There are few eateries that are hidden away as well as the Yokebourne Restaurant at the Mill House Hotel. It’s located on the edge of Ashington, but you could live in the village for many years and be unaware of its existence, half way along a bumpy driveway that links a small access point on the A24 dual carriageway with Mill Lane in the village.

But the delightful 17th Century country house, originally built as accommodation for mill workers, has been used as a hotel for many years. Having been run as a Bed and Breakfast and then a hotel, it closed in 2007 and for two years sat sadly dormant, until a Storrington family saw potential in the grand old building and took on the challenge or renovating the building.

David Ockelford and his wife Karen re-opened The Mill House Hotel last year, whilst eldest son Richard took on the role of head chef in the hotel restaurant. Karen said: “We came to look at the hotel, and it was in a pretty bad state.  But It has a homely warmth to it, and was a place we could see ourselves both living and working. I do have a tendency to take on mad challenges. I bought a shop, a pub (the couple ran the White Horse in Pulborough) and now we have a hotel!”

The kitchens were also of great interest to the Ockelfords. Richard also runs an outside events and catering company (www.ark-events.co.uk) and the hotel is occasionally used for functions related to this business.
However, it is the hotel side of the business that is thriving more than anything. David said: “We moved in on Boxing Day 2009, into a dark, desolate run-down property.  We spent five months renovating to a level so we could get the restaurant open in May last year.

“The hotel side has really taken off since the Roundabout Hotel in West Chiltington closed, as there aren’t many hotels in this area. We need to build the restaurant side of the business but that takes time in a rural community like this.  We host music events here at the hotel and often put on a hog roast or BBQ and that attracts local people with their families, but it’s difficult as of course we don’t get too much in the way of passing trade here.”

With only five rooms at the Hotel, it is clear that the restaurant must offer something special to convince anyone other than guests to visit The Mill House. And it’s Richard who is charged with enticing people away from the beaten path with his culinary expertise. Richard was head chef at the White Lion in Thakeham for two years before joining his parents at The Mill House Hotel.

Richard said: “The aim is to provide people with as close to a fine-dining experience as we can here but without the formalities or pretentiousness. So we keep it relaxed, informal but still the same quality food you’d expect from top restaurants. I think people like the homely feel and personal approach to the service, coupled with the food.”

But does the food hold up to scrutiny? All of the meals on the menu are homemade -  even the ice creams and sorbets are made in the kitchen, as is the bread and soup. The beef is sourced from Surrey Farm near Guildford, the pork from a farm in Funtington near Chichester, while other produce comes from Farncombes Fresh Food in Cranleigh.

Richard said: “I don’t push the boundaries too far, so you still get a real plate of food. Something I’m quite keen on is that people get value for money and don’t leave here hungry. I like to use cuisine from across the world, and I think that comes across in the menu.  I take an English dish and change it about a bit, so you have things like the lamb with the mint tabouleh (a salad popular in the Middle East). I don’t want to get labelled in any particular way.  If I have a broad menu, I should be able to please everybody.”

So would we be pleased with what we were presented with at The Mill House? Before we get to that, we’ll briefly touch on what a lovely building The Mill House Hotel is - a quiet, safe setting, run by a very  welcoming family. It’s a lovely place to pop along to, even if you just want to share a bottle of wine with a degree of peace and quiet.
But can Richard’s food be good enough to see the restaurant develop as a stand-alone business, not reliant on the trade of hotel guests?

His daring approach to dishes and his willingness to blend several tastes in one meal means that, inevitably, he’s going to have some successes and some failures. Take the two starters we ordered. Not content with cured salmon, Richard serves up purple salmon gravadlax (with baby gem crayfish parcel and avocado salsa). The salmon is home-cured with beetroot, horseradish, lemon and dill for a unique taste! We also ordered the coconut king prawn and spring onion frittata (with chilli and garlic mayonnaise and coriander cress) which isn’t quite so unusual, but again  showcases the chef’s desire to steer clear of the norm.

My frittata went down well but was a little underwhelming, but Toby really enjoyed his salmon, which didn’t suffer from being overly salty. For main course, I went for the pan roast harissa rump of lamb (sliced and served on a warm mint tabouleh with tomatoes and creamed chick peas). The meal was beautifully presented, the tabouleh well flavoured and there was a good amount of lamb served. Probably even better was Toby’s meal - confit leg of duck with orange and plum sauce, with silky sage mash and caramelised shallots. The meat was tender, and worked with the soft, well seasoned mashed.

Also on offer at The Mill House is oven roast guinea fowl supreme, 8oz ribeye of British beef, smoked haddock fillet, and buffalo mozzarella and pepper baklava. A main course costs £13.95 (extra £3.50 for steak) and two courses costs £19.95. You can, of course, select a dessert too. Most of these are prepared by Craig Holden, the sous chef, who has been entered into the Sussex Food and Drink Awards in the Young Chef of the Year category (The restaurant is in the Best Eating Experience category).

My baked white chocolate cheesecake (with peanut caramel and white chocolate sauce) was lovely, but could have done with a bigger dollop of the gorgeous peanut caramel! Toby opted for the iced Baileys parfait and meringue nest, which was neatly prepared,  freshly served and mercilessly devoured. With most of our fellow diners on a quiet Thursday evening having ‘retired’ to their hotel rooms, the two of us were the only customers as we drank our coffees and discussed the meal.

We have slightly differing views on The Mill House Hotel. Toby enjoyed his meal immensely, as did I, but I feel that a few more conservative choices on the menu could serve them well. At the same time, it’s great to see chefs prepared to be adventurous, and you wouldn’t want to discourage that…

One thing is for certain, The Mill House Hotel is a lovely place for a couple to dine out, especially if it’s combined with a stay. The restaurant  also serves up a Sunday Roast, and there cannot be many better places to enjoy a relaxing, friendly and lazy Sunday afternoon.

Visit the Hotel website at www.themillhousessusex.com