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In a previous life, The Curlew Restaurant at Bodiam,
East Sussex was a Coaching Inn where travellers rested their weary, moustachioed heads and warmed their spirits while on rain-sodden route from Hastings to London.

But now, Mark and Sara Colley have given The Curlew
another life.

Just an errant arrow flight from Hastings, stone skim
from Bodiam Castle, mince from Brighton, manicured lawn from Tunbridge Wells, The Curlew is a place where formal food meets informal dining, where the city and country brush shoulders, style meets stile.

Modern British dining for the Modern British diner.

OPEN | Wednesday – Sunday
LUNCH | 12 midday until 2.30pm
DINNER | 6pm until 9.30pm

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MENUS

The Curlew is a modern British bistro built on four cornerstones: quality, locality, responsibility, seasonality.

Head Chef Neil McCue is committed to sourcing the very best quality meat and poultry, fish and seafood, vegetables and fruit he can find.

Neil begins that search in his local community. He fervently believes that there are some hugely talented, committed producers in Kent and Sussex turning out quality Romney lamb and Sussex beef, Kent cherry batter, Biddenden cider jelly and the like.

He believes local businesses and communities have a responsibility to support each other - global thinking,
local eating.

Neil maintains relationships with his local suppliers to ensure those fantastic products and ingredients are delivered at their very peak, and that The Curlew’s menu
remains embedded in the passing colours of the
British seasons.

We're also fortunate to have a guiding hand from
Graham Garrett; our Michelin-starred Executive chef has a
well-established reputation at his restaurant The West
House, Biddenden.

Ultimately, it’s all about the food.

France, Spain and Italy, New Zealand and South Africa; admittedly, for our wine list we had to travel a little
further afield.

Where possible, we have opted for independent, biodynamic and organic wine producers. Many of them committed to ‘terroir’, a wine philosophy bordering on the mystical, which balances the soil, climate, location, density, training, pruning and the cultural and social influences upon the final product.

Ultimately, it’s all about the wine.

That’s not to say we’ve ignored beers and lagers. After
a number of extensive tasting sessions, we opted for (amongst others) bitter from Hepworth & Co, winners of the West Sussex County Times Best Local Producer Award (2009), St Peter's Organic Beer from Suffolk and Kasteel Cru lager, the only lager which is made using Champagne yeast and brewed in Alsace.

Ultimately, it’s all about the beer.

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MENUS

SOUP £6.00
English sweetcorn, parmesan biscuits.

CORONATION CRAB £7.50
Weald's Oak smoked salmon, curried chicory and crab-slaw.

SUSSEX FARMHOUSE £7.00
Double baked cheese souffle.

PIECE OF CAKE £7.50

Duck pate, ham toast, runner bean salad.

PICKLED MACKEREL £6.50
Spiced carrot, horseradish, shallot, nasturtium leaves.

TOMATO £7.00
Robin's baby tomatoes, goat's cheese, courgette flower fritter.

BEEF & CHIPS £16.50
Sussex rump, dripping potatoes, béarnaise sauce.

ROMNEY MARSH LAMB £16.00
Slow cooked shoulder, lamb bacon, gem lettuce, mint dripping.

PORK £15.00
Crispy Old Spot belly, sweetcorn, roasted fennel, thyme.

WHOLE LEMON SOLE £16.00
Day boat landed, brown shrimp butter, samphire, salted lemon.

DUCK £15.50
Gressingham breast, wild blackberry, beetroot, wood sorrel.

GURNARD £15.50
Braised baby leeks, tomato & tarragon broth.

TRIFLE £6.50
Sweet wine jelly, raspberries, lavender ice-cream.

JUNKET £6.50
Milk pudding, thyme honey and redcurrant tart.

SUMMER PUDDING £6.50
Wild blackcurrants, fennel ice-cream.

GREENGAGE £6.50
Soaked upside down cake, yoghurt sorbet.

BLACKBERRY £6.50
Kentish blackberry batter, creme fraiche ice-cream.

CHEESE £7.00
Cheese of the week.

VEGETARIAN
Please ask for our separate menu.

CHILDREN UNDER NINE £7.50
Please ask what choices are available.

DAILY LIGHT LUNCH MENU
Wednesday to Saturday - 2 courses £16 / 3 courses £20

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PDF >

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PRIVATE DINING

It is an immutable fact of life – as we get older our memories fade. Through the dusky reminiscence, however, some things glisten as brightly as the first moment they trapped light: christening parties, birthday parties, engagement parties, office joining or leaving parties, wedding receptions, anniversaries and wakes.

These events bind us to our friends and family.
The Curlew can host each and all of these wonderful,
glittering shards.

Equally, if you would like to stage a business meeting,
or even a product launch, The Curlew will make sure
you shine.

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PRIVATE DINING

Further details for private dining will be available here soon.

In the mean time we would welcome the opportunity to discuss your requirements with you, so please feel free to get in touch with Mark Colley at the restaurant.

TELEPHONE | 01580 861394
EMAIL | enquiries@thecurlewrestaurant.co.uk

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EVENTS

Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s and Father’s Day, Easter, St George’s Day and Burns Night – there have never been more excuses to enjoy oneself.

At The Curlew, we have our own particular recipe for merriment and revelry and will announce plans for glorious celebration and more in this section.

SIGN UP | To be added to our mailing list, to receive news, event and menu information please fill in the form below:

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menus or to book a table

RESERVATIONS

Welcome to our direct booking system. For groups of 4 or less, we can take your reservation here. Alternatively, you can call or email us with your booking request.

For reservations for 5 or more people, please contact the restaurant directly.

TELEPHONE | 01580 861394
EMAIL | enquiries@thecurlewrestaurant.co.uk

If we are not around, leave a message on our answer machine and we will call you straight back.

OPEN | Wednesday – Sunday
LUNCH | 12 midday until 2.30pm
DINNER | 6pm until 9.30pm

GALLERY

Can there be anyone whose brain, upon reading the word ‘Gallery’, does not conjure an image of the Tate Modern’s contemplative, meditative space… with a beaming Tony Hart, paint brushes crossed, standing right in the middle?

We thought you might be interested in seeing some of our pictures in The Curlew Gallery (Age 1).

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CONTACT

The first alphabet was scribed in 3500BC, the first postal system used in 900BC, homing pigeons took flight in 776BC and the first newspaper was printed in 1450.
The first microphone was whispered into in 1821 and in 1914 the first cross-continental phone call took place. 1925 a television signal, 1965 the first email and 1985
the first mobile phonecall.

We have been getting in touch with each other for thousands of years in thousands of ways.

Today, you can get in touch with us by…

TELEPHONE | 01580 861394
EMAIL | enquiries@thecurlewrestaurant.co.uk
POST | Junction Road, Bodiam, East Sussex, TN32 5UY
IN PERSON | click here to find us

Quick, before something new comes along!

NEWS

Whether we're committed to unearthing, establishing
and analysing the truth or just committed to juicy gossip,
the British news industry is the envy of the world.

A staggering 13 national newspapers, the BBC and
creators of the internet prove we're a people who quite
simply love new stuff.

In that vein, we thought we'd bring you our new stuff,
via our (hopefully) witty, informed and at times eyebrow-raising newsfeed blog page.

We'll tell you about new dishes, new staff, new events,
new reviews.

And if you’d like to send us your comments and
pictures of visits to The Curlew, we’ll add them to
the blog – making your news, our news!

Click here for the newsfeed >