please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Being a stranger to the area I used the GBG to find a pub for a family Sunday lunch get-together and came across the Blue Ship. However on arrival the pub exterior looked a bit run-down and if I was just driving past I might have been deterred but with a table for six booked I bit the bullet and went in. Upon walking into the pub we were given a friendly welcome and my fears subsided. The bar area is smallish and rectangular with scrubbed tables and benches and a hatchway through which the drinks were served (there is no traditional bar counter). We were seated in a smaller room to the left with three tables set up for dining and also a bar billiard table which was covered over but used for league matches. There was at least one more room to the rear which I didn't enter. A choice of roasts were on offer as well as the regular menu at prices a bit above my own area but this is well-heeled West Sussex territory. No complaints about the quality of the food or portion sizes and all was well-presented.
On the downside the only ale on offer was Hall and Woodhouse Ruby Rustler which was pleasant enough but no better than that and an expensive £3.95. The landlord explained that as it is a rural pub and January being a quiet month he only stocks one but the choice is greater in the summer months when the large garden becomes popular with walkers and families. Also the toilets, while perfectly clean, are outside and on a day when there was the first snow of the winter the lack of any heat was very noticeable particularly for the ladies.
In summary the pub is a bit quirky but both the landlord and landlady could not have been friendlier and despite the time of year there were a number of people enjoying their lunches. I would certainly return if in the area but it could be very busy when the good weather returns.
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The Blue Ship is a lovely little pub tucked away off the beaten track. Although it appears to be a Badger pub, there didn't appear to be any of the normal Badger ales on gravity when we visited, but the one I tried was gorgeous. We sat in a beautiful garden until it started to rain and then in pleasant surrounds inside. The landlord was very friendly and polite.
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A very pleasant journey back in time. Beer tapped straight from the cask is served to you from a hatch, and there are no comfy chairs at all - just hard wooden ones. Possibly unsuitable for any old loafers suffering from piles as a result.
Two Badger beers available (Sussex and a seasonal one) and truly excellent food. Pork belly with artichokes highly recommended. Mind you the prices are bang up to date - �3.85 for a pint is rather a lot even in 2012...
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Ate here a few weeks ago. Food was superb and really showed The Fox at Bucks Green up for what it is i.e. very average. Beer was very drinkable although H&W isn't everyones thing I enjoyed it. Only downside was we did have to wait rather a long time for our food but as we booked at the last minute and they did squeeze us in I ought to stop splitting hairs!
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This little gem is worth visiting, quirky,charming and very traditional.New landlords and a new chef,what a menu,all fresh food,made on the premises, fresh fish menu that knock the socks off local fish restaurants.We had the shortcrust pie as you would expect it to be a whole pie,not those lided top ones which seem so abundant, my wife had the monkfish ,just brilliant!! To boot it all the prices are reasonable, great service, and a lovely friendly atmosphere. Well worth trying to find the pub.
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A great little pub - a real pub - good food good beer (Badger) turned up on spec for a late Sunday lunch and despite being very busy good service and friendly. Excellent pork roast. Highly recommended if you like a real pub. No bar the service is via a single hatch / come barn door. If you want London Plastic wine bars please stay away.
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Has bar billiards and is very supportive of the local league. The pub itself is a treasure and not the sort of place you would find unless you knew where to look for it as it is stuck in the middle of a wood!
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Lovely multiroomed pub, obviously doing a good food trade alongside the traditional drinking area. Sussex was only OK, but still apleasure to visit.
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Another rare gem of a place, like the Royal Oak in Rusper, untouched by the horrors of the modern chain pubco. I hope it never changes.
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Apparently a CAMRA national heritage pub, although apart from the lack of a bar and a charming front bar I could not see why. Beer (Sussex bitter) disappointing. Otherwise OK, but probably not worth going out of your way to visit
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waited over an hour for some food on monday, and they were not busy. i wish i hadn't bothered, it was awful. i had a cottage pie, which was just boiled mince with mash on top....the hatch must be a nightmare if they ever do get busy.
