Great cooking in East Sussex gastro-pub

A little north of Brighton lies the pretty village of East Chiltington where this super gastro-pub is located.This is the heart of the Sussex Downs which I have been visiting every year since childhood: one of England's loveliest and most unspoiled places. On a lovely July evening, the Jolly Sportsman was packed. Drinks were taken in the garden (world class Pimms) and then the dinner inside. My guests live locally and they recommended this place to Mrs Magellan and I several years ago. We all selected the lamb which was sensational. The cauliflower soup was fine but it could perhaps have been a little more strongly flavoured. It was just a bit diffident. Puddings included crumble and summer pudding which were delicious. Good wine list. We enjoyed a Chilean pinot noir. Service was very friendly. Our excellent waitress even managed to get us seconds of the chef's special custard despite the fact that he was running low. That's what I call service. And by South East England standards not too expensive. Highly recommended.

A User - 04/08/2008 | report this review