Banging bangers at The Egremont pub
- Nick Mosley
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
As any regular reader of my Argus reviews will know, I’ve become rather enamoured by Worthing’s food and drink scene in recent years, write Nick Mosley.
There are some superb eateries – and great craft beer pubs – in the town, notably chef Johnny Stanford’s superb Tern on Worthing Pier and the nationally renowned seafront Crab Shack, alongside plenty of family-owned restaurants offering excellent home-cooked and pocket-friendly food and drink including the fantastic Enzo’s Italian, Efes Turkish, Fish Factory and Pizzaface.
Add to this an ever-growing street food and cocktail scene, in no small part driven by the increasing gentrification of Worthing, and you can easily spend a weekend of munching without blowing the bank.
At the end of April, I headed to The Egremont pub with my Argus colleague Steve for a mid-week catch-up and to munch on chef Ryan’s recently introduced sausage and mash menu.
Undoubtably, bangers and mash are a classic of British kitchen although perhaps we take the humble sausage a bit for granted. Regionally, there is a lot of variety in style from the coarse texture of a traditional Cumberland through to the distinctly sage flavour profile of Lincolnshires.
The UK’s sausages also differentiate from their continental cousins in terms of fat content and the inclusion of rusk – typically dried breadcrumbs that absorb moisture and fat creating a juiciness and texture that you simply just don’t find in a German, Italian or Spanish sausage.
Ryan’s menu is a pick-n-mix (dare I say ‘pig-n-mix’) of different sausage styles, mashes and gravies. The majority are produced by the Brighton Sausage Company in North Laine so they have a fantastic provenance. There are also four vegan friendly sausage options.
Steve opted for ‘The Egremont’ – a bespoke sausage made specifically for the pub with bacon and maple syrup – with a base of mustard and spring onion mash and lashings of onion gravy, all washed down with a pint of Jeremy Clarkson’s Hawkstone beer. He clearly enjoyed as not a morsel was left.
I went a little off-piste with a venison, red wine and tarragon trio of sausages. These were really firm and meaty with a fantastic crackle to the skin. I thought my garlic and chive mash to be a little under-seasoned but thats just me and was easily resolved with a grind of salt.
We shared a side of creamy cauliflower cheese with Steve also tucking into a bowl of proper mushy peas, which although I’m a self-professed lover of petit pois was a bridge too far for me.
A hearty – and I mean hearty – plate is £13.95 which is unbeatable value for a meal that will easily fill you up for the day. For those not feeling the sausage love, then typical pub fayre is also on the card including fish and chips, burgers and pie of the week. Snackers won’t be disappointed by the small plates selection that includes loaded potato skins, buffalo chicken wings, satay skewers and halloumi fries.
There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, and most of the pan-fried sausages are gluten-free but be aware that deep-fried options such as chips and nachos are all cooked in the same fryer so there is a risk of cross-contamination. The kitchen is open Wednesday-Thursday evenings and from noon from Friday through to Sunday when traditional roasts are also available.
As sausage and mashed potato might not be everyone’s idea of summer meal, a little birdie tells me they are looking at some other ideas such as gourmet hot dogs.
Under the watch of landlord Greg Grundy, The Egremont has become a really friendly local boozer that is welcoming to all. There’s a weekly quiz night on Wednesdays, and the weekends come alive with a mash-up of live music from local bands and performers.
Safe to say, for banging bangers you need not look any further than Worthing’s Egremont pub.
Nick Mosley
The Egremont, 32 Brighton Road, Worthing BN11 3ED
01903 530 180 • www.theegremont.co.uk
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