Breaking news
Skye Gyngell passed away on Sat 22 November 2025, aged just 62.
Harden's says
One of two restaurants within the new luxury Hampshire spa hotel, with food - much of it grown on the premises - under the watchful eye of Skye Gyngell. See also the less formal Hearth.
Harden's survey result
Summary
A Georgian country house hotel packed with British post-war art and “within easy reach of London” for the mini-break set; Skye Gyngell of Petersham Nurseries Café fame oversees the two restaurants, with Marle being the fancier, orangery-style dining room with a Michelin Green Star reflecting the hotel’s focus on sustainability. As in previous years, not everyone is convinced by the pared-back dishes, with those who “enjoyed the occasion” counterbalanced by those who found it “somewhat lacking – expected more”. But even cynics concede it’s still “above average”.
Summary
Set on a 400-acre estate, this converted 18th-century manor house is nowadays a 45-room hotel and promotes its commitment to sustainability, complete with its own biodynamic farm. Skye Gyngell (of London’s Spring) oversees the dining room, which receives a very mixed rep in our annual diners’ poll. Many are wowed or find the cuisine “tasty but playing it a bit safe”, while others settle for “OK, but thought it would be better”, and nobody says it’s terrible. Views diverge on the interior, too – “soulless” to some but an “exceptional” highlight to others.
Summary
Aussie chef Skye Gyngell’s “ambitious establishment” – a Georgian country house dining room in a “beautiful location” overlooking a lake and parkland. They are “very conscious of their environmental responsibility”, with “almost all ingredients locally grown or reared” and served in pared-back style. But while it received strong ratings all-round for its luxury hotel setting, a couple of reports did note “a feeling one has to be on one’s best behaviour!”
Summary
“Skye Gyngell’s country outpost” occupies the dining room of a Georgian house – nowadays a luxurious hotel and spa. It doesn’t inspire a huge volume of feedback, but such as we have says its a “lovely venue with a beautifully executed menu relying heavily on local produce”.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Marle, Heckfield Place?
Heckfield Place, Heckfield, RG27 0LD
Restaurant details
Prices
| Wine per bottle | £60.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.00 |
| Service | 10.00% |
Heckfield Place, Heckfield, RG27 0LD
Opening hours
| Monday | 7:30 am‑2 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
| Tuesday | 7:30 am‑2 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
| Wednesday | 7:30 am‑2 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
| Thursday | 7:30 am‑2 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
| Friday | 7:30 am‑2 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
| Saturday | 7:30 am‑2 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
| Sunday | 7:30 am‑2 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
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