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HomeLocal NewsGlowing review for much-loved restaurant taking industry by storm

Glowing review for much-loved restaurant taking industry by storm

The owners of a Michelin Guide eatery have been hailed as “one of the greatest marital duos of British restaurants” in a glowing review.

Ruth Leigh and Oliver Brown have transformed Updown Farmhouse, near Deal, into one of the food destinations of the county since opening three years ago.

Updown Farmhouse's owners Ruth Leigh and Oliver Brown. Picture: Updown
Updown Farmhouse’s owners Ruth Leigh and Oliver Brown. Picture: Updown

It has made its way onto the Michelin Guide, as well as being deemed one of the top 100 restaurants in Britain by the National Restaurants Awards.

And in a glowing review from The Telegraph, it was once again commended as a “sparkling and quite beautiful gem”.

Offering Updown Farmhouse five stars, writer William Sitwell wrote: “It’s the work of Ruth Leigh and her husband Oli Brown and, believe me, they will go down in history as one of the great marital duos of British restaurants.

“Their temperament, style and hospitality comes across in every tiny detail, from fork to light fitting.

Updown Farmhouse near Deal has been open for three years. Picture: Updown
Updown Farmhouse near Deal has been open for three years. Picture: Updown

“Brown is a man you can trust at the stove. The lunch he cooked on my visit was magnificent, proof that lovely stuff happens when a chef who has a handle on Italian technique bags fabulous local produce.

“There are bedrooms so you can get stuck into dinner and stay over. Which I implore you to do. Because that way you’ll fully understand why Updown is such a magical creation, why this countryside restaurant-with-rooms puts so many other such offerings in the shade.”

On the menu for the reviewer was anchovy toasts with garlic and lardo, pizzetta with potato, taleggio, girolles, artichoke and rosemary, roast lamb chump with sweetbreads, asparagus, peas, broad beans and bagna cauda and a pork chop with girolles and wild garlic.

He also enjoyed an Amalfi lemon tart and a chocolate mousse, which he described as “rich, soft and uncomplicated, like Mummy used to make it”.

Updown Farmhouse has made it onto the prestigious Michelin Guide. Picture: Updown
Updown Farmhouse has made it onto the prestigious Michelin Guide. Picture: Updown

“The lesson of the mousse as with everything at Updown – don’t mess with greatness, instead understand how you can simply make it greater,” he added.

Ruth and Oliver have overseen the dramatic transformation of the former farmhouse – having converted it into a restaurant and hotel.

With Ruth taking the lead on front-of-house, Oliver has put together the Italian-inspired menu while drawing on the experience of working in Hong Kong and with top chef Rowley Leigh – Ruth’s father.

The duo spent years refurbishing the 17th-century property, which sits in seven and a half acres of countryside, carrying out restoration works to reflect the building’s history and setting.

What was once the barn is now the restaurant, which has seen its operations expand since 2022, and is now open seven days a week for customers.

The restaurant also has its own woodland, mature wildflower gardens and a pergola with outdoor seating.

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