Sunday roast at The White Hart - review

We've been to The White Hart in Buxted a few times yet I've never written a proper review about it.  In all honesty, I've had mixed experiences but the last time we went for a roast, it was amazing!

The White Hart recently won Best Place To Eat in the Uckfield Business Awards and I know it is a popular local place.  They have such a nice menu with interesting dishes for varied tastes, it can be expensive but I know their meat especially is top quality, the steaks are certainly worth the extra plus the staff are so friendly, it's a nice place to be and hang out.  The building is fantastic with a proper, traditional bar with real fire at the front with cosy sofas and solid wood tables and chairs.  The conservatory out the back is more modern and tastefully decorated, light and spacious, it would be ideal for a private party.

We went for Sunday roasts with Nik having the beef and I chose the pork belly.  The kids had chicken and chips this time.

The sides were lovely, well cooked veg and amazing cauliflower cheese.  Nik was very impressed with his beef and the Yorkshires were lovely and HUGE!  The roast potatoes were good too.

My pork was SO good!  It came with perfect crackling and was a really good chunk of meat, not fatty like pork belly can be, it was tasty, moist and tender, I loved it.



Overall, we had a brilliant experience.

They have a lovely, enclosed beer garden with picnic tables, a grassy area and patio.  It's sheltered but gets the sun all day.  It's ideal for families or people with dogs to enjoy in the summer.

They have a good range of wine and cocktails and will mix anything you like.  It's a fun pub for a girls' night with nibbles and drinks for an evening off mum duty.  Oh and my Dad loves the Harvey's on tap of course.

I've also found some of my old photos from our evening enjoying their steak night way back in August 2016 when we had an amazing meal there.  We sat in the conservatory where it was quiet and out of the way, we had a lovely evening and you can see the twins loved it (aged 21 months).

Itty bitty Kalyan doing cheers in 2016!

We were invited for our latest Sunday roast in return for this review.  All opinions are my own honest thoughts.

Sunday Roast review at the Abergavenny Arms near Lewes

Not to be confused with the one in Tunbridge Wells!  (Yep, we started driving in the wrong direction before a slightly heated discussion and a quick phone call to check before a swift turnaround!)

We met friends at the Abergavenny Arms near Lewes recently (not to be confused with the one in Frant where Nik started driving to, in the opposite direction), and had a lovely afternoon.  They're dog and child friendly so it was perfect for us and our friends with their fur baby.  The pub is traditional style with a lovely beer garden out the back.  It was a bit cold and windy the day we went so we sat inside where it was nice and cosy.

Sunday Roast at Framptons, Tunbridge Wells - review

I was struggling with a few deadlines last month so wasn't able to get this review written until now but our Sunday roast at Framptons in The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells was definitely one of the best I've had locally!  It's not a cheap option with roasts costing £16.50 - £19.50 but I honestly think it's worth it if you can splash out.

I went with the twins and my in-laws while Nik was working one weekend in February and we had the most amazing meal.  I've reviewed Framptons before and have always been impressed by their food and I love the surroundings with vintage touches around, a rustic look upstairs and lots of lovely wood in the bar area downstairs.  I also like that you can see openly into the kitchen where the chefs are working hard plating these delicious dishes.

We skipped starters and went straight for the roast, I had the salt marsh lamb with salsa verde, the twins opted for beef which came with a Marmite hollandaise sauce (I was a little dubious but it was actually very tasty!) and the in-laws had beef too.  All the meat was served pink, they did check I was happy with that for the twins.

It was all amazing and came with a drizzle of gravy over the meat but we were given a huge jug of extra gravy on the side (a big plus in my eyes).  The meat was so tender and flavourful and the Yorkshires had the perfect fresh texture.  I often find with pub roasts they seem like they've been reheated as they dry out but these were lovely.

We also received a massive bowl of vegetables including some amazing crispy roasties, parsnips, a carrot mash and kale.  Our server offered to bring us more which we initally declined as we thought we had plenty but after tasting the kale (and with Priya loving it too!), we asked for more of that and got a new fresh bowl of the buttery greens.

Of course, I couldn't resist dessert and the twins always get a scoop of ice-cream if they've behaved and eaten well when we go out.  Priya opted for "manilla" and K had mango sorbet.  They were thrilled with the little edible flowers on top!  I chose the chocolate delice which was heaven, served with clotted cream ice-cream!

Puddings range from £5 to £7.50.  There isn't a kids menu but they make smaller portions of some of the menu items so they had a kids roast (I'm not sure of the cost of this as my father-in-law kindly treated us).

