The Ram Inn, Lewes

Well described by Steve C:our visit in fact pre-dates his, as we arrived in the throes of preparations for the Bonfire Night celebrations in October 2016.A rambling brick, flint and tile building with numerous enticing outhouses, this pub seems to be at the heart of things in this traditional Estate Village.Largely, but not exclusively food led, the beer on our visit featured Harvey's hearty seasonal Bonfire Boy, together with a bitter from a new to me Sussex brewery-Hurst. Sadly no cask beers from Burning Sky were on, though I did see a keg tap dedicated to them on the bar, which incidentally serves as background on the Called to the Bar blog.A grand pub.

Found within the bounds of the South Downs National Park is the quintessential East Sussex village of Firle. On approach to the village from the adjacent A27 visitors are politely asked to leave their cars in the free car park which is located behind the 500-year-old Ram Inn. This car park backs onto a cricket pitch which was being used for a Sunday afternoon match during my visit to the area this weekend. With easy access to the South Down’s way this is a very popular start and end point for walkers, ramblers and bicycle riders. Thus, the five B&B rooms above the pub are very popular in the Summer months. The interior of the main pub building consists of three seating area’s including the main bar with tiled flooring. The old stable to the right of the pub has been converted into a couple of private dining areas that lead to the ‘Farmer’s Bar’ that opens onto picnic tables that line the gravelled outside area. I counted four/five hand pumps in the main bar and two in the Farmer’s Bar. The beers I noted were Harvey’s Best, Gun Brewery’s Pale Ale and a real cider alongside draught options of Guinness, Grolsch, another lager and Sharp’s Cider. The friendly barman assured me that the local Firle Burning Sky Brewery was represented in the main bar. The doors to the pub are open daily from 09:00 to 23:00 and the kitchen is operational for breakfast from 09:00 to 11:00, Lunch from midday to 15:00 and dinner from 18:30 to 21:30. A basic all-day menu is available, even when the kitchen is closed and Sunday is roast day. The gastro sounding mains from the full menu range from £12 for a salad to £21 for steak and chips. I had a very enjoyable stop off here and my kids loved feeding the sheep that was grazing in the front garden opposite the pub. I would enjoy another visit.

Official site of the Ram Inn, contains menu - www.raminn.co.uk

Official site of the Ram Inn, contains menu - www.raminn.co.uk