocolate brownie. £7 something. Sat on a rusty seat at a rusty table (is that supposed to be atmosphere?) outside. I can get delicious homemade soup at Southwater Country Park for £5, so at £8.50 your soup and a roll is way over the top. And as for £18 (£18!!!) for a burger. No, I won't be coming back

Arrived to a beautifully laid out shop with some great organic/sustainably sourced products for sale, together with other gift ideas, books and household accessories - superb. Unfortunately, the ensuing visit to the cafe was not as successful and a great disappointment. Found, as it is, in a beautifully restored barn the scene is set for a delicious/innovative food experience. However, that is not the case; the lunch menu was minimal, lacking in both choice or variety (around 6 offerings for mains, two of which were sandwiches and one soup). Finding it difficult to see anything that "jumped off the blackboard" I decided to try the spiced beetroot sandwich - the rather strange veggy option on offer - which was pleasant enough, but far from outstanding and not something that will encourage any return visit. My friend had a beef sandwich, which again was pleasant enough, but not the tasty lunch snack we had both been anticipating. It has to be said that the staff were super friendly and helpful and the venue has so obviously had a load of money lavished upon it. The need now is to make sure that the cafe menu lives up to all these other fantastic standards, in order to attract repeat business. It is set within a glorious countryside location with wonderful rustic buildings and lovely staff - it just needs a new menu and all will be well.

Nearly £8.00 for 2 double espressos - are you kidding??? And that’s from the take-away wagon not the main restaurant. Probably the world’s most overpriced coffee, served by inexperienced teenagers who took 2 attempts to get it right - and still failed. You’d think anywhere that gouges its customers with such ridiculously high prices could actually train their staff properly. But you’d be wrong. Won’t be going back.

This new country venue could be absolutely wonderful - the converted barn is lovely and the concept of natural parkland is very attractive, but the kitchen and restuarant need serious attention to match their surroundings. Limited choice sounded promising in the smarter restuarant but steak at £50 - £90, even if shared, is a stretch. Not possible to have food from the adjacent cafe ( why not?) whose clunky handmade style pottery and nicely mismatched furniture do not compensate for painfully slow service and amateur - if very friendly - service. Food which eventually arrived was cold and expensive.

Arrived with friends & family and sat outside after ordering coffee and lunch. As the heavens opened, we moved inside- only to be discouraged from doing so by one waitress as they were apparently too busy. After some negotiation and basic explanation that we’d already ordered (and didn’t fancy getting soaked) we were offered a table in the ‘private dining’ area. This is situated next to the toilets, with a paper thin wall between them resulting in a very whiffy experience with no means of ventilation. This can be tolerated to an extent but not when you’re eating. The food is well prepared although burgers don’t come with any salad, just bread and meat. The coffee isn’t great, mine wasn’t hot but rather gritty. One table sent back 2 plates of tiny lasagne. Shame as it has marred a better experience when it first opened.

Delicious breakfast and coffee. Golden eggs! Good, fast service. Don’t miss the shop; it’s achingly tasteful! I will be back.

Amazing good. Ignore the bad reviews. One of the best country cafes I’ve ever been to. We walked round the red route first so this added to it, but still. Ambiance was great too.

Food not cooked- maybe they need to have a chef who knows how to cook. Compared to Winston Estate, similar pricing but far inferior in skillset imagination and level of service. Would I go again? Probably if desperate but there are other pubs locally who offer much better food!

Lunch in the cafe after a walk. I had the burger, which was fine, though expensive at £18. My companion was charged £16 for a butter bean stew. This was clearly being sold as a main course, but comprised a tiny portion of beans with a few breadcrumbs on top and a bit of diced carrot. Flavourless, dull, far too small and grossly overpriced. There is no excuse for this.

Very pretty barn, but arrived mid Friday morning and other than a couple of scones and pre cut pieces of cake, nothing else cake-wise was displayed to have with our-coffee- Perhaps a greater selection should be made available? First impressions were that it just looked...

The staff and the food were excellent in the restaurant, helpful when it came to aiding us in choices, dietary requirements and ensuring we were well fed! We shared all the mains and a mix of the light bites between our table and everything was...

Overpriced, staff hanging around cluelessly, had to clear table ourselves just to mention a few faults. I had a celeriac cabatta which was not edible. Nothing else for a veggie to eat except soup. Limited & poor menu. What market are they aiming at? Would...

Poor food, bland, badly cooked ie steak steamed covered in runny gravy, shown to booked table 20 mins late. Told 3 times while waiting, won’t be a minute, they were right it was twenty. Serving staff hadn’t a clue what food tasted like or how...

Stopped for lunch after a nice walk around the estate. 4 hungry adults. Had to queue at till for quite a while as each transaction seemed to take ages. Tables not cleared and left dirty. We had to clear them ourselves. None of the staff...

We ordered soup- had lovely house wine- Soup arrived in huge bowls & a really small portion & lukewarm- £8.50 definitely not worth it - we felt that they had maybe watered it down as running out, they were very busy - We asked the...

This was such a treat after a long walk. The staff were so welcoming, attentive and helpful. We had the house wine and ordered a few plates to share between us. Every single one was delicious and the wine was lovely too. A wonderful way...

