The Coach & Horses

Visit this unspoilt country pub on a sharp winter’s day & you’ll appreciate the blazing fires in the simply furnished, beamed bars & the buzz of locals congregating for superior pub food. The kitchen gives due deference to local suppliers. Lamb is reared in the field opposite, rabbits are shot by the local butcher & Ashdown Forest venison is rarely off the menu. Yet the daily changing menu looks beyond its back yard for inspiration, giving the food a modern, cosmopolitan flavour. Lobster lasagne with roast vine tomatoes & beetroot risotto, & grilled Toulouse sausages on a haricot blanc, tomato & sweet basil ragout are typically honest & unfussy dishes underpinned by skill & good timing. If you want to eat the same food in less pubby surrounding, book a table in the restaurant carved out of the former stables. Sheltered, tree-shaded tables are prime spots in summer.