At Birchall Tea we pride ourselves on delivering teas of exceptional quality and flavour. Only the best ingredients and production techniques are used to create our blends. It was these great values that we were looking for when selecting the restaurants to feature in our food and drink guide for the South Downs.
All our featured restaurants have those values at their heart. Sourcing the best local produce and a dedication to creating dishes of great flavour, is a mantra that runs through them all. The South Downs boasts some of the finest gastro pubs in the UK. The views from the beer gardens are worth the trip alone! We urge you to give them a try!
Earl Of March Country Pub and Restaurant – Chichester
The Earl of March is a country pub restaurant set against the picturesque backdrop of Goodwood and the South Downs in the village of Lavant. The pub dates back to the 18th century. Local records show that it is where William Blake the famous poet and composer wrote the words to Jerusalem in 1803, while sitting in the east facing accommodation bay window looking out over the breath taking views. It is hardly surprising that he was inspired to write such an epic anthem.
The Earl of March was taken over in July 2007 by Giles Thompson, the former Executive Head Chef of the Ritz Hotel London. Every dish, however simple, is scrumptious, made of the finest local produce and perfectly presented. A perfect pub for any occasion with a beer garden worth the visit alone!
The Lickfold Inn – Petworth
Set in a Tudor mansion, The Lickfold Inn is everything you would look for in a country pub. Cozy and relaxing, with roaring log fires to warm by in the winter and comfy sofas to rest on after a long summers afternoon walk. The kitchen prides itself on marrying traditional methods with cutting edge ideas to create progressive delicious tasting food that captures the surrounding area. Using only the tastiest locally sourced produce from nearby artisan suppliers and producers. The local countryside both inspires and informs the dishes served, incorporating ingredients and flavours that are all from the bounty of the local area. From trout with cucumber and gin, to ox pie with buckwheat and oyster, they serve refined food created from fresh local produce.
The White Horse – Chilgrove, Chichester
Kick off your wellies, sink into one a big leather chair and enjoy a taste of the South Downs. A true country dining pub, proud to offer only the freshest local produce sourced directly from the woodlands, farms and country estates that surround. All of the game and fish is brought from local suppliers and friends – from the exquisite venison, straight from the nearby estates such as nearby Goodwood and prepared on site, to the Chilgrove wood pigeons, rabbits and trout, plucked from nearby rivers and fields that morning. Whatever you try at the White Horse you can be sure that every dish has its roots in the beautiful South Downs.
Duke of Cumberland – Henley
The Duke of Cumberland is a beautiful 16th century pub perched on the side of a hill with breathtaking views. From the gardens, on a fine summer’s day, it’s just possible to see Leith Hill, the highest point in Surrey. Inside, there are flagstones, brick floors, wooden scrubbed tables and local ales served straight from the barrel. Outside, you will still find fresh trout in one of the many garden ponds.
