A Black Horse You Can Bank On – Having been a fan of Historic Sussex Hotels for many years, I was fascinated to see that the group had recently purchased a country pub – The Black Horse – near Bailiffscourt, Climping, (its spectacular hotel and spa). Fancying a night away pre-Christmas, we checked in to The Black Horse on a cold and miserable evening. However, the welcome at the bar from Chloe was very warm, who showed us to our room on the first floor, via a private staircase just for residents. The decor is lovely; dark bold colours and beautiful wallpaper designed by Fiona Howard, a neighbour of the group, who’s also based in Climping.
Our bedroom was furnished with an eclectic collection of antiques – ones that have obviously been used, and loved, over the years. The ensuite bathroom was massive, with a roll top bath, as well as a walk-in shower. The pub has seven bedrooms in total.
The pub itself is furnished with an attractive mismatch of furniture: one that in many places would look wrong, but here it just adds to the warm and relaxed atmosphere. There is a large open bar area to the front of the building and at the rear a modern, but very tastefully and sympathetically built, extension that houses the main dining room. To the side of the bar is an attractive, cosy, private dining room that seats up to ten.
After a relaxing pre-prandial of a G&T and Guiness 00, we decided to eat in the bar area rather than the restaurant, as the bar was so comfy and cheerful with a woodburning stove and groups of locals (many with dogs in tow) enjoying drinks and dinner.
The menu for lunch and dinner is well composed and sensibly compact, with a choice of six starters and six mains. My husband spotted a starter of Yorkshire pudding, filled with braised beef and horseradish cream so opted for that immediately. It was a perfectly sized portion of incredibly light batter served piping hot. He described it as ‘a perfect Sunday lunch in a starter’.
The Heritage beetroot, whipped feta and roasted walnut salad with sesame and maple dressing was perfect for me: beautifully presented; earthy flavours. It was a very tasty and light starter – beetroot and walnuts are always such a good pairing and the feta added a saltiness that offset the other ingredients perfectly. Some warm, homemade focaccia with oil and balsamic vinegar accompanied our starters.
The Climping beach fish pie, grilled cheddar mash, buttered prawns and seasonal vegetables had swiftly been ‘bagged’ by my husband as he’d heard that it was a signature dish. He’s normally the one to choose a pie, but it was my turn this time – homemade steak and ale, chips and seasonal veg.
The fish pie was a Sussex interpretation of the Cornish stargazy – an array of battered whitebait poking their heads above a sea of cheesy potato waves and prawns atop a creamy, fishy sauce. My pie (a ‘proper’ one with a pastry base as well as top) was served as a very generous serving of crispy pastry packed with a rich beefy interior. The beef was incredibly tender and just melted in the mouth. The portions were very generous and with the exception of a couple of the perfectly cooked fat chips, and the seasonal veg that accompanied it, I found myself only managing the delicious contents of the pie and just a few mouthfuls of the lovely pastry.
Not surprisingly, I didn’t have any room for anything else, but my husband was persuaded to try apple & blackberry crumble knickerbocker with custard, vanilla ice cream and vanilla cream. Wow! It certainly looked spectacular and lived up to expectations, being declared ‘absolutely delicious’.
A well composed wine list has a number of wines by the glass from just £6.50, including the delicious locally produced Hindleap Seyval Blanc sparkling, from the Bluebell Estate, at £9.50. House wines are from £25 a bottle, with most of the wines competitively priced at under £40 a bottle.
After an excellent night’s sleep in the very comfortable bed, we strolled downstairs for breakfast. Tina was the duty breakfast server and offered us the choice of eating in the dining room or the bar. The bar, with its cosy memories of the night before, was perfect for us. The Blackhorse full English was my husband’s choice, while I chose avocado and poached eggs. There is also a Blackhorse full veggie option, plus waffles or baps filled with an assortment of bacon, sausage and eggs.
A plate packed with Cumberland sausage, smoked back bacon, a clever little kebab of grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, baked beans, scrambled eggs and fried bread (his choices from a range of options) was certainly an excellent start to the day.
My avocado and poached eggs was a tasty and much lighter start to my day, but neither of us needed anything to eat till much, much, later in the day after such a good repast.
If you fancy a night or two in beautiful countryside with multiple seaside or woodland walks on your doorstep, I can’t recommend a trip to Climping and a visit to the Black Horse highly enough. For further information check out the website www.hshotels.co.uk/theblackhorseclimping
The Seasoned Gastronome