The Bull Inn, Ticehurst

went back recently for another go, and everything still as advertised - outstanding !

fajitas were as good as anticipated - generous servings, great fresh ingredients, immaculately prepared and presented - and all for less than a tenner - superb; might have done with a bit more spicing up, but that's personal preference, rather than a legitimate criticism - maybe this could be offered as an option ???.

The food also seems to be cooked in "proper" oil - dunno whether it's beef dripping or similar, but whatever, it's the stuff that your mum used to cook with before low calorie sprays and omega 3 oils were all the rage, and for an occasional visit, some lightly furred arteries are a small price to pay for home-spun wonderment of such a standard given the particular flavour that's imparted.

place was absolutely rammed for a local gardening society dinner or something of that ilk while we were there, but the service was still plenty prompt enough, attentive and personable, which was great under the circumstances

Kiss FM appears to have disappeared, the Harveys was on top form, and yet again it was a flawless meal in a gorgeous setting - shall be going back again at the earliest opportunity...

8 Feb 2013 11:17

The Bull Inn, Ticehurst

visited The Bull on a Friday evening for an early meal on a whim, having lived near the place for donkeys years but never been there before - we will most definitely be going back.

Has all the trappings of the traditional English country pub - beams, stone floors, oak tables and all the fixtures and fittings that you'd expect, so that was a good start. Very pleasant staff, roaring log fire, nice snug for the locals and plenty of room for everyone else - all good stuff.

Ordered from the pretty extensive menu - good selection of standard pub fare without too many unnecessary frills, with everything at a very reasonable price (mains for less than nine quid each) and, as a result, to be fair, we weren't expecting particularly great things. What we got was a huge and very pleasant surprise - absolutely fantastic food, high quality ingredients, cooked and presented to perfection and served up in very generous portions that made a mockery of the pricing. Probably one of the best value for money yet high quality pub meals I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying - really can't speak highly enough of the food.

There was so much that having ploughed through everything on my plate, I had to forgo sampling one of the equally sumptuous looking desserts, which - for a generally earnest trencherman - was a shame, but as everything from the one course I did sample was so fantastic, that's no criticism in the slightest.

There were a couple of very minor disappointments; I'm not sure exactly why the staggeringly inappropriate Heart FM was - albeit quietly - on the TV by way of background music (whats wrong with Absolute Radio 90's - get a grip !) and the Harveys, one of a small selection of decent ales compared to quite a few electrically pumped lagers and other abominations, was not the best-kept pint I've ever encountered - gave the impression of having been allowed to get a little too chilled at some point, and was consequently a bit flat and lifeless.

That said, any minor problems really do need to be ignored in the face of the utterly spectacular food and immaculately appropriate ambiance of the place - already looking forward to my next visit, when I'll be taking on the spectacular-looking fajitas.

5 Jan 2013 22:04

The Padwell Arms, Seal

heh - have to say that I'm intrigued by this whole "gastro" accusation that's been levelled at The Padwell, with its clearly negative connotations. Let's see, we have a very welcoming pub that serves a variety of well kept ales at very competitive prices, has put on some very enjoyable events and which is starting to find a real niche with its many folk-arts evenings. It's been smartened up, is doing its bit for local sports clubs, actively looks to bring other community groups in to the fold and makes much of its commitment to the use of local suppliers in every aspect of its business - all sounds fair enough, doesn't it ?

But no - hang on - of an evening, they serve something a bit more ambitious than jellied eels, chips and a sausage on a stick, so it must therefore be a "gastro pub" dolling out poncey food at exhorbitant prices, and all the other positives can be ignored. Having had a young lad in the kitchens when it opened who was happy enough to serve up simple - but very good - food, there's now someone there who has the flexibility to have added some more adventurous dishes to the menu (in addition to the basic fare, rather than instead of, it should be noted) presumably in an effort to offer a bit more choice and make a few more bob along the way - hardly the ultimate heresy in these straightened times when presenting as many options as possible to potential punters is a prerequisite of any business that aspires to endure for more than a fortnight or so.

Obviously, some shortsighted curmudgeons are happy to sit in a corner nursing a pint of gassy mild while chewing on a hard crust and a packet of pork scratchings, kicking dogs and moaning about noisy kids to anyone that's unfortunate enough to be in earshot under the pretence of being a "characterful if somewhat disenfranchised local" - there's a reason why so many "traditional" pubs are dying on their collective arses, you know !

13 Dec 2011 23:02