After a beautiful walk on the estate we were really disappointed with our lunch. Initially we were pleased to see a small menu presuming that everything would be great quality. The £18 burger was over cooked, as well as being tasteless as were the potatoes...

Average food, lots of clueless young staff standing around not doing much, cold, strange atmosphere and a distinctive unfinished feel to the whole place. After queuing for the only one of two working tills I tried to order a cream tea for one. It took...

Wanted a treat, and have seen some of the new dishes on social media so had to go. A dank day, but the restaurant and cafe was busy, with a great atmosphere. I was beautifully looked after, menus, then a drink swiftly delivered. As ever,...

We booked for the restaurant next to the cafe. What an incredible setting and whilst our waitress was attentive, we left disappointed. It’s a bit chilly but fine if you keep your coat on! There was a small menu and we were advised to order...

Looked promising but overpriced and very average. Service slow and unreliable. Atmosphere rather odd. Not one to recommend and seriously needs to improve the quality of its food to justify its pricing.

I have often visited Knepp, but never eaten in the Wilding Kitchen. My goodness - why did I wait? I came for a pre-Christmas lunch with my wife and we were exceptionally well looked after by our server, Carly. She was polite, attentive and friendly...

We have visited twice and each time enjoyed and appreciated the quality and presentation of the dishes. We ate in the restaurant on both occasions and always found the staff friendly, helpful and efficient. They always made us feel welcome and will certainly return. Great...

Awful experience. Overpriced poor food with painfully slow service and dirty cutlery. What a rip off. We will not be returning and advise anyone considering a visit to avoid avoid avoid!

What a lovely way to spend a winter’s afternoon with a good friend. Great ambience and the food was absolutely delicious. I stuffed myself silly with so many vegan delights, despite the Christmas menu not looking very vegan-friendly. Ned and his team excelled themselves catering...

Had the hearty Christmas Lunch at the Knepp Wilding Restaurant, and left feeling so satisfied with the service as well as the food. Would highly recommend the restaurant to anyone who was thinking of paying Knepp Wilding Kitchen a trip.

The lunch was very good food staff helpful and polite the place was lovely and clean we will definitely go back there.

My husband and I had a delightful lunch in the Knepp Wilding Kitchen. The chef really knows how to get the taste buds going! We chose a venison dish in the lovely restaurant and it was altogether a very pleasant experience. Plus, the service was impeccable. We'll definitely be back and may try the café next time, which looks just as nice as the restaurant (but you can't book there).

A unique and warm welcome awaits you at Knepp , an experience like no other , the delicious food is all sourced on site or locally , the staff are excellent and the atmosphere is so relaxing set in the largest rewilding Safari park outside of Africa ...truly amazing...thankyou knepp

We came to have breakfast to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. It’s a beautiful rustic barn set In gorgeous Sussex countryside. I am a dairy intolerant vegetarian and there was almost nothing on the menu that I could eat. . No vegan options on the menu re breakfasts except maybe a cooked breakfast. No soya yogurt options with the granola. The cakes all contained butter/milk. Very disappointing. My daughter wanted to have scrambled eggs with her cooked breakfast rather than poached eggs and this request was refused. The restaurant and cafe were very quiet, so it seems very inflexible of the chef not to cater for this simple request. I would return for coffee and a walk, but anything more would be a pointless expedition unless they expand their menu to cater for people with intolerances. I hope the menu changes as it is set in such a beautiful location.

Absolutely love this venue we fist came here long before the wilding lichen for walks but what a wonderful addition Great food , service friendly though professional staff most of all the ambiance is conducive to a relaxing time

If you're looking for something different and want high quality and very, very tasty dining, this place is for you. Dress warm or take a blanket (smart casual or or outdoor gear and wellies is just fine) as it can get a little nippy in the restaurant- but that is the only downside. We had eaten in cafe before (and had a delicious grass fed beef burger) and decided to try the restaurant for my birthday. We opted for small plates, so we could sample many dishes as we couldn't make up our minds what we wanted and it all sounded so good. Our favourites were the celeriac (I didn't know celeriac could taste so good), mushrooms on brioche (I could eat this everyday for every meal - definitely having this again), and the beef fillet tartare (beef was seared first so it had a lovely smoky taste) - but ask for more crackers, as we needed more. We opted for the baked Alaska dessert (with smoked strawberries) which might not be to everyone's taste, but we thought it was lovely. The desert wine Knepp had was very nice (I recommend that if you'rethere for a soecial occasion) and our only criticism on the drinks is that my husband would like a non/low alchoholic beer option, as he'd like to feel he's having a drink, when he isn't and is driving. There weren't any, so he had to opt for a soft drink instead. Don't forget, once you've had your meal, you can take a walk around the estate to work off all that food. It's a fascinating place, full of amazing wildlife, so take some binoculars too. Knepp is somewhere we've fallen in love (having just heard about it in 2023) with and is somewhere we will be visiting a lot from now on.

We came as a large group of 14 and had a lovely lunch for my birthday in the private dining room. The sfaff were really attentive and very helpful with the suggestions of plates and how much we needed for the group. The dishes were all very good and little food was left, especially the racks of beef from the estate cows! Will certainly return and highly recommnend.

We have been a number of times and each time has been a very positive and pleasant experience. The atmosphere and ambience has always been very relaxing. We will definitely be returning in the near future. We love the rewilding ethos.