It sees Deeley return to the classical focus of his earlier career (which included a stint at Mallory Court), setting aside the rustic, t-shirt and apron style of Smoke at Hampton Manor which he launched and ran for three years until January. To paraphrase him: same chef, same obsession with ingredients, just more tweezers. 
On offer: a three course a la carte for £90 with coffee and petits fours an extra £5, and a £105 'taste of the season' menu which is five courses plus canapes, amuse bouches and (delicious) malted loaf from local Silvertree Bakery.
A summery opening menu is packed with the familiar and the delicious; this isn’t a restaurant to find challenging ferments or off-piste combinations or complexity that requires laborious explanation. Burrata with pea and mint gazpacho is just that – and deliciously refreshing too, the peas left in their un-improvable just-picked state (there’s a kitchen garden on-site). Chicken liver parfait comes with a beetroot relish and brioche, and the last of the asparagus is served with a crumbed egg. 
A vast hand-dived Orkney scallop gets a lick of Thai spicing and zippy summer greens that offset the richness of the shellfish and black pudding. It’s a luxurious standout, worth its £15 supplement.
Poussin, local lamb and meaty Cornish monkfish (with a carefully judged dose of ‘nduja and espelette pepper and lightly aerated borlotti bean cassoulet) all come with sprightly young veg. And from the pastry section there’s a chocolate fondant tart, a rhubarb-custard baked Alaska, and pretty strawberry mille-feuilles. 
The wine list is due a refresh that will broaden the offer to match the food, though a bacchus from nearby Welcombe Hills fits the bill with the scallop. Whether a formal pairing is developed remains to be seen, but it would seem right for a restaurant with this level of ambition.
Deeley’s challenge is to navigate the line between ensuring customers loyal to the country-house style remain comfortable, and appealing to new followers, ones who might need persuading that a panelled dining room with thick carpet and double-clothed round tables is a place to find gastronomic thrills. He wants to change that narrative. 'What really excites me is the potential,' he says. And that’s where The Warwick is right now: a place with bags of potential. We’ll let things settle then come back to see how the story plays out.
WHEN 18th June 2025
WHERE Mallory Court Country Hotel & Spa, Harbury Lane, Leamington Spa, CV33 9QB
FOLLOW @mallory_court
BOOK mallory.co.uk
The Good Food Guide allows three to six months before anonymously inspecting a new restaurant. Look out for a full review coming soon.
