The Swan Inn, Midhurst

The current landlords took the pub over in May 2010 and we had the pleasure of staying overnight and it was a pleasure! We were attending a wedding nearby so the pub's location was ideal. Before we left we had time for a competitively priced pint of real ale and the landlady advised us that if we got back before 1am the door would be open, if later just phone the number on the key fob and she'd let us in. She asked US what time we'd like breakfast (none of your 7.30am-9am nonsense) and we agreed 9.30am would be a civilised time. We returned about 10.30pm and the pub was nicely busy with a congenial crowd gathered outside and in. The room was very comfortable and on a hot balmy evening having a ceiling fan silently whirring all night was a bonus. Being in the roof we were also able to leave the window fully open all night and, despite facing a busy road, had no trouble with traffic noise. In fact the only noise was the church bells directly opposite which started ringing at 9.30am. We slept in one of the most comfortable hotel beds we've every slept in with freshly laundered bedding and the en-suite shower room was very clean with one large and one small soft towel each, two tablets of pure soap and complimentary shower gel/shampoo. There wasn't an alarm clock/radio in the room but I'm quite sure if we'd asked the landlady to wake us at 6am she would have done! Breakfast was ample with cereal available to start, a large box not those small variety pack boxes, followed by a cooked English (2 sausages, 2 rashers of back bacon, a grilled tomato, mushrooms and freshly fried egg) with 3 slices of toast each served with a steaming mug of tea. Real butter and jam or marmalde to finish off the toast if needs be. The landlady was charming and nothing was too much trouble. We would definitely stay there again and recommend it highly. We wish the landlord's every success with this venture.

9 Aug 2010 07:41

The Bear, Horsham

What a great little pub right in the centre of the Town. We called in for a "spot of lunch" and to rest weary feet from shopping and had a really lovely lunch. Just a sandwich, I say "just a sandwich" but WHAT a sandwich. Lovely tasty fresh bread, non of this mass produced "steamed" stuff, plenty of tuna and mayo filling with a side helping of creamy mayonnaise and hand-cut crisps. All washed down with some Bishops Finger. Lovely!

10 Apr 2010 15:38

The Inn On The Green, Ockley

This pub was recommended to me and I'm so glad I looked it up. We were on our way back from Guildford ice rink and took a short de-tour to Ockley.

The pub was warm and friendly and Paul, the manager and his staff are polite and attentive. Varied choice of lagers/beers and wine.

We stayed to eat and my smoked haddock fishcake was delicious, a meal in itself and I somewhat regretted choosing to have the moroccan style chicken because I didn't have room for a pud. My dining companion had the Soup of the Day (which would give Heinz a run for their money) followed by the ribs which were meaty and very tender. He did manage to squeeze in some cheese and biscuits with a choice of four different cheeses, three different types of biscuit and a choice of butter or low-calorie spread (guess which he used?)

Sadly the pub is a bit too far from where we live to make it a regular, but the next time I'm in the vicinity......

10 Apr 2010 15:06