The Ship Inn, Meads, Eastbourne

One of two 'Meads Village' pubs, this is obviously an old building but the spacious, partly opened-out interior has been given a light, upmarket makeover that won't appeal to everyone. Further tables are available in a conservatory extension, with a patio beer garden beyond that. Having said that, and despite it being very much a food-led establishment, it was good to see three of the four handpumps in use (and dispensing local beers in different styles at that). No surprise to find the regular Harvey's best bitter, but the Old Ale (£4.10) was also available, as was the Long Blonde from Long Man Brewery.

This is a large food orientated pub that I thought a little sterile during my evening midweek visit last week. It was pretty busy compared to the other pubs in the area, but most people were dining and there was a queue at the hot beverage counter whilst the bar was empty apart from two gentlemen sitting at it who were annoyingly blocking the view to the hand pumps. After a few head bobs and some funny looks I gleaned that Harveys Best, Flowers Original and Beachy Head Original were the ale options alongside some standard and premium draught products. The Guinness was well served and the barmaid was nice enough, but with an air of ‘I’d rather not be here’. The main front section of the pub is square and split up with pillars and chimney breast and there is a small extension at the rear which leads to a large beer garden complete with BBQ counter on a decked area at the immediate rear. There are no TVs in the pub and some generic background music was playing softly in the background. This is a pub for families and other folk that don’t do boozers, which is fair enough I suppose – I cannot see a return visit.