Location: Vines Cross, Heathfield, East Sussex, TN21 9EN
Overview: “The service was absolute chaos and despite claiming to be child friendly, the pub was not geared toward children in any way. However, with a skilled chef who’s clearly passionate about his food, the pub could become a decent eatery, once its front of house problems are addressed.”
The Brewers Arms is traditional village pub located in the small hamlet of Vines Cross, only a short amble from the Hidden Spring vineyard and campsite.
Its website promises a ‘gem of a pub’ with a daily, locally sourced menu, offering a welcoming environment for all, so as we had three children in tow it seemed an ideal choice.
The exterior of the pub is a little shabby and in need of a refresh, to bring it in-line with the owners’ gastronomic aspirations, whilst the décor inside is rustic, with well trodden and tired feel.
Arriving at 5.30pm on a Friday evening, the “child-friendly pub”, minutes from the campsite, wasn’t serving food for another hour, had no high-chairs and the children’s menu was simply smaller portions of the adult meals.
The limited menu offered gastro-edged pub classics such as Beer Battered Cod Fillet, Triple-cooked Chips and Tartar Sauce (£12), Burgers and Sausage and Mash, plus a daily specials which included Free-range Chicken Breast stuffed with Sun Blushed Tomatoes at Brie (£12). Despite a fairly decent choice, the adults all plumped for the fish and chips, with sausage and mash all round for the kids.
Ordering the food was chaos. I’m not sure if anyone at The Brewers Arms has taken an order for food before, as simple questions such as how much are the children’s meals? Can I have a glass of wine and may I order some food seemed to completely flummox them. Still reeling from my ordering experience, a gentleman who I assume owned the place appeared and helped to seat us and ensure we were in good hands.
My fish arrived first: a tiny, child-sized portion, clearly the end of a fillet which the chef had decided to cook up all the same (my friends all had bigger pieces of fish), balanced on top a stack of peas alongside a dollop of homemade tartar sauce. Five minutes later the triple-cooked chips made an appearance. Luckily the fish was still warm, and with the constituent parts of my dinner now together I was finally able to eat.
The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned, the batter crisp and light, with the homemade tartar sauce offering a welcome citrus tang. The chips were also very good - crispy-edged and well cooked throughout, helping to lift the dish above your take away fish and chips.
The children’s sausage and mash by comparison, was a huge portion. The sausages were delicious and clearly of a good quality and the mash was well made and tasty.
Hot Chocolate Fondant and Ice Cream for dessert (£4.95), which after another considerable wait, was again very good indeed. Well presented and made, I had not reason not to polish it off in what felt like seconds, possibly running into minutes.
Summary
Being located so close to the Hidden Spring campsite, The Brewers Arms is really missing a trick by not making itself more family friendly. Ordering our food was a painful experience, made worse by the complete lack of knowledge of the staff.
That said, the food is decent and should the chef decide to stay, once the front of house issues have been resolved then The Brewers Arms could well be worth another visit.