Service is friendly and efficient, not overbearing but attentive.  We had a really good meal, it's such a great place to chill and enjoy eating.  I'd highly recommend it!

Sunday Roast at The Guildford Arms, Greenwich - review

There are roasts and then there are ROASTS!  This was the best Sunday roast I've had in a long time.  Seriously amazing.

The twins and I joined my in-laws for lunch one weekend Nik was on a course in London, at the Guildford Arms in Greenwich.  It's a modern pub with big bright windows and rustic furniture and a lovely daily menu.

Chef's Table & Sunday Roast at Malmaison Brighton - review

We had a Sunday roast at Malmaison Brighton recently and enjoyed their Chef's Table as our starter.  It's an epic array of yummy things you can visit as many times as you like!  Nik found a voucher on Living Social which got us a discount but it's usually £19.95 for 2 courses (the chef's table and a main course) and dessert is an extra £3.50.  Kid's meals are £9.95 and also include the chef's table, much to Priya's delight as they had all her favourite things!

Buxted Inn Sunday Roast review

You may have heard that The Buxted Inn is under new management.  They have a brand new menu which I'm dying to try but this weekend we went along to sample their Sunday Roast to see if we still love it there!

I'm happy to say we did, we had a lovely afternoon eating together (back as a family of four again) followed by a walk in Buxted Park hunting for acorns and conkers for Show and Tell at pre-school.

The roasts are as good quality as ever with delicious meat and generous portions.  Nik and I opted for the beef and the twins shared a children's roast pork.

The roast pork

The beef was served medium and was so tender and juicy.  The potatoes were lovely too, properly crispy without being tough or dry.  The Yorkshires were huge and crispy on top with yummy soft bottoms and there was plenty of gravy although I'm not convinced it was homemade but I could be wrong.  We were served veg on the side which consisted of green beans, chantarelle carrots and cauliflower cheese - yum!  We only had one bit of cauliflower each so I nearly ordered more as a side but we planned to have pudding anyway so I resisted.

Pudding was a bit disappointing for me, I ordered the cheesecake but it had a very strange texture, almost like Semolina and tasted similar too and the base was soggy.  The roasted apricots that came with it were nice but I definitely wish I ordered something else instead or had a starter.  Nik's was a bit odd too but his was tasty.  A dark chocolate concoction with a strange sticky, chewy coating and a lovely puddle of toasted marshmallow next to it.  He enjoyed his and the twins loved their Downs View Farm ice-cream as always.

The bill was very reasonable, I think it came to £53 for two main roasts, one kids' roast, a glass of Malbec, a ginger ale, two milks, two ice-cream scoops, two desserts and a latte.

Service was friendly and efficient as always, they found us some dominoes to keep the kids entertained while waiting for pudding (which did take a long time) as the usual games and toys they used to have in the bar area are gone.

Overall we had a lovely meal, I just chose poorly for dessert.  I think we'll be back to try the usual menu soon and we noticed they do a lunchtime deal Mon-Sat for a tenner which is great value.

Sunday Roast at The Blackboys Inn - review

The Blackboys Inn had been recommended to me by lots of friends so when my brother and his family were visiting for the weekend we booked in there for a Sunday roast.  It's such a pretty pub with loads of outdoor space, lovely flowers in their garden and even a pond with ducks which delighted the twins!

When we arrived the weather was a bit gloomy so we chose to sit inside so the kids wouldn't get cold.  Inside it's proper old pub style with the low ceilings and dark wood with candles and old pictures on the wall, we loved it.  The menu was interesting with the usual roast offerings (and my favourite addition - cauliflower cheese included) and various other main options but what really caught my eye were the puddings - more on those later!

We all opted for the roast with everyone having beef but I chose the pork belly as they said it had a crackling skin.  The roasts cost £13.95 and the kids shared a small portion which was £9.95.

The first thing I noticed was the roast potatoes, they looked perfect, not greasy or too over done but properly fluffy inside and crispy on the outside without being tough.  Loved them, they're definitely in the running for my favourite roasties!  There was a massive Yorkshire which was slightly overdone for my personal taste but still good and fresh.  The beef was served rare and the piece I tried was lovely, Mum said some bits were a bit tough and I did have trouble cutting  one of Priya's slices as it was quite grisly but the rest was delicious, nicely cooked and moist.

I had been prepared for my belly pork to be a bit fatty as it is that kind of cut but it was pleasantly meaty with minimal fat.  Unfortunately it was excessively salty, I suspect due to trying to crisp up the skin but I couldn't really taste the meat for the salt and it seemed to make my whole plate quite salty too and Mum thought hers was also on the salty side due to her gravy.

