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Beer of the Week (w/e 14th June 2026) with Mobyduck on the Pub Forum

The Jolly Sportsman, Lewes

Chapel Lane
East Chiltington
Postal town: Lewes
BN7 3BA

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Strongers . left this review about The Jolly Sportsman

Found well off the beaten track, The Jolly Sportsman is a gastro pub with a large car park up the right, a split-level grass covered garden out the front and a beautiful garden with lots of seating areas, and what looked like a bar for the summer months, at the rear. The old bare board floored bar area to the right of the entrance is very small with some sofa seating around the coal fireplace in the front wall and a banquette with table in the adjacent front window. The counter up the right-hand wall supports three hand pumps that were drawing Long Man Brewery’s Best and Blonde, and there’s a long list of craft keg, but I didn’t see any fonts so these may have been bottles. The wooden flooring from the bar continues to the rear where there are some tables and chairs in a very dimly lit area. Up the laminate floored left all the tables were set for dining, as they also were in the conservatory at the rear where views of the lovely garden can be had. The service was very polite, but the location dictates that this is too dry led for my liking so I wouldn’t return just for a beer again.

On 29th May 2026 - rating: 6
[User has posted 6674 recommendations about 6636 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Jolly Sportsman

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.

On 30th December 2024 - rating: 6
[User has posted 9165 recommendations about 9165 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

David Walton left this review about The Jolly Sportsman

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).

On 23rd June 2024 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1770 recommendations about 1743 pubs]