Review of The Bull in Ditchling

28 day aged Sussex sirloin of beef at The Bull in Ditchling

A couple of years ago, I reviewed both the White Horse Inn and The Bull in Ditchling village and I have to say both were thoroughly unimpressive, writes Nick Mosley.

The Bull marginally won out of the two but it was a close call and most definitely nothing to write home about, although I clearly did. All very disappointing as – before being sold to Young’s brewery – under former publican-owner Dominic Worrall and manager Molly Raftery, The Bull was undoubtably and consistently one of the very best pubs in the south of England.

However, having recently had a knock-out Sunday lunch at the Friar’s Oak in neighbouring Hassocks, I thought it was high time to have a return visit so I booked in the Olds and my sister for roasts at the start of February.

I reserved online with the only time slot that worked being 12.30pm, as I had a flight from Gatwick later that afternoon. I added a note to the reservation to say we may be closer to 1pm but would be quick due to other commitments. This prompted a call from pub manager Phil encouraging us to aim for 12.30pm in order to enjoy ‘The Bull experience’, which immediately put an image of my mother riding a bucking bronco ride in my mind. Clearly not what Phil had in his mind.

We duly arrived a couple of minutes before 12.30pm to an already rather busy – and very loud – dining room in the more recently added rear of the otherwise historic coaching inn. With large family groups on many of the tables, there was definitely a fight to be heard but then again this is a pub and not fine dining. More on that later…

The Sunday menu has plenty of choice, with seven starters, four roasts, five other mains and seven desserts. With vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options, there is genuinely something for everyone. Sunday roasts are £21-24 so pretty much what you’d expect to pay nowadays at most pubs.

As daddy-dearest always opts for the roast pork, I was relegated to beef (yet) again and I must say when it arrived it was an impressive stack of vegetables, thick cut pink beef and a perfectly passable Yorkshire pudding. The gravy was already on the plate – which I know isn’t to everyone’s liking – but tasty enough if in a little short supply requiring an extra jug to be requested.

I was straight into the roast potatoes and the first one was piping hot; soft and fluffy on the inside but a little tough on the outside. I couldn’t actually get my knife into the other potatoes as the outer had solidified to a chewy consistently that you could probably re-sole your shoes with. If I was being generous then I’d put down to a blunt knife but I fear its the same issue that we had last time at The Bull, namely that the potatoes have been pre-cooked then flash-heated in a fryer rather than the oven. Its not hard to get roast potatoes right, and as my usual dining compadre Little Miss Greedy Guts always says: pub roasts live or die by their roasties.

Although not particularly imaginative – and perhaps a little too carrot heavy for my personal liking – the rest of the vegetables were fine but – thankfully – the most impressive part of the roasts was the meat and you could really taste the provenance. The beef is sourced locally in Sussex – although which particular farm or farms isn’t stated – with the pork being from the wonderful Dingley Dell high-welfare pig farm in Suffolk that is a favourite with many top-name chefs. I really don’t think there was any scrimping on quality or generosity with the protein, and you could feel love had been put into the preparation.

As I’ve reflected above, the potatoes were piping hot however the rest of the elements of the dish rapidly became cold. Why? Simply because the plates hadn’t been warmed. I experience this time and time again in eateries of all shapes and sizes and it drives me nuts. Its page one of the restaurant rule book and seriously impacts on the diner experience.

Now, back to the noise and general chaos. Clearly venues don’t know who’s booking but the extended family table next to us treated the pub dining room as if it was their own private fiefdom. Smashed glass, toddlers running riot and a child who was walking – yes, walking – on the table amongst plates and glassware with his dirty wellington boots that could have seen the street, a field or the pub gent’s toilet floor. Now I have zero problem with young children at casual dining venues – and I include daytime pub dining in that – as we all have to start experiencing food and the restaurant experience somewhere. What I do object to – and I’ve seen it three times this week – is parents who aren’t in control of their off-spring and clearly have no thought to the comfort of other paying guests. My directed eye-rolling resulted in the father exclaiming with a level of confidence that “the pub will clean the table”. Thanks for that, but will they as I don’t want foot-and-mouth disease.

Whilst friendly, service was a little slow – it took nearly 20 minutes to get a drink – it was clear to see that the young front-of-house were enjoying their jobs and supporting one-another in what I guess is the busiest service of the week.

I’ll freely share that The Bull has improved considerably since my last visit however – in terms of Sunday lunch at least – its still decidedly average for the price and there are really simple ways to improve the experience. That said, the pub was absolutely packed to the rafters so they’re clearly ticking boxes for many guests if not me. I’ll swing by again in another year or two.

If you want to try The Bull for yourself then there’s a great value set menu that runs Monday to Thursday until the end of February with two courses for £19 and three for £23.

The Bull, High Street, Ditchling, East Sussex BN6 8TA

01273 843 147 • www.thebullditchling.com