The veg was all cooked perfectly, we had parsnips, carrots and greens including cabbage which I love.  The cauliflower cheese was perfect, really cheesy and also well cooked - all the veg had a good bite to it.

As for those puddings, when I saw there was a banana and bacon cake I had to try it!  The kids weren't going to last much longer though and my brother wanted to get on the road back up north so I asked to take one away and got a brownie for Nik too since he'd been off studying all day again.  (Plus I really wanted to try the salted caramel popcorn brownie!)  They're usually served with ice-cream which I would have swapped for cream anyway but the chef very kindly wrapped up all the usual extras that came with each pudding (apart from ice cream of course) so the banana & bacon cake came with a treacle sauce and a slice of sweet bacon on top!  The brownie came with a side of toffee popcorn and salted caramel sauce.  I tried to get a decent photo of them at home but didn't have much time and I'm sure they would have been presented much better had we been able to eat them in the pub.  Both desserts were £6.95 each.

I absolutely loved them both - we shared half and half!  The cake wasn't overly bacony but had a nice saltiness to it with the banana and the treacle sauce was lovely.  The brownie was nicely gooey and the salted caramel sauce so good!  I definitely rate their puddings highly!

The twins weren't at their worst but I did have to take them outside for a run about in the garden at one point.  They loved it out there and the sun was shining by this point so it looked very pretty too.  I'd love to go back on a more relaxed Sunday to chill out in the garden for lunch when we're not in so much of a rush.

It wasn't that busy when we arrived but service was a little slow and when we ordered we asked for the bread asap for the kids but it came with all the other meals. They were very friendly and we were asked how our meals were but it was difficult getting anyone's attention.  When we needed a new fork as Priya dropped hers (and also decided she wanted mayonnaise plus we needed some water), we had to go through to the bar area to ask for everything, despite being able to see lots of staff behind the bar, we never managed to catch anyone's eye.

Overall, I'd recommend it, the menu was interesting and varied, the food was well cooked and with the exception of being a bit over-seasoned on the day we went, delicious.  The Inn is stunning with lovely big outdoor areas and very well kept.  It's on the more expensive end of the scale but worth it in my opinion.

Olive Dragonfly Rating - The Blackboys Inn, Blackboys

Food & Drink - 7/10

Atmosphere - 9/10

Service - 8/10

Value - 8/10

Overall - 8/10

Sunday Lunch at The Crown Inn, Newick - review by Bex

You may have already seen this one if you get Uckfield Matters magazine as it appeared there first.  

As part of my Local Roasts series of reviews, I went along to check out Sunday lunch at The Crown Inn in Newick with Nik, the twins and my in-laws.  It had been recommended by a friend and didn't disappoint!

Sunday roast inspired afternoon tea at East Sussex National Resort - review by Bex

Last Sunday I took the kids along to East Sussex National to sample their Sunday roast inspired afternoon tea in the Pavilion restaurant.

The cake stand was loaded with lovely treats as promised in the promo email I received below and the chef explained each tier.

Sunday Lunch at The Royal Oak, Newick - Local Roasts review

As part of my Local Roasts series, Nik, the twins and I went out for Sunday lunch at The Royal Oak in Newick last weekend.  We called on the day to book and had no problem getting a table at 1:30pm.  We were slightly late (as is often the way when wrangling two small humans) but were greeted warmly and asked to sit anywhere we liked.  We chose the corner table by the window and settled in.

Local Roasts - Ringles Cross Pub - Sunday Lunch Review

I've been thinking about starting a Sunday Roast review series for a while.  It's a topic I often see come up on our local Facebook group page and I find it interesting hearing people's opinions on where the best local roast can be found.  It's definitely a subjective thing so I thought a detailed series of reviews with photos and our opinions could be useful for locals (and visitors) looking for a place to spend a lazy Sunday lunchtime enjoying a good roast.  We've already sampled a few local Sunday Roasts which have been recommended to us and found varied options so depending on what you're after, there's bound to be one you'd enjoy.  

The first to feature in my new series is Ringles Cross pub who invited us to review their Sunday Roast for a feature in my Uckfield News column as they are listed in the Uckfield Directory.

The Buxted Inn - a review by Bex

It's a while since I've published a restaurant review (I don't think I've done one since moving down and having the twins) and I feel I should probably apologise for the excessive twin pictures included but they're just too cute to leave out of the experience.  Although I am of course biased ;)

I've been to The Buxted Inn to eat once before, on Father's day last year with Nik's parents.  This year, they've had a total refurb and we headed back for a Sunday roast with my parents the week before Easter.  It was the BEST meal I've had in a long time! Everything is home made and the staff are welcoming and friendly.  They're also very knowledgeable about the menu which makes such a difference.

