Gnocchi in garlic cream sauce, followed by Black Forest trifle, sounds like an unlikely dairy-free lunch. Both appear on Botanica’s sample menu at South Lodge in Sussex, where the kitchen takes familiar dishes in a different direction. The gnocchi comes with broccoli and a chive-and-onion crumble. Chocolate custard and cherry compote fill the trifle.
The Mediterranean-inspired restaurant also follows a zero-waste approach, with South Downs produce informing the cooking. Plant-based dishes share the menu with meat and fish, including grilled chicken with Botanica’s Caesar salad. Lunch leaves room for a few small plates too, such as treacle-roasted parsnips with mulled-wine-pickled cranberries. Spa guests can eat in their robes until 5.30pm, which settles the question of getting dressed for another course.
