Inspiration

Food, flowers and Brazilian drumming: A guest inspection trip to Sussex

Sawday's Expert

5 min read

Emily West was the second winner of our Guest Inspector competition. Her prize was to be sent off on a southern tour, checking out a few places to stay and a couple of pubs in beautiful Sussex. A film editor and photographer, Emily cast her keen eye across them all.

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8th September: The Dairy at Streat Place Barn (self-catering)

A proper country escape and a walker’s paradise.  The estate is full of old trinkets and arty rustic arrangements, the garden has sweeping views onto the Downs and the sitting room looks onto orchards that epitomise the romantic English countryside. We woke to friendly sheep baa-ing outside the window in the morning.

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Lunch: Friday 9th September: The Jolly Sportsman – 1pm

They are well known for their food and Rob is rightly proud of it. It punches way beyond pub fare. The garden is very pretty and we had the most delicious lunch. You probably need a car to get there, but it’s a lovely spot for a delicious post stroll Sunday lunch, or lunch on any day! It’s a place to return to over and over.

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Overnight stay and lunch: Friday 9th and Saturday 10th September: The George (inn)

A classy but classic English inn. John is warmly welcoming and photos of the family on the walls add a personal touch to what could otherwise be quite a typical pub space. I loved how quietly we slept, Jane told us the floors between the pub and the bedrooms had been sound insulated. Lunch was also very good and the chef has been there for many years.

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Saturday 10th September: The Cloudesley (B&B)

Persian painting and piles of books in the hallway, an omelette cooked with armagnac, the garden’s fashionable concrete tiers set off the reds and greens of acer trees, figs and bamboos. We saw great Brazilian drummers playing at a festival on the Hastings pier and explored Hastings old town. 

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Christopher Wilson-Elmes

Sawday's Expert

Chris is our in-house copywriter, with a flair for turning rough notes and travel tales into enticing articles. Raised in a tiny Wiltshire village, he was desperate to travel and has backpacked all over the world. Closer to home, he finds himself happiest in the most remote and rural places he can find, preferably with a host of animals to speak to, some waves to be smashed about in and the promise of a good pint somewhere in his future.

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