The White Dog, Robertsbridge

Village pub that seems to be heading down the gastropub route. The main bar is split into two sections. There is a bar to the left with a brick floor and a smart dining area to the right. A smaller side room to the left features hops on the ceiling. A fireplace in the bar was lit, despite us coming towards the end of spring. There were a couple of armchairs either side of it. We sat on a large table in the window, with board games on shelves one side and a bookcase to the other. Regular cask ales here are a house beer - Rother Valley Sussex Bitter and the ubiquitous Harvey's Sussex Best. Guests were Lakedown Spring & Battle Battle Axe. Biddenden's Bushels was the cider available from a bag-in-a-box. I opted for the Battle Axe which was fairly insipid. Wine lists are available on each table. Our visit was on a mid-afternoon on a weekday. The only other customers were a few other drinkers in the bar. I'd like to bet that it gets much busier at meal times. We noticed a specials board above the fireplace, whilst the large rear garden with nice views over the surrounding countryside had a pizza oven and its own bar. Dogs are allowed inside if kept on a lead. An advertised meat raffle suggests that it does try to be a little more than gastro. The pub is listed in the current Good Beer Guide. So perhaps the poor quality of my beer was an exception to the rule.

Traditional village pub and restaurant, with a rustic bar (featuring a welcome blaze from logs in the grand old fireplace) with a pool room beyond and a separate, smarter and larger dining room - a bit out of the way, but with a good local reputation. With three of the four handpumps in use, I found the 'house' Sussex Bitter from the nearby Rother Valley Brewery (£4.50), Golden Pale from Tonbridge and the mandatory Harvey's.