What Grows Together, Goes Together

At Rathfinny, sustainability shapes every decision we make, and the kitchen is no exception. Head of Wine Tourism, Faye Driver and our hospitality team have built a food philosophy around seasonal, locally sourced produce and developed close relationships with suppliers who share our values. The same care and attention that goes into our wines also goes into everything served across our restaurants, speaking to provenance and exceptional quality. 

Words by Faye Driver, Head of Wine Tourism

Starting with what’s in Season 

When the kitchen plans a menu, the starting point is always the same: what’s ready right now? Wild garlic in early spring, asparagus from May, local tomatoes through summer, root vegetables as the year turns. The produce we have available in Sussex guides us, and the dish is built around it. 

It’s a straightforward approach, but it makes a real difference to what ends up on your plate. Our menus at the Flint Barns Dining Room are deliberately concise; a handful of options for each course. That means we can source the best of what’s available, respond when something better comes along, and avoid the waste that comes with trying to do too much. 

Rathfinny Tasting Room Tom Parker Photography
Chris Bailey's Focaccia Portrait

Prioritising Local Suppliers

If we can source ingredients from the local area in Sussex, we will. If not, we look to the South East. Going further afield is a conscious decision, and only when a supplier’s values match our own. 

This might mean seeking out a citrus grower who farms with real purpose and preserves heritage varieties, rather than ordering from the nearest catalogue. Or, switching from a well-known crisp brand to a Sussex producer when we found one we rated. These are small decisions, but they add up and mean when people dine with us, they get a real sense of Sussex, especially when served alongside our Sussex Sparkling wines. 

One of the more useful things we’ve done is simply telling our suppliers what we’re trying to achieve and asking for their support. Once they know our intention, they start pointing us towards producers and ingredients we might never have found otherwise. The relationships matter as much as the sourcing. 

Dine in the Vines Vegetarian Feast Shrub Ingredients
Rathfinny Dine in the Vines Table Placement

Striving for Sustainability in our Food 

Sourcing locally and in season also has the benefit of reducing travel miles. By doing this consistently, we can minimise the environmental impact of each plate that is served. As a B Corp with a clear sustainability goal to reduce our footprint, this is a relatively straightforward but impactful thing to do.  

Recently, we’ve worked to simplify our dining offering and improve the way that different venues across the Estate communicate and share ingredients. This has significantly helped reduce food waste. 

Nurturing the land, caring for our people and, reducing our footprint, are our key sustainability pillars, and they’re as relevant in the kitchen as they are in the vineyard. As Head of Wine Tourism, I’m always pushing for the food we serve to be a natural part of that story. 

Woman Enjoying a Rebel Charcuterie Plate at The Hut
The Hut in summer

Telling the Story of Sussex in the Glass and on the Plate 

The food we serve and our Sussex Sparkling wines come from the same place. The chalk, the coastal air, the landscape of the South Downs, we want it all to be reflected on the plate in the same way that it’s in the glass. That’s what we keep coming back to when we think about what a dining experience at Rathfinny should feel like. 

We make our fresh and elegant wines in accordance with the Sussex PDO, which ensures the wines are world-class and that they are distinctly from Sussex. We want that attention to provenance and quality to be reflected on the plate as well. We’re aiming to create dining experiences that feel like it can only come from here, in Sussex. 

We look forward to welcoming you to the Flint Barns for dinner or one of our cult Sunday Lunches, or even at The Hut for freshly prepared deli items. All paired with glass of Sussex Sparkling, of course. 

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