The Kitchen
Small Plates,
Large Intent
Small plates are not about eating less. They are about tasting more — more seasons, more textures, more of the conversation that happens when plates move across the table and stories are shared between bites.
At The Copper Fox, every dish is designed to be passed, tasted together, argued over gently. A meal here is not a sequence of courses; it is an evening that unfolds at its own pace.
From Sussex Fields to the Pass
Every Plate Begins Somewhere
Our kitchen doesn't start at the stove — it starts in the fields, on the boats, and in the conversations we have with the people who grow and raise what we cook. These are the hands behind the plates.
The Garden
Tottington Manor Kitchen Garden
Three miles north of Lewes, within the old walls of Tottington Manor, heritage vegetables are grown with the patience the land demands. We collect what's ready — candy-stripe beetroot, purple sprouting, heirloom tomatoes — and build the week's menu around what arrives in the crate.
The Coast
Newhaven Day Boats
Our fish comes off the day boats at Newhaven, eight miles south. Line-caught mackerel, seasonal sea bass, whatever the Channel offers that morning. The fishermen text us before dawn with what's coming in, and we plan the evening's specials before the boat has docked.
The Downs
South Downs Pasture
The lamb and beef we serve graze the chalk grasslands of the South Downs — the same rolling hills visible from the coaching inn's upper windows. Slow-grown, grass-fed, and butchered by a family outfit in Ditchling who understand that the best cuts come from animals that lived well.
The Experience
At the Table
The best meals happen when the room, the light and the company conspire with the food. Here's a glimpse of what an evening at The Copper Fox feels like — timber, candlelight, and plates worth lingering over.
Lewes Dinner Reservations
Reserve a Table
We welcome guests for lunch and dinner, Wednesday through Sunday. Tables are warmly recommended — especially Friday and Saturday evenings, when the coaching inn fills early.
For parties of seven or more, we'd love to seat you in The Snug, our private dining room. Get in touch and we'll craft something special.
Wednesday to Sunday, lunch & dinner
Private dining in The Snug — enquire about The Snug