Tel: 01590 643 557

La Perle was opened by Lionel Sene, owner & head chef, originally from Hautvillers, Epernay in the beautiful Champagne area of France. Lionel has been working as a chef for over 19 years and is passionate about cooking. Having completed his apprenticeship in the Royal Champagne Hotel & Le Grand Cerf (both acclaimed 1 Michelin star restaurants in eastern France), Lionel then moved to Paris and worked in the famous 2 Michelin Star Hotel Crillon alongside Dominique Bouchet, then head chef.

In the following years Lionel has combined his love of travelling & cooking moving to Switzerland to work in the famous Mandarin Hotel in Geneva, followed by his first experience of England at Chewton Glen and Pebble Beach. He met Emily, his now English wife and they are now settled with their young family in Milford on Sea. Le Perle is Lionel’s first personal venture and combines his idea of traditional rustic French cuisine.

Our Champagne has been carefully selected by Lionel and include Champagne from the village of Hautvillers, where his family still have vineyards & Epernay the capital of Champagne

Champagne Pessenet-Legendre

Pessenet-Legendre is owned by Sylvie et Cyrille Pessenet. Sylvie grew up in Hautvillers with Lionel as a child and is a close family friend. The grapes are harvested from the vineyards in Hautvillers where the family have lived & owned vineyards for generations. A young family with two small children, the Champagne is named after their eldest daughter Cléo.

Champagne Lombard et Cie

Lombard & Cie House of Champagne was founded in 1925 and situated in Epernay, the capital of Champagne. Lionel's father worked for many years for Monsieur Lombard, and the Champagne house is highly regarded. All the grapes come from the selected areas of the highest quality due to the soil, area & exposure.

Charles Heston Champagne.
The Cooperative Les Six Coteaux is based in the village of Pouillon, 6 km to the North of Reims. Using only grapes from their vineyard, they launched their own brand, Champagne Charles Heston, in 2010 and have already won many rewards from prestigious wine competitions. La Perle are pleased to offer a selection of these fantastic champagnes at our restaurant.

Billecart-Salmon Champagne House

Still under the ownership of the original family, Billecart-Salmon also has close ties to Lionel's family. Lionel's brother-in-law is the Maitre Chai, looking after the vineyards & creating new blends & variations. The blend varieties used in the non-vintage wine has not differed in over 50 years & is a classic mix of varieties in the region.