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Sussex Bitter has never been the same since the H&W takeover, but that apart this is a lovely little gem, spankingly clean
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Jolly sort of place not like some with the same name (Jolly that is)beer stright from the barrel that will do for me hic.
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Quaint country pub sat in the garden had a couple of lagers it was very relaxing.I just love the bar or lack of one brill.
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We used to use this pub regularly as a base for Sunday country walks. Last time we arrived we parked our cars away from the car park down the lane as usual but one of our walkers chained his bike up in the pub garden. The landlady came flying out and was quite abusive to him although he explained we would all be back to the pub after our walk for lunch and/or drinks in the garden if too full inside. We completed our walk but all 15 of us drove off to the Red Lion at Slinfold which was extremely welcoming with fantastic food. We have struck the Blue Ship off our list for future until we hear the management have changed. I can't understand management like this. Whilst they may not need the trade on Sunday lunchtimes, many of us used to use this pub on quiet weekdays too.
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Great pub, lovely interior in first room and great food and beer, real character. Good secret pub, best not to tell too many about it..
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Called in for the 1st.time the other night and had a lovely time.Staff were friendly service good,my only negative is the lack of a good lager but thats always the problem with a Hall & Woodhouse pub they have no idea whats a good or bad one.But if you enjoy your bitter no probs here. 7/10
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Haven't been for a while, but the simple, quaint and characterful earthiness of the place left a marked impression. Hall & Woodhouse ale isn't the most exciting available to the adventurous beer-quaffer, but off the cask it has some added charm. A goodly mix of farmers and other locals sit in the tap room and it would be difficult even for the most hardened of anti-social types not to get drawn in to the lively debate that will undoubtedly ensue during your visit.
Genuine and unspoilt, the Blue Ship creates an atmosphere that pubcos and national breweries can only dream of mastering. Keep it up.
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Largely unruined country pub where they serve the beer from a hatch in the old style. Nice for a bike ride up from Billingshurst, a couple of pints and then coast back down again.
'Ship' as well as being a boat is the dialect singular of 'sheep'. But why a blue sheep, I don't know.
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I dont think it's the place it was. The Horsham set in their flashy cars seem to have moved in so the place is frequently awash with parked limos outside. ther food prices have been hiked up - nearly a fiver for the smallest baguette I have ever eaten. the building is very nice and the beer well kept, however.
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Classic country pub which is quite difficult to find. Drinks are served through two small serving hatches. It is well worth making the effort to find this establishment.
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Good food and a fine selection of drink for those who want more than the usual name brands, all in a genuinely olde pub, they even fine people for using mobiles! Which is a brilliant idea.
Rhandolph - 11 Oct 2004 21:08 |
Can't disagree with the previous 2 reviews although I am sure the Ham Egg and Chips was a pound cheaper than stated for a good slab of meat with the marinaded fat around the edge, just as it should be. The only cross word I heard were to a couple of girls who parked their horses around the inn sign. Why the Blue Ship? I meant to ask but never got round to it.
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Very quaint, several small rooms some non smoking. Beer is direct from barrel behind the bar. Inside looks almost unchanged for the last century or so. Approach roads are very rural and often have mud & gravel on them so care is needed.
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This quaint country pub is the same now as it has been forever. Not tarnished with loud music, quiz machines and pool tables, it remains quiet and peaceful with a good atmosphere.
It serves excellent English food including its Ham, Egg and Chips (quite possibly the best plate in the country for �7.50), Macaroni/Cauliflower Cheese, Chilli, Ratatouille and Cheesy Cottage Pie amoung others. Also serves Ploughman lunches and Sandwiches with thick, crusty bread. (No Food Sunday and Monday evenings)
Besides its food, the pub has an excellent reputation for a fine pint of Sussex and guest ale straight from the barrel.
Of course, the quiet country setting is not ideal for all, but I challenge you not to enjoy your experience.
David Lean - 19 Nov 2003 09:57 |
