Christmas Afternoon Tea Extravaganza at Leonardslee House

Visitors to Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens can escape the cold and enjoy a very special afternoon tea for Christmas, until December 24th. Chef Jean Delport and his team have decked the halls of Leonardslee House and prepared a unique festive menu in its Michelin Star kitchens, with sweet and savoury options, ideal for both lunch and teatime, he says.

Guests can also visit Leonardslee Illuminated in December when the gardens are transformed with light trails, soundscapes and large-scale installations. There is a fairground, seasonal food and drink and a Christmas market with arts and crafts stalls and gifts for sale. Free entry is available when joining online as an annual member of Leonardslee.

When guests arrive for tea at historic Leonardslee House, they are sure to be impressed by the forest-sized Christmas tree and elegant decorations throughout the grand hallway, which leads up to ten luxury bedrooms – should guests wish to stay overnight after dining in the evening at award-winning Restaurant Interlude, following afternoon tea.

Jean and his team have designed their own unique menu of lavish seasonal treats for an afternoon tea extravaganza. This includes their own take on traditional Christmas cake, as well as a spiced ginger bunt cake with white chocolate and stem ginger and a delectable chocolate Yule log. 

Santa belly, with raspberry and cranberry entremet, ginger biscuit, and chocolate wagon wheel are among the perfectly made sweets. There is a mince pie choux bun; a choux bun with orange custard, homemade fruit mincemeat and brandy cream; and a White Christmas Rudolf with a three-chocolate mousse, salted caramel and Baileys. 

Leonardslee House offers three tea menu options: classic, savoury and children's. The ingredients are freshly prepared and many are foraged on the estate or sourced from local farms. 

Traditional tea-time favourites are included of course, says Jean: home-baked scones and clotted cream, and a choice of cucumber and cream cheese, home-smoked salmon and estate egg mayonnaise finger sandwiches. 

There is a variety of loose-leaf teas from which to choose, including black, white and green teas, as well as herbal infusions; Golden Chai is December’s tea of the month, featuring ginger, green cardamom and Indian turmeric from Sikkim. 

Guests can enjoy award-winning wines from Leonardslee's sister property in South Africa, Benguela Cove Lagoon Estate. Wine tastings are also available, as well as tours of the estate’s Sussex Wine vineyards, which will produce their first sparkling varietals in 2024. 

Christmas Afternoon Tea: December 1st to 24th. Thursday to Sunday, 13:00 - 15:00. 

Leonardslee Illuminated: November 24th to 27th; November 30th to December 4th; and then December 7th to 21st. Opens 16:15 until late.

Leonardslee Gardens 

Brighton Road 

Lower Beeding, Horsham 

RH13 6PP

For further information: www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk 

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Editors notes

Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens is a family-owned vineyard estate, near Horsham in West Sussex, which features ‘the finest woodland gardens in England’, Grade I Listed, as well as a Michelin Star restaurant and luxury vineyard accommodation.

The 240-acre estate was established by Sir Edmund Loder, the great Victorian plant collector, and now includes a Sussex Wine vineyard, with the first release of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier sparkling wine in 2024.

The estate features outstanding displays all year round. In the spring this includes rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, magnolias and bluebells. The collection is exceptional in its diversity and maturity, with several rare ‘champion’ trees, threatened in their natural habitat.

The gardens offer a protected ecosystem for rare wildlife such as Emperor Dragonflies and Damselflies, White Admiral and Purple Hairstreak butterflies and migratory and native birds - Kites, Great Tits, Tree Creepers, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers and Nightingales.

The estate reopened in April 2019, following acquisition and two years’ intensive work by entrepreneur Penny Streeter OBE to restore the woodland gardens after eight years of closure and neglect under previous ownership. It was the largest garden restoration project in the United Kingdom since Heligan 30 years before.

Since further restoration work in 2021, visitors can also stay in the luxury vineyard hotel after dining at Restaurant Interlude in Leonardslee House, the Grade II Listed Italianate mansion house, to experience the Michelin Star multi-course tasting menu created by chef Jean Delport.

Visitors can review a unique dolls house exhibition that depicts the Edwardian estate and neighbouring villages at 1:12 scale. They can then enjoy a classic afternoon tea in the mansion house, making for a great family day out. It is one of the top places to visit in Sussex and is open all year round except Christmas Day.

For great days out, there is an extensive programme of entertainment that includes winter garden illuminations and light trails, wine and beer festivals, photo and art exhibitions, live music events, cooking and gardening demonstrations, arts and crafts fairs, modelling and toy shows, and children’s events and adventure trails.

Vineyards –

Leonardslee Estate: Acquired 2018 - 3.1 Acres - 2018 First vines planted - 4,000 Estimated bottles Experimental planting of Pinotage - 2022 First estate Pinotage

Mannings Estate: Acquired 2017 - 34 Acres - 2017 First vines planted - 70,000 Estimated bottles Sparkling wine cultivars 60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier - 2024 First release of wine