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“We wanted to recreate the atmosphere of a really excellent local pub – one where you’d go for a pint and a chat, or a light lunch with friends, or a full-blown dinner with some of our excellent wines.”
Above: Janet Shepherd (left) and her bar staff. Above right: Secluded beer garden. Right: Easy company and relaxed dining.
a judicious mixture of firmness and good humour – both qualities that I suspect Janet has in good measure. Although shying away from the
‘gastro’ epithet, Jane has created delightful menus which mix the traditional old favourites with some imaginative new ones, all made with fresh local produce wherever possible. Here you’ll find Harvey’s beer battered Cod & Chips sharing the menu with Sweet Potato and Chick Pea Curry. The home-made Pie of the Day is very popular, as are the Lamb Kleftico, the slow cooked Pork Belly with Bubble and Squeak and the Spanish-influenced Warm Salad of Squid, Chorizo and Potato. The couple’s Spanish experience is also evident in the wonderful fresh Tapas served as a starter for one, or as a sharing dish. They offer, among other delicacies, and I’m dribbling slightly as I write this: Garlic and Chilli Prawns, Serrano Ham, Manchego Cheese, Patatas Bravas, Chorizo in Red Wine and Marinated Olives. According to Janet, “the Tapas have been a huge success; they simply fly out of the kitchen.” Let’s hope they miss the customers.
The set lunch and dinner menus
change every Tuesday and there are daily ‘specials’. When I visited, these included Pan-Fried Lemon Sole with New Potatoes for £12.95, or at the other end of the spectrum a Hot Roast Pork and Stuffing Sandwich for £5.95. “We aim at classic pub food done really well,” says Jane. “And we combine that ambition with our ‘take’ on some surprising and mouth-watering dishes that you won’t find in many pubs in Sussex.” Having explored all the menus, I can guarantee the truth of that statement.
“The village has been incredibly supportive since we’ve been here,”
says Janet. “There’s no doubt we landed on our feet.” But it’s easy to see why Staplefield has taken to the new hosts at The Victory. Last year they gave a hugely successful Christmas party for the village children and in April they will be holding a traditional street party on the day of the royal wedding. Now that’ll be a bash to remember – the one at the pub I mean. ■
The Victory Inn Warninglid Road
Staplefield, West Sussex RH17 6EU Tel. 01444 400463
SUSSEX LIVING FOR MID SUSSEX April 2011
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