Restaurant News is sponsored by The Kitchen Porters Club
Isca at Borde Hill will launch this May 2026, bringing joyful seasonal dining to Sussex. Set within a striking new glasshouse overlooking the reimagined Walled Kitchen Garden, Restaurant Isca draws on the biodynamic garden for both inspiration and ingredients, with dishes shaped by produce grown and harvested across the estate.
Named after a rare magnolia tree in the garden, Restaurant Isca celebrates Borde Hill’s botanical diversity through delicious, seasonal cooking. Its opening marks a new era for the Estate, just forty minutes from central London.
Jay Goddard (nee Stephenson Clarke), Managing Director and fourth-generation Family custodian of Borde Hill, said: “Restaurant Isca is a truly unique space which brings the joy of the garden to the fore of seasonal dining. We are so excited to share the magic of Isca with our guests.”
Under Executive Chef Jack Hazell (formerly of Marcus at the Berkeley and Bibendum) and Head Chef Philip McEnaney (Trinity, Boath House), Isca’s menu is shaped by estate grown produce, edimental flowers and foraged herbs. A root-to-tip and nose-to-tail approach underpins the cooking, minimising waste while celebrating the full breadth of each ingredient.
Dishes showcase Borde Hill’s ‘edimental’ planting alongside seasonal produce from the estate’s Market Garden, complemented by preserved ingredients and carefully sourced meat, fish and seafood from local Sussex suppliers.
Open year-round, the menu evolves in rhythm with the equinoxes and solstices, with daily adaptions made according to the Garden’s harvest. Signature dishes include: cured Chalk Stream trout, labneh, walled garden flowers; wild sea bass, crab bisque, Sichuan and Padrón pepper; baked cheesecake, pickled magnolia, rhubarb.
The drinks programme follows the same natural rhythms and sustainability focus. Low intervention wines are organised not by country, but by the environments in which they are produced – maritime, river, mountain and plateau – with a particular focus on neighbouring Sussex vineyards. Alongside these, a creative list of house-made kombuchas, shrubs, teas and cocktails showcases flowers and fruits from the garden, from the signature Magnolia Margarita to a Pea Pod Martini.
Redesigned by renowned garden designer Ann-Marie Powell, the 1906 Walled Garden sits at the heart of Isca’s identity. Inspired by its biodynamic growing principles, the space is now divided into four elemental quadrants – earth, wind, fire and water – inviting guests to wander or enjoy seasonal drinks among the ‘edimental’ plants that shape the menus. Powell’s design pays tribute to Borde Hill’s long history of plant collecting, which since the 19th century, has established a remarkable collection of plants from all four corners of the world. From champion magnolia trees and heritage roses, wild bergamot, Sichuan pepper, liquorice root, and a pergola of vines, the Walled Garden offers a rich palette of flavours that find their way onto the plate in unexpected and delightful ways.
Guests arrive at Restaurant Isca through the Walled Garden’s original wrought-iron gates, following a vine-covered walkway to The Cosmos – an outdoor botanical aperitif space shaped as a flower petal. Here, seasonal, foraged cocktails enjoyed in your own ‘plant booth’ set the tone before guests move into the glasshouse restaurant, linking the landscape directly to the dining experience.
The two-acre biodynamic Market Garden at Borde Hill sits at the heart of Isca’s culinary philosophy, supplying produce grown just metres from the kitchen. Seasonal crops range from spring peas and summer tomatoes to autumn squashes and winter roots, alongside more unusual ingredients such as Japanese shiso and Mexican quilquina. Fruits, herbs and cut flowers are grown in abundance, with the lunar calendar guiding both sowing and harvest.
The stunning glasshouse was built by a renowned French glasshouse maker, whose work includes Babylonstoren in South Africa and The Newt in Somerset. The structure’s gently curving arches echo those from the 1720s on Borde Hill’s Grade II-listed Mansion House, while sandstone from nearby West Hoathly quarry -the same material used in the original Stables building and the Mansion House – ground the glasshouse in local heritage.
Interiors by notable designer Nicola Harding bring the garden indoors through natural materials such as wood, marble and stone, soft lighting and abundant planting including magnificent magnolia grandiflora trees in terracotta planters within the dining room. Tables adorned with estate-grown foliage create a warm, immersive environment that evolves with the seasons.
The restaurant also celebrates Sussex makers and creatives with bread baskets by Laurence Moracchini, and a collaboration with designer Molly Mahon who debuts her Botanica wallpaper in the bathrooms. Inspired by the tulip’s bold, architectural form, the design brings a distinctive visual identity to the space. Cushions throughout Isca are also uplhostered in a selection of Molly’s fabrics, carefully chosen to complement the overall interior scheme.
Nicola Harding said: “Working with Jay & her team at Borde Hill has been a dream come true – giving us the opportunity to bring together my two passions of garden and interiors amidst the phenomenal setting of the historic walled garden and the countless inspiring stories of the wider estate.”
Aligned with the equinox and solstice menu changes, “Turning Light” will be an art exhibition programme that celebrates Isca as a space where art, seasonality, and dining are intimately intertwined. Featuring the work of a group of artists working across various disciplines, the programme will unfold across four distinct phases each year, mirroring shifts in light, atmosphere, and the natural cycles that define Borde Hill’s landscape. Curated by The Violet Hour, the first exhibition, titled ‘Emergence meets Abundance’, will showcase the works of four rising artists.
Restaurant News is sponsored by The Kitchen Porters Club
