Robert De Mortain, St Helens, Hastings

Mid-afternoon on a recent Friday I tackled the lengthy hike from Hastings Railway Station to the Robert De Mortain. The pub is set back from the passing road by a sloping car park where advertisements are located for live Sunday music and the availability of food. The high ceilinged interior consists of a seating area to the left of the entrance where there is a dartboard case on the wall. A group sitting at a high table situated on the oche meant the board was out of action. The pub was pretty empty, but most of the tables were reserved for the approaching evening. Beyond this seating area, in the left rear corner, is a room that was reserved for a party. A flight of stairs lead up to an advertised function room that I did not visit on this occasion. There was some very low background music playing and I didn’t spot any televisions. The bar in the rear right corner supports a standard draught selection and four hand pumps. With this being a Greene King establishment it was not surprising to find IPA (x2), Abbot and Old Speckled Hen as the cask ale options. I had a glance at the food menu to find standard pub grub priced around £9 for the mains. Meal deals, such as two for one, were available on selected dishes. A covered balcony at the rear of the pub overlooks a long grass covered beer garden that is strewn with picnic tables. The presence of a bowl suggests that dogs are welcome to roam the garden and adjacent wood that it backs onto. There is café seating on the balcony that was being used by the handful of patrons present during my visit. I found this pub to be very sedate and I would think twice about spending an evening here, but as a location for a beer on a sunny afternoon it is hard to beat.

Official Robert De Mortain page at a Greene King site - www.gkpubs.co.uk

Official Robert De Mortain page at a Greene King site - www.gkpubs.co.uk