Owl’s Hatch
Sleeps 12-18
West Sussex
Gardens and grounds
In an English country garden of two-thirds of an acre, you’ll enjoy hints of The High Weald and the farm beyond. Eat out on the terrace in the Sussex sunshine with meat on the barbie from Tablehurst Farm. Play badminton and boules. Finish your day around the firepit wrapped in a throw under a blanket of stars.
Living spaces
Owl’s Hatch is greater than the sum of its parts. The carved wooden fireplaces, refurbed industrial lighting, Sisal carpets and oak panelling all add up to something that feels a lot like a family home. And one with a delicious indoor-outdoor flow, as you drift through the French doors out into the English country garden with High Weald views.
Get the party started by connecting your Bluetooth to the stereo system with Mission speakers. Enjoy TV nights in the living room with the whole gang, streaming BT TV and Netflix over superfast BT Full Fibre. Escape the throng awhile to recharge in the library, over billiards, or add a touch of class with a bash on the baby grand.
Cooking and dining
This is a family home and the heart of it is the large kitchen/dining room. Whip up your own dinner party in here or call in the private chefs Leaf and Ladle or Dan Turner. Pop to the farm shop next door for biodynamic frtui and veg and browse the offering to supply your barbie for dining out on the terrace with a view of the High Weald.
Shop at Shears Fine Foods, The Seasons, Waitrose or Sainsbury’s, with wine from The Secret Cellar. Order in tasty takeaways from Roochi for traditional and fusion Indian, Thai Time and Khan’s Balti. Taste wine and cheese at Grape and Mouse, coffee at Nick’s, and cakes at Oast House Bakery.
Eat out at The Hatch Inn on Rye Bay crab risotto or chargrilled ribeye steak in peppercorn sauce. Head to The Gallipot Inn for venison bourguignon with rich red wine and wild mushrooms. Or try The Red Lion in Haywards Heath for Thai green chicken curry or grilled seabass fillet.
The best takeaways here are also the best restaurants: Roochi, Thai Time and Khan’s Balti. But you’ll also enjoy the Camembert sharing platter or grilled salmon Florentine at The Heathy Farm, or Asian at Jai Ho at The Coppingham Arms. If only The Michelin Guide will do, consider Chalk, The Cat Inn or Interlude.
Bedrooms
On the edge of The High Weald and with a farm at the foot of the garden, you’ll sleep like one of Ashdown Forest’s many logs. Owl’s Hatch sleeps 18 in six period-style bedrooms.
The master (Pink) offers a superking with a shared bathroom and the possibility of two extra single mattresses, while the Pink Snug, the Yellow and Blue are kingsize rooms with a shared bathroom. The Attic Pink is a double that shares a bathroom with the Attic Dorm, a kingsize with four singles.
What people say
Wild or mild days out
Refresh in the tap room at Missing Link Brewery or taste the wine at Kingscote. Shoot clay with Sussex Sporting, Go Ape at Bedgebury Pinetum, and walk the 10-mile Forest Way. Meet the moo-cows at Plaw Hatch Farm, enjoy outdoor play at Blackberry Farm Park, and see the mildlife on a Knepp Safari.
