The Kings Head, Seaford

Actually my view is that this place has massively improved since Steve’s review. It still is the same physical place, quite busy with locals on my late evening visit. Pool table in demand and dual dartboards present but not utilised on the evening. Where I suspect is massive improvement is in the beer choice. Six hand pumps but only three dispensing tonight but it didn’t look like some other venues on the evening it was anything other than temporary. The three on were an enjoyable spring ale called Spring Break, Old Speckled Hen and Summer Lightning. I am enormously partial to the latter, it is a beer that has defined my entire quaffing existence from first drinking it in JDW venues in North London in the early 90’s. This place raised my spirits as a last port of call on my way back to Seaford station on a weather shitty evening. It was lively, the bar staff were lovely, it had decent beer choices, what’s not to like. Not quite the stellar level of the Old Boot but if I had been in a better mood, I would have rated that and this up a notch.

The Bay Tree Inn is a long thin pub with seating to the right hand side of the bar and a pool table, table football and dartboard to the left. There was some low music playing in the background and some advertisements were up on the walls giving details of live music nights. I counted five hand pumps on the bar and two of these were unused leaving Bombardier, Harveys Best and Otter Bright. There is also a standard draught selection, but I found the Guinness to be barely drinkable and if I had ordered a pint I would have returned it. A few locals and their kids were in attendance during my visit on Monday afternoon and I got the feeling that there must be a housing estate nearby. The beer garden out the back didn’t look very inviting and it certainly hasn’t had any attention for a while. To be honest I thought that this place seemed like a pub in decline. Maybe it gets better and busier at the weekends, but I do not plan to revisit as there are far better pubs in the area.