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The Opening of the Tinwood Vineyard Kitchen

What is the Tinwood Vineyard Kitchen?

The Tinwood Vineyard Kitchen opened to the public last week. The estate has been busy preparing and organising the shop to enable as much ease as possible for customers to select their delicious dishes, which have been designed to be shared and paired with Tinwood Sparkling Wine.  

The Tinwood Vineyard Kitchen is located in the shop at the estate, with warm and cool counters where a variety of different dishes are available. The Vineyard Kitchen is not a typical restaurant where you reserve a table and are served from there. However, the owner, Art Tukker, wanted to do something slightly different. The idea behind the Vineyard Kitchen was to create dishes that complement and are complemented by the Tinwood bubbles. Therefore, located in the shop are three different sections. You will find one section for Blanc de Blancs, one for Brut, and one for Rose.

The food has been designed to be enjoyed in tandem with a Vineyard Tour and Wine Tasting. Therefore, the principle behind it is: you would choose a dish (similar to a starter) from the Blanc de Blanc fridge for the first glass, a dish from the warm or cool cupboard for the Brut, and a dessert for the Rose.  

However, if you have been on the Vineyard Tours and Wine Tasting a few times or if you would just like to pop in, you can purchase a bottle of bubbles and sit amongst the vines on a picnic table/blanket with your delicious dishes.

How does the Vineyard Kitchen work?

The concept behind the vineyard kitchen is slightly different from what many of us would think of when thinking of a “restaurant.” That is why we decided not to call it a restaurant, but a Vineyard Kitchen, as it is a place where ingredients are prepped and made in the morning for a full day of service.

Food is beautifully presented in an array of dishes and ceramic pots, which can be collected in the Vineyard Shop. There is a selection of both hot and cold dishes.

You will be able to collect your crate and walk around the shop, collecting the dishes you would like to eat. Generally, people collect around 3–4 dishes each. The dishes are displayed in sections: Blanc de Blanc, Brut, and Rose.

So, to make it clear for those of you who have not been to the Vineyard Kitchen before, there are two different ways of dining at the Vineyard Kitchen.

Firstly, have the full Tinwood experience by booking a Vineyard Tour and Wine Tasting. For £21 per person, learn about the vineyard and enjoy three glasses of Tinwood Sparkling Wine. This ensures you a table at the estate and lasts for 2 hours. The Vineyard Tours and Wine Tastings run daily all year round and have been the inspiration behind how the Vineyard Kitchen has been designed. You will be able to select your dishes after the Vineyard Tour so that, during the Wine Tasting you can enjoy the flavours of the wine and food in harmony.

Alternatively, if you have not booked but would like to have a bottle of bubbles with some dishes, you may wish to just ‘walk in’. This means, you do not have to be booked but can simply walk into the shop, collect your crate, and fill it with delicious dishes and a bottle of fizz to sit among the vines.

Both options for dining at Tinwood include the same dishes, and the menu does not differ from one to the other.

Alternatively, freshly baked cakes and sweet treats are made each morning at the estate; pop in and enjoy a coffee made from our newly installed Nespresso machine and a piece of cake in the beautiful view of a Sussex vineyard.

So, what food is made in the Vineyard Kitchen?

The food has been designed by chef Santo Busciligo to be paired and shared with the wine. Every single product that is sold in the Vineyard Kitchen has been made by hand, even the honey, which is made on the estate. Santo is focused on making sure everything is made in the kitchen and wants it all to be homemade. If you would like to learn more about Santo, read our previous blog, “Meet our New Tinwood Chef.”

Please read the Sample Menu to learn more. Be aware that this menu is not exactly what is being served every single day, as the menu is heavily influenced by the availability of products and seasonality as it is all sourced from local suppliers.

When is the Vineyard Kitchen open?

The Vineyard Kitchen is open daily, Sunday through Friday, from 11:00 until 17:30. The opening hours are slightly later on a Saturday, from 11:00 until 20:30. This means that the Vineyard Kitchen is ideal for lunches, and an early dinner on a Saturday. Please be aware that these hours differ depending on the time of year; for an updated version, click here.

Join the Tinwood Afternoon Tea which runs every Wednesday at 12pm. This includes scones, cakes and sandwiches all made from the Vineyard Kitchen. Discover the history behind Tinwood and learn the story from grape to glass.

The Tinwood Vineyard Kitchen is an exciting new project for us all at Tinwood Estate, and we are very excited to see how it goes. The idea behind it all is to create homemade, seasonal dishes that are designed to be shared and paired with Tinwood Sparkling Wine.