The Jolly Sportsman, Lewes

Country dining pub, hidden away in a dead-end lane leading to the hamlet's simple church. 'Upmarket rustic' in the small timber-floored front bar, with a blazing log fire and a narrow, pumpless counter. However, even here, as well as the side / rear rooms and in the conservatory, all tables bar one were laid up for Sunday lunchtime diners. Also has a sizeable rear beer garden for the better weather. Two Long Man ales - Long Blonde and Best Bitter (£5.50) - served by gravity from the row of four casks perched on the bar-back. The brewery's Oatmeal Stout and Gun's Numb Angel lager are also available from the keg taps, together with Ascension's Pilot cider.

Visited 22/06/2024 Have been to this country gastropub a few times now since visiting first at the end of summer last year. Find the inside of the venue pretty dark unless you sit in the conservatory area to eat or are outside (something largely precluded in the first hour of being here today because of the inclement lunchtime weather). The main part of the pub does present the country vibe though, large stone flagstone floor, low ceilings, nooks and crannies etc. The bar in the corner of the entrance room is really small with the barrels on the ledge at the back of the bar. This isn’t really a pub where you go and order at the bar, pretty much table waitress service I would say. The cask beer selection is all Long Man here, with the Blonde and the Best on offer. I also spotted on the way out that they have the Long Man Helles Lager. There are a trio of keg beers from Gun Brewery (the excellent Scaramanga and Project Babylon plus a lager called Numb Angel). The cider was called Pilot from Ascencion. The venue has cultivated an outside dining and drinking facility it seems with a garden bar serving cocktails and, from memory, English fizz rather than champagne and is a lovely place to sit on a nice day (not yesterday and definitely not in recent winter and autumn visits last year). Predominately I would say this is, a very fine, English country dining pub and there are better country drinking pubs in the vicinity if that is what you are after. Most head here to eat (and quaff fizz in the garden in summer).