Jean Delport is the award-winning and celebrated chef elevating wild and foraged local ingredients at Leonardslee Gardens’ Michelin-starred restaurant, Interlude, in West Sussex.
Born in Cape Town, he worked in the rural viticultural estates of South Africa, most notably in and around the Cape Winelands. While studying at Chef School in Zevenwacht on the Stellenbosch wine route, Jean started an internship at Cassia on the Nitida wine farm under ex-London chef Dan Evans (who trained under Alistair Little). Jean returned to Cape Town and to Terroir, one of the most sought-after gourmet destinations in the Cape Winelands at the time, and it was here he learned the art of fine dining under chef Michael Broughton
In 2014 he took a Sous Chef position at Equus, at Cavalli under Henrico Grobbelaar as part of the openings team and it was here that he first met Adam Streeter. Adam and Penny Streeter OBE (his mother, and a hugely successful businesswoman in the UK) looked to open Benguela on Main, a restaurant and tasting room to complement the Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate in Somerset West (now ranked 53rd in the world). Penny then purchased the Grade I listed Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens estate in 2017 and the restoration project began with Restaurant Interlude opening in October 2018 within Leonardslee House.
A year later, Interlude won its first Michelin Star, and in 2023 a Michelin Green Star (the first in West Sussex). Jean and his team offer a multi-course tasting menu where almost every course includes an ingredient from the Estate. The cooking is seasonal, Sussex-foraged and South African-inspired, with the garden taking a central role in the menus. Sustainability is central for Jean, who is passionate about that ensuring as much as possible of an ingredient is used, and that waste is used responsibly including initiatives such as composting, recycling and growing microgreens. When not in the kitchen, Jean enjoys spending time with his wife Anya, who is the Restaurant Manager at Interlude, and he is passionate about foraging, watching all sports, particularly rugby and the Springboks and supporting Manchester United.