We had come prepared with snacks for the twins while we ordered and waited for the food and Kalyan was fascinated with his real cutlery.

While Priya shared her carrot with Daddy.

We all opted for the roast, we got the kid's portion of roast chicken (£7 including a scoop of ice cream and a drink) for the twins, Mum, Dad and Nik chose the beef (£13) and I couldn't decide between the pork (because I love crackling so much!) or beef.  Once I ascertained that the mixed roast (£12) came with some crackling, I went for this option - best of all 3 worlds!

The food arrived pretty quickly, it was piping hot and looked great.  I was thrilled to receive a nice chunky piece of beef, a wee piece of crackling and good sized portions of all three meats.  The Yorkshire puddings looked amazing and I had 3 huge crispy roast potatoes as well as a piece of stuffing with some apple sauce.  Our veg soon followed, I forgot to take a picture of these but there was a good selection with red cabbage, caraway carrots, courgette, broccoli and parsnip.  Unfortunately, the quantity of veg was lacking.  We were asked if we needed any more veg or gravy and I requested some more broccoli but wish I'd asked for some more of other veg too.  I didn't get a bit of parsnip as there were just 4 pieces between the 6 of us despite ordering 5 meals, Kalyan ate most of the red cabbage and Priya almost all of the carrots!  We should have just asked for more as I'm sure they would have brought some.

The roast itself was delicious and very satisfying, although still left us with room for pudding.  The beef was pink, the chicken was juicy and tender and the pork very tasty.  The Yorkshire puds didn't disappoint, they were the perfect combination of crispy and stodgy and nice and big too!  We also had some nice strong horseradish to go with it all and an extra jug of yummy gravy.  I like that they ask if you'd like more gravy, despite there being a good puddle on the plate, as there's nothing worse than just a trickle of gravy on a roast.  We all really enjoyed it, especially Priya!

I have to say though, pudding was the best bit!  I opted for a proper treat and ordered the Oreo, salted caramel & chocolate chip cheesecake.  Oh.  My.  God.  The photo doesn't do it justice.  It was amazing!  It wasn't too sweet, was nice and light and absolutely delicious!  The caramel was drizzled through the filling with a couple of chewy chunky bits and a good few dark chocolate chips and the Oreos made up the base.  Nik also had the same, despite not usually being a fan of cheesecake and he loved it too.  

Dad had the lemon meringue which arrived de-constructed and looked lovely and judging by the appreciative noises he was making, it tasted as good as it looked!

Mum (and a cheeky Kalyan) enjoyed the rhubarb & ginger sponge with rhubarb & vanilla jam and sauce anglaise.  All of the puddings were £6.00 each.

Priya loved her strawberry ice cream too and made a good effort at scooping it herself.  (We usually still had to load the spoon for them at this point, but they've mastered it now!)

When she'd finished it, she was soon checking if there was anything else left for her to sample and enjoyed my berries!  (My cheesecake was long gone!)

We finished with coffees and teas while Priya played with the Jenga bricks and Kalyan snuggled with Granny.  My latte was too strong for my liking, despite being very pretty, so I didn't drink mine but I thoroughly enjoyed my glass of Malbec with dinner!

As for the Inn itself, the refurbishment has made a big difference, it seems much brighter and more spacious than I remember from last year.  The chairs are very comfortable and the twins' high chairs were a very funky, practical design.  They still don't have baby changing facilities in the bar or restaurant so they let us use a room upstairs when we had to change the twins which makes a nice change from balancing things on a pull down table in a toilet.  (And the rooms are lovely too, I'd definitely recommend it as a place to stay.)

Another nice touch is that they grow their own herbs and vegetables by the car park out the back in raised beds, which Kalyan and I had a wander around before the food arrived.  We love that there's a really well run Inn near us which serves great food and drinks (they serve Harvey's, our local beer which Dad and Nik love) and has a really good ethos with home grown and home made food as well as friendly staff.  Not to mention, it's within walking distance of our home!  We'll definitely be going back more often, in fact, I've already got another girl's night booked there, this time with dinner.  (I was there recently for a few drinks with new friends.)  I'm definitely going to indulge in that cheesecake again!

Olive Dragonfly Rating - The Buxted Inn

Food & Drink - 9/10 

Atmosphere - 8/10

Service - 9/10

Overall - 9/10