As Winter settles over the Surrey Hills, enjoy a slice of unparalleled magic and five-star luxury at the famous Beaverbrook Estate.
We were beyond excited to receive our invitation to try out Beaverbrook’s notable gastronomic experiences including The Dining Room – Japanese Grill, The Garden House, WildKitchen, The Pizzeria at The Deli and Mrs Beeton’s in The Village. We hope you enjoy this exclusive review as much as we did.
On arrival at our picture-perfect day at Beaverbrook, we were instantly wowed by the grandiose buildings with their beautiful white stoned architecture and exquisitely maintained gardens, overlooking the rambling Surrey Hills. Beaverbrook is a hotel, a retreat and a spa which also has award-winning golf courses, padel and tennis courts, woodland adventures, a cinema, ice-skating, hot air balloon dining and gastronomy heaven with five world-class restaurants; that are all open to the public. Lucky us!
In case you didn’t know, Beaverbrook was once home to celebrated newspaper publisher Lord Beaverbrook and was also the part-time war residence for Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. During WW2, Churchill appointed his good friend Lord Beaverbrook as Minister of Aircraft, hence the nod to the wartime heritage located throughout the Estate, including Beaverbrook’s famous spitfire logo, used in all their branding to this day.
THE DINING ROOM – JAPANESE GRILL
Our gastronomy extravaganza started at The Dining Room’s Japanese Grill – a gem in Surrey’s culinary scene with multiple accolades including ‘Best Fine Dining Restaurant’ at the Surrey Awards. The elegant menu of delicately flavoured Sushi, Sashimi and Nigiri with the finest cuts of meat and fish from the Josper Grill, is remarkable.
Headed up by the internationally renowned chef, Wojciech Popow, who has worked with Gordon Ramsay, top London nightspot Yashin and was awarded Sushi Chef of the Year, ensures the cuisine and creativeness of the dishes at The Dining Room – Japanese Grill are second to none.
We got to sample Chef Wojciech Popow’s acclaimed Nigiri Selection – ‘Omakase Nigiri’ – on our recent visit including individual portions of: ‘Sake : Smoked Soy & Black Garlic’, ‘Akami : 20 Year-Aged Mirin, Ponzu & Yuzu Kosho’, ‘O-Toro : Truffle Yuzu Miso & Fresh Truffle’ and the much-hyped ‘Madai : Tosa Soy & Foraged Cornish Ants.’
Yes, you did read that correctly…Cornish ants! A delightful delicacy and a must try at Beaverbrook.
All were sublime, fresh and flavoursome although the winning Nigiri for our tasters was the ‘Ebi : Yuzu Soy & Yuzu Foam’ and ‘Hamachi : Acorn Soy & Madagascar Peppercorns’ which had that added spicy kick.
The entrée of ‘Lobster Taco’ was to die for too. Generous chunks of fresh lobster infused with miso and a crispy, patterned wholewheat taco – dressed with caviar and wafered mushroom. On the recommendation of our sommelier, we washed this down with a glass of the local Albury Estate Sparkling Wine – it worked perfectly.
What an impressive start to a perfect day.
THE GARDEN HOUSE RESTAURANT
Our next stop was a short walk away to The Garden House. On arrival we were greeted by the ever-friendly staff and dropped off more Surrey Rocks Magazines in their decadent, yet snug Robin’s Nest Bar.
The Garden House, known for its beautiful location and gardens for growing flowers, vegetables and herbs for their menus, is truly amazing. As the seasons shift, so does The Garden House, embracing the latest seasons with Head Chef Adam Sharpe presenting hearty menus inspired by what’s growing at the garden and its potting sheds.
We were offered an amazing ‘Smorgasbord’ selection of Starters and Mains including ‘Roasted Sand Carrot Soup’ with rosemary and carrot crisp which was delightful, bursting with sweet vegetable flavour and goodness. The rosemary, we were told, was handpicked that day (of course!)
The ‘Garden House Tomato & Olive Focaccia’ to accompany, was served warm straight out of the oven, with early harvest olive oil and whipped butter on the side. The bread was crusty, yet so soft and doughy in the middle, with an abundance of seeds and fresh olives. Splendid.
Next up, the ‘Crispy Polenta Squid’ with purple shiso and samphire was a beautifully presented dish. Freshly cooked squid, fragrant samphire, illuminated shiso and ideal crunch on the tempura batter with no grease, which completely amazed our tasters.
Our seafood heaven continued with the ‘Hand Dived Orkney Scallop’ with corn espuma, parmesan and lemon thyme sauce. Succulent scallops served with a divine, fragrant, citrus sauce. We mopped up with the remaining Focaccia bread, easily making this a 10 out of 10 dish.
Finally, the ‘Artisanal Burrata & Butternut’ mainstay starter dish complete with fresh sage from the garden and rocket pesto was another winner. Presented in a seasonal pumpkin; the burrata was soft, creamy and shredded easily on touch, while the butternut squash was cubed and cooked perfectly al dente. Combining this with the fresh sage and vibrantly-coloured, green pesto dressing, was a definite tastebud explosion.
Filling up fast, we were whisked away to our next destination.
THE PIZZERIA AT THE DELI
Beaverbrook’s gastronomy experience continued with a visit to The Pizzeria at The Deli located in the stunning The Coach House Spa building located a short walk from the Main House.
Here you can enjoy stone-baked pizzas, vibrant cocktails and fresh seasonal fare with a relaxed and comforting dining experience.
