Wiston Estate Winery and Chalk Restaurant

Epic meal, great service from lovely, knowledgeable folk, ace venue, and were thoughtful enough to have incredible gluten free menu options. Thank you again🙏

Chalk was overall a nice experience, only let down by a few minor flaws. I initially phoned to book a table, but was told they were fully booked. This was strange as their online res system allowed my partner to book online and showed several free tables! On the evening there were also several free tables. Their wine list starts at £30 a bottle which is their own house wine made on the estate, which is quite expensive. It would have been nice to have an entry level bottle at around £20-£25. The manager (dressed in her casual clothing) just poured the wine without offering a tasting, any description or even asking if everyone on the table wanted wine. She did not even check we had the correct bottle before opening it! The menu was a set 5x course (no ala carte) and we had one in our party who was gluten free which we told them about on booking. We were then asked a further three times about allergies by different staff members on arrival, which I suppose is better than getting it wrong, but wish this was communicated amongst the team. They did however offer good alternative options. The wine from the estate we tried was very good. As with all British wine, it's expensive for what you get, but still stood up well to similar French wines. Food was very good, but a few minor issues let it down. The bread was superb and was your first course on the menu, as was the smoked salmon starter, although it was more like cured than smoked, as the smoke could not be tasted. A risotto of pearl barley and mushroom with chicken was well executed and balanced, although very little chicken served considering the title was "roast chicken". Sadly the duck main course served by the head chef was a let down. Sold as wood fired, this duck breast had virtually no sear on it, meaning the skin was chewy, fatty and had not rendered down at all. The under side of the duck breast had no seasoning and the skin with all the salt was inedible unless you like pieces of chewy fat, so the medium rare cook tasted bland. The duck was served with bitter chicory and turnips and a stock based sauce that was also quite bitter. A cherry puree sadly didn't add anything to the dish. The duck looked great, tasted okay but was not a good enough standard to be Michelin rated. Raspberry and lemon verbena sorbet however was delicious, a really well made pre dessert. The main dessert was very sweet and for me a little sickly, although the white peach and almond tart was very well made (crisp pastry) and served with a super smooth meadow ice cream. The food presentation throughout was very good and the standard was also very good. It's not on a Michelin star level yet, but if that is the ambition then some improvement needs to be made. Service was friendly but staff need some additional training. While empty plates were left sat on our table the staff continued their social chat behind the bar. Not a problem if they are going for a casual style service, but everything else about the tasting menu, ambience, wine and price are far from a casual farm shop. This venue will no doubt become a destination special occasion venue, so service will also need to step up. Value for money was good, we cannot complain about that and overall we had a great evening. The constructive criticism is left to help them improve and achieve their ultimate goals, which we felt was leaning towards rosettes or a one star Michelin rating. Enjoy!