Restaurant near Haywards Heath recognised in Good Food Guide

The owner of a restaurant near Haywards Heath has said it is '˜quite an honour' to have improved its rating in an annual guide to the top UK places to eat.
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Jeremy’s Restaurant in the grounds of Borde Hill Garden, near Haywards Heath, has been awarded a five rating in the 2019 Good Food Guide.

The handbook, which was launched in 1951 and is now published by Waitrose, features reviews of 1,200 cafes, pubs or restaurants across the country, with ratings from one to ten and reviews based on feedback from readers and anonymous inspections.

From left, Jeremy Ashpool, Jimmy Gray, Maria Chilton and Vera Ashpool. Photograph and video by Steve Robards (SR1827251)From left, Jeremy Ashpool, Jimmy Gray, Maria Chilton and Vera Ashpool. Photograph and video by Steve Robards (SR1827251)
From left, Jeremy Ashpool, Jimmy Gray, Maria Chilton and Vera Ashpool. Photograph and video by Steve Robards (SR1827251)
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Jeremy Ashpool, who owns Jeremy’s Restaurant with wife Vera, said: “We have been in The Good Food Guide since about 1985.

“We’re very proud of that because we have been in every year consistently,” he added.

“We have always had a good rating but this year they took our rating up a point, from four to five.

“It’s quite an honour.”

In April, Jeremy’s Restaurant celebrated its 20th anniversary of being based at the Borde Hill site.

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Jeremy said that they have ‘always enjoyed a really strong following’ and that the review is a ‘great endorsement from a very loyal clientele’.

He added: “I’m just very, very pleased for the whole team, including front of house. We have got the recognition that we really feel that we deserve through the hard work people put in. Maybe the next goal is a Michelin star.”

Head chef Jimmy Gray is praised in the review for his ‘inventive, spritely dishes’.

He spent last year travelling, mostly in Asia, with his girlfriend Maria Chilton, who also works at the restaurant, learning about Asian cuisine.

Speaking of the review, he said it is a ‘massive achievement’ and that he was ‘overwhelmed by it’.