The Royal Oak, Lewes

Traditional white weatherboarded pub with a three-part interior comprising the bar (with a real fire, although it could have done with a bit more fuel on a cold winter day) in the centre, a dining area on the right-hand side and another room off to the left. With three of the four handpumps in use, I found a pair of Harvey's beers - Sussex Best and Old Ale (£5.70) - together with the equally local Long Man's Long Blonde.

Facebook page of The Royal Oak - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Royal Oak - www.revivedinns.co.uk

Facebook page of The Royal Oak - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Royal Oak - www.revivedinns.co.uk

One of 3 pubs in the village of Newick. All 3 are located on Church Road. This one is between the other two. Whilst we didn't visit the Bull, the Royal Oak seemed to be more suited to an older generation of customers. As you enter the bar is just ahead to the left-hand side. There is a separate room beyond to the left, with a dining area to the right-hand side as you enter. Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter is unsurprisingly the regular beer here. Guests were both from Long Man - Best Bitter & Long Blonde. The bar had a number of locals congregated around it, whilst there were also a large number of flies congregated fairly close to the door. Food was listed on a blackboard, but seemed to be on the pricey side. A few customers were sat waiting for their lunch on our swift visit. This was my least favourite pub of those visited in the village.

The Royal Oak is a twenty second jog from the Bull so I was able to make the transition without getting overly wet during a recent Saturday afternoon storm. Outside the front of the pub are some tables and chairs that were empty apart from a single smoker who was trying to shelter from the elements under one of the umbrellas. The interior is quite cosy with small left and right hand bars. The left hand bar houses a pool table, a couple of fruit machines, a pinball table, a fireplace and a jukebox, which was off. There is also a television that was powered down. Putting two and two together I deduced that live sport is not shown here. The L shaped right hand bar is larger and contains seating and an inglenook. Lots of tankards hang from the ceiling and an abundance of horse brasses add to a rustic feel. The bar supports four hand pumps, but alas two of these were off during my visit. This left Harvey’s Best and Dark Star’s Hophead in amongst some premium and standard keg products. The food looked very tasty. Although I didn’t read a menu I did note that the specials started at £10. I found the service to be very friendly and I would have no problem returning to this pub that I rated as the best of the three in the village.