The Pizzeria at The Deli is the perfect spot to dine with family and friends. Made with fresh, seasonal produce, their traditional pizzas are stone oven-baked to create a truly authentic taste. Pizza dough is made in-house using a unique recipe for a perfectly balanced base.
The Italian-inspired menu includes Beaverbrook’s classics, like the ‘Ortolana’ with roasted vegetables, and the Chef’s specialities like the ‘Ai Gamberi’ with burrata and king prawns.
THE BEAVERBROOK WILDKITCHEN
‘The Beaverbrook WildKitchen’ was built especially for the Estate in 2024 by ‘The Gentleman’ director Guy Ritchie’s bespoke outdoor-living company – offering the perfect Al Fresco/Outdoor Dining Experience, catering for up to 24 guests.
This ideal special occasion venue WildKitchen, represents a revolution in the outdoor-living experience, making it possible to eat outside all-year-round, with the world’s first, fully retractable canvas and hardwood flooring designed to withstand wet and windy conditions.
The concept was made even more famous by the 2025 Netflix ‘Beckham’ documentary when David Beckham and his family opened & closed the series cooking from their very own Guy Ritchie-personalised WildKitchen. Apparently, Madonna’s ex-husband created the brand out of “the love of fire, BBQ’s and the great outdoors.”
After visiting on our recent Beaverbrook tour we can see the passion project in its full glory – and it really is remarkable! A kitsch, cosy and completely different dining experience is on the cards with flaming hot plates and a Beaverbrook personalised menu.
Beaverbrook guests can choose between two exclusive menus to try at The WildKitchen: ‘The Surf & Turf by Adam Sharpe’ from The Garden House or ‘Wild Japanese Dining by Wojciech Popow’ from the Japanese Grill, depending on your guest’s palettes.
Or new for 2025 is ‘Into The Wild’ where you can embark on an extraordinary experience that combines adventure, connection and feasting. This exclusive group day package brings together the adrenaline-fueled ‘Bear Grylls Survival Academy’ and the culinary magic of WildKitchen, offering a unique way to bond as a team or family at Beaverbrook.
MRS BEETON’S AT THE VILLAGE
A short buggy ride from the Main House (thank you Eugene – our buggy driver!) and nestled within the Leatherhead and Mickleham woodlands at Beaverbrook, you can now visit the nostalgic and timeless charm of ‘The Village.’
With 21 guest rooms, housed across a collection of ten cottages and a main 5 bedroom house, as well as an events space called ‘The Writer’s Block’ and a beautiful, bright and colourful restaurant called ‘Mrs Beeton’s’ – we took a step back in time for our last Beaverbrook experience.
Mrs Beeton’s at Beaverbrook (named after the famous Victorian culinary goddess) offers classically British fare, alongside an impressive dessert menu and wine list. Carrying through the artistic theme, is an impressive menu with elegant literacy touches, including the placemats which play homage to manners of Mrs Beeton’s day!
“Dine we must and we may as well dine elegantly as well as wholesomely” is quoted by Mrs Isabella Beeton. Well said.
We were delighted to have our Beaverbrook Dessert Experience here. First up was the classic ‘Strawberry Eton Mess’ which contained crisp meringue, strawberries, vanilla and mascarpone chantilly. Served in a sundae dish this was light, fresh and irresistible.
The second dessert was a ‘Salted Caramel Sundae’ containing chocolate brownie and hazelnuts in a large sundae dish. Sweet but not sickly this was devoured alongside a herbal tea and cappuccino.
There were also 6 amazing milkshake choices including; ‘Salted Caramel Pretzel’ served with vanilla ice-cream, milk, caramel sauce, pretzel or the ‘Oreo Cheesecake’ with cookies, cream, chocolate ice-cream.
Beaverbrook’s dazzling design duo of Sir Frank Lowe (advertising mogul and Beaverbrook’s Creative Director) and acclaimed British designer, Nicola Harding, have united to bring the dazzling interiors to The Village. It is a beautiful and artistic home from home! Another must try.
WINTER ICE-SKATING EXPERIENCE
Beaverbrook’s beautiful open-air ice rink transforms the Estate into a Winter Wonderland from November 20th 2025 to February 1st 2026 with festive melodies as you glide across the ice in the stunning surroundings and a cute eatery for hot chocolate and snacks.
Beaverbrook’s signature ‘Skate & Dine’ experience includes a 45-minute skate, rink-side treat and a meal in one of their restaurants. For those seeking an enchanting Winter escape, ‘Stay, Skate & Dine’ offers an overnight stay, unlimited time on the ice, a rink-side treat and dinner to complete a magical Winter evening.
If you want to enjoy more of the Beaverbrook Estate there are some great overnight and weekend stays; filled with festive films in the cinema, relaxing afternoons in the spa, woodland walks or evenings feasting by the fire or retreat to your room and you’ll find timeless comforts and corners which tell their own story.
IN CONCLUSION
In summary, the combination of impeccable customer service, stunning scenery, refined ambience and outstanding cuisine makes Beaverbrook a must-visit destination this Winter and beyond.
A special mention has to go to the amazing staff at Beaverbrook. From our initial booking with the charming Abby, to the effervescent Sales Manager Alessia to our chat with Chef Wojciech Popow and buggy driver extraordinaire Eugene – they all went above and beyond to make our experience as memorable and magical as it was.
But don’t just take it from us – try it out for yourself.
Trust us, you will not be disappointed!
CONTACT
Beaverbrook, Reigate Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8QX
01372 571300
info@beaverbrook.co.uk
www.beaverbrook.co.uk
@beaverbrook
