Buxted Inn, Uckfield

Perhaps more of a village inn than the White Hart on the other side of the railway bridge, but this is still more of a dining pub (at least during the daytime). The interior has been comprehensively remodelled and mostly opened-out, although there is a decorative partition made from wooden boxes and decorated with wine bottles in the centre. Further tables available at a slightly lower level on the bar side and out on the patio terrace. Two real ales available from the pair of handpumps: the obligatory Harvey's plus the unfined Tacoma from 360° (£4.50).

Situated in the pleasant village of Buxted, practically right next to the station, this is a rather fancy looking pub and hotel that has been given an upscale makeover that perhaps results in it losing some of its proper pub character. The front entrance takes you into an opened-out porch space with a dining room to the right, set up very much like a formal restaurant, and the bar area to the left. The dining room has rows of pre-set tables in quite a smartly decorated room that looked like it would be where hotel guests would breakfast before being turned over to visiting diners as the day progresses. Meanwhile, the bar area is split-level with modern dark wood floorboards, walls painted in a dark shade that made the room feel unseasonably gloomy on a bright and hot summer’s afternoon, plus a rear feature wall covered in wallpaper with lots of wildlife-themed images on it. The servery is in the front left corner of the room and has a surprisingly basic, squat bar counter fronting a modern, mirrored bar black which is flanked by old box crates that have been stacked on their sides to create an unusual form of shelving. The room is furnished with a mix of padded chairs, high stools and a disproportionately large number of sofas and armchairs, all of which gives the room a hotel lounge bar feel, rather than that of a local village pub. A few decorative items have been dotted around the room, mainly on stylish looking shelves, along with a tree trunk shaped lamp near the entrance. A lot of customers were enjoying the sun out on the patio area down the left side of the pub, which seemed to connect a small front patio space to the rear garden. Covid regulations at the time meant that customers seated outdoors were encouraged to place their order through a window next to the servery, which was quite a novelty. A dreadful, sappy soundtrack played quietly in the background throughout my stay, so perhaps it was no great surprise that I was the only customer sat inside. The bar manages to support two cask ales – Harveys Sussex Best and Long Man Blonde – the latter of which was in excellent condition and flew down after a long day hiking here from East Grinstead. The landlord initially seemed like an old-school, no nonsense kind of guy but turned out to be extremely friendly and welcoming and enjoyed some good banter with the locals. This place felt a little bit like a village pub that was slowly morphing into a hotel bar, which made it tricky to fully warm to the place. Sure, the seating was comfy, the landlord was friendly and the beer was in great nick, so it served its purpose for a quick pint before catching my train home, but I would seriously have to question whether I’d want to return again when the place is so lacking in character and ambiance. Good for a quick stop-off or perhaps for a meal, but not somewhere I’d consider for a longer session.