Dinner at The Crabtree, Sussex - Review

Cuisine: British
Style Points: 4/5
Location: Lower Bedding, Sussex
Price: ££
Overall: 4/5

Covid-19 Safety Measures:

All staff wear masks indoors
Some alfresco tables available
Hand sanitiser available
Surfaces disinfected between visits

During my recent staycation in Sussex visiting both Rathfinny Wine Estate, and The Piggery, I had the chance to dine at locally renowned restaurant and public house, The Crabtree.

The Crabtree is a stylish venue located in the lush Sussex countryside. This family run business offers local and seasonal food, as well as a great range of real ales and organic wines too.

Located in an impressive building with a beautiful facade, the large inside space is split up into smaller dining sections, which gives it a cosy and welcoming vibe. There is also a large outdoor space with plenty of benches separated from each other by a few meters. This area is primarily for those drinking rather than eating as there is no table service, although there is an al fresco table for those dining too. We were seated inside, by an open door to the patio, which was lovely on this particularly hot Summer’s day.

The Food?

We decided to have dinner at The Crabtree, which offered a range of traditional English Summer dishes.

We started with a few starters including beetroot with Golden Cross goats cheese, which arrived as a delicious beetroot tartare. We also tried the heritage tomato and burrata starter, which was full of flavourful and colourful ripe tomatoes and was just the right size to whet our appetite for more.

For my main course I opted for the pan-roasted sea bass, served with wild garlic new potatoes, nut brown butter, tender-stem broccoli. This was a scrumptious and beautifully presented dish. The sea bass was cooked perfectly and the combination of the nut butter and new potatoes was delightful. In fact this was actually quite a filling dish for me as it was a very good portion size.

My husband selected an even more traditional country pub dish, the battered cod. It was served with tartare sauce, mushy peas, vinegar gel and of course moreish triple cooked chips. This was also a delicious main course, although we would have loved for the cod to be just a tad crispier.

After stretching our legs in the outdoor area to work off some food, we ordered our desserts. I had the sticky toffee pudding with sticky toffee sauce, which arrived as a decent sized portion and was as decadent as expected. We also tried the ginger and mango panna cotta which, in contrast to the sticky toffee pudding, was a lovely light choice for a hot day and easy to devour.

With our meal we also sampled some of the organic wines, focusing specifically on the Rosé and Red wines. They also have a large selection of beers, sparkling wines and coffees to end your meal too.

The Price?

I was really impressed with the portion sizes at The Crabtree which is great considering the reasonable prices. The starters here cost approximately £10 whilst the main courses are between £14 - £17 depending on the dish. This is great value considering the aforementioned large portion sizes.

Desserts range from £3.50 for a slice of cake, to £12 for a Guinness crème brûlé, offering a variety of options for all patrons of this fine establishment.

Overall?

I was impressed with the Crabtree as it is a stylish and welcoming venue which still exudes a family-run pub feel. The food we sampled was also high quality and enjoyable. This is a versatile location ideal for everything from date nights and celebratory family gatherings to casual drinks in the sunshine.

Although service was slow at times, this can be put down to having recently opened back up to the public - growing pains which most of the hospitality industry is currently dealing with.

I would recommend the Crabtree for anyone who is in the area on a staycation visiting the local vineyards, or just passing through the area. The locals are certainly lucky to have this gem on their doorstep.