The Sun Inn announces lineup for Signature Series
The Sun Inn Signature Series
The Sun Inn in Felmersham, Bedfordshire has announced a series of chef collaboration dinners to take place over the year. Hosted by chef landlord Pete Pestell, The Sun Signature Series includes dinners with the much-respected chef and restaurateur Rowley Leigh who is Pete’s mentor, Ben Marks from Perilla and Morchella, Aaron Potter from Wildflowers and Will Bowlby from Kricket. Each chef has a connection to Pete, having either worked or trained together at the Academy of Culinary Arts.
Taking place in The Sun’s Dining Room, each dinner will be a true collaboration between Pete and the guest chef, bringing a taste of their own restaurant to Felmersham and using produce from The Sun’s own 350-acre Wild Berry Farm.
The Sun Inn is no 75 in Estrella’s Top 50 Gastropubs and in The Times and Sunday Times’ Top 100 Best Places to Stay 2025.
The Sun Inn Signature Series line up
Ben Marks, chef owner at Morchella and Perilla
Saturday 26th April
Tasting menu costing £70 per person
One sitting at 7.30pm
Ben Marks co-founded Morchella just off Exmouth Market in 2024, following the success of Perilla, which he opened in Newington Green in 2016 with Matthew Emmerson. His menu features a modern interpretation of classic Mediterranean dishes all emphasizing the use of highly seasonal produce sourced from artisanal Mediterranean suppliers and small independent British day boats and farmers. This thoughtful approach showcases Ben's commitment to elevating traditional flavours while ensuring sustainability and quality in every dish. perilladining.co.uk
Rowley Leigh, restaurateur and journalist
Saturday 3rd May
Tasting menu costing £70 per person
One sitting at 7.30pm
Rowley Leigh is an acclaimed chef, restaurateur and journalist having worked for the Roux family’s Le Gavroche and Le Poulbot in the 1970s and 1980s before opening Kensington Place in 1987. Rowley is widely credited with helping to kickstart the renaissance of London dining.
Aaron Potter, Executive Chef Wildflowers
Saturday, 19th July
Tasting menu costing £70 per person
One sitting at 7.30pm
Aaron Potter is an executive chef who has worked in Michelin restaurants across London, New York and Sydney. Most notable were his roles at the helm of the kitchen at both Trinity in Clapham under Adam Byatt and Elystan Street in Chelsea under Phil Howard. His food has received acclaim from both critics and peers alike. Most recently Aaron opened his first solo restaurant, Wildflowers, in Pimlico in September 2024. Inspired by the warm, relaxed dining culture of France, Italy and Spain, it is an expression of Mediterranean cooking with global influences and a focus on seasonality, where elegant yet uncomplicated dishes are paired with European wines in a stylish and laid-back setting. wildflowersrestaurant.co.uk
Will Bowlby, chef owner Kricket
Friday 19th September
Set menu costing £60 per person
Kricket, founded in 2015 by Will Bowlby and Rik Campbell, began as a 20-seat pop-up in a shipping container at Pop Brixton, London and has since evolved into a renowned modern-Indian restaurant group with four permanent locations across the city. The Soho site received a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide the year it opened with dishes such as Recheado Butter Prawns, black pepper & Gondhoraj; Duck Leg Seekah Kebab, peanut chutney & rhubarb thecha and Mangalorean Chicken Gassi, coconut, curry lead & gundu chilli. kricket.co.uk
Reservations are essential and can be booked by emailing bookings@thesunfelmersham.com
Address: The Sun Inn, Grange Road, Felmersham, Bedfordshire, MK43 7EU
Instagram: @thesunfelmersham Website: www.thesunfelmersham.com
About The Sun Inn
The Sun Inn is a quintessentially British Free House in the village of Felmersham, deep in the Bedfordshire countryside, but less than an hour from London Kings Cross. Named by The Times and The Sunday Times as one of the Best 100 Places to Stay 2025, the pub was built in the 17th century and fully refurbished in 2023 including two ensuite bedrooms on the upper floors.
The pub is part of Wild Berry Farm, a 350- acre estate and traditional mixed livestock farm, producing native and rare-breed, grass-fed Hereford beef, pork, Boer goats and poultry including bronze turkeys and duck. The land boasts lush river meadows, species-rich grassland, woodlands and lakes and is a haven for birds and wildlife. The pub also supports many local businesses, including other farmers and estates, sourcing produce and game such as venison, pheasant and partridge, locally.
The pub was purchased by JJ and Laura Ibbet in 2019 as part of a shared vision between themselves and childhood and village friends, Peter and Conny, a couple of couples sharing a passion for quality produce, warm hospitality and creating memorable experiences. Restoration work began in 2022, and once the structural work was complete, the team embarked on a full refurbishment, with a focus on using natural and sustainable materials, to provide guests with accommodation and dining fitting for the 21st century traveller, fully reopening the restaurant and rooms in April 2023.
The bar is open Tuesday to Sunday, with bar food served from the hatch Wednesday to Sunday, while the Dining Room for the Farmer’s Table tasting menu is open Thursday to Saturday for dinner and for Sunday lunch.
For more information, images, interviews or to arrange a press visit to The Sun Inn, please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on 07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk
Address: The Sun Inn, Grange Road, Felmersham, Bedfordshire, MK43 7EU
Instagram: @thesunfelmersham Website: www.thesunfelmersham.com