The Stirling Arms, Hove

A comfortably upholstered backstreet pub, with a cool jazz soundtrack. I found 4 ales and 2 ciders on the pumps with some macro craft options available as well. I can't imagine how much some of those might cost, given my By The Horns Hopadelic set me back a mighty £5.80! Fortunately it was in good nick. The Harvey's, Hophead or Landlord may have been cheaper. They generally offer a food menu, but the kitchen was temporarily closed on my recent visit. If you can afford it and you find yourself off the beaten track in Hove, it's worth popping in.

Facebook page of The Stirling Arms - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Stirling Arms - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Stirling Arms - www.thestirlingarms.pub

Official site of The Stirling Arms - www.thestirlingarms.pub

As the Stirling Arms this pub used to be a typical backstreet boozer, but in 2007 the name was changed to the Foragers and it became a food centric pub offering gastro fayre. The bar is located in the left hand side of the pub and to the left of the bar is a large opening that looks onto the kitchen. There is some more seating to the right of the pub and at the rear is an area that had a velvet curtain drawn across it. Cult comedy is advertised so maybe this area is used for that. The food isn’t cheap and the bar menu starts at £5 for cheese on toast with a hen’s egg. The bar is stocked with premium draught products alongside Guinness and two hand pumps that were drawing Doom Bar and Harvey’s best on Tuesday evening. I didn’t spot any televisions, but there was some bland repetitive music playing in the background. Live DJs are advertised for every Friday and Saturday night and there is a large garden out the back that I didn’t investigate. The service was friendly, but I found this place to be a little boring even though there was a decent sized crowd in attendance. If I found myself in this neck of the woods again I would prefer to drink in one of the other pubs of the area.