Last Updated on April 28, 2025
The Perfect Staycation?
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
I love East Sussex. Charleston House, Glyndebourne, the Ashdown Forest and of course the glorious South Downs are just some of the many reasons to visit. And then there is the jewel in the crown that is Lewes, last year voted the prettiest town in the UK by a group of Daily Telegraph travel writers. You can visit Anne of Cleves House, Lewes Castle and see Bull House, the home of Thomas Paine, who was one of the Founding Fathers of America. Perched in the middle of High Street is the 23-bedroom 16th-century coaching inn, The White Hart, refurbished just last year, which we have been invited to review.
The White Hart is part of the Heartwood Collection group founded by chef Raymond Blanc, which also manages Brasserie Blanc restaurants, which bodes well for dinner!
The pub’s interior has the sort of history that is almost tangible. With dark oak panelling, open fireplaces and a bar with cosy snug areas and the Parliamentary Clock that kept time on Thomas Paine when he was eating, drinking and debating, it’s hard not to be transported several centuries back.
There’s a stunning dining room
with a contemporary Orangery extension with a roof terrace that overlooks the South Downs, towards the sea.
We are staying in one of the four lower-ground suites at The White Hart known as Luxe Bedrooms. The room itself feels very spacious with a comfy bed and top-quality bed linen. There is a large flat screen TV, a kettle and coffee maker, an iron and ironing board, a minibar and a safe as well as a sexy retro Roberts radio and plenty of mains sockets for charging all your devices. In a thoughtful touch, ear earplugs and pillow spray are also provided.
The bathroom is charmingly tiled with the surprise of a double shower and a good-sized standalone bath. There are Bramley toiletries, bath salts which seem to have made a comeback recently and plenty of soft towels.
After a gentle stroll around the town it is time for dinner. The Orangery restaurant has a summery feel with patterned tiles, striped cushion banquettes and whicker seats. There’s an abundance of greenery and floral prints adorning the walls. The menu is modern European with lots of options. There are Sunday roasts with bottomless trimmings, a children’s menu (with half portions provided for older children) and even a dog menu!
The cocktail offer at the Heartwood Inns has a very good reputation. An Amalfi Martini, a blend of Limoncello, the excellent South African Regal Rogue dry vermouth, Tanqueray gin, fresh lemon juice, liquid egg white and sugar syrup has a gentle mouth feel enlivened by the tang of limoncello. An Elderflower Collins, bringing together Hendrick’s gin, Belvoir Farm elderflower cordial, fresh lemon juice and soda, is the perfect long summer’s drink, refreshing and with a citric kick from the lemon juice. A selection of olives are mildly spiced and moreish.
According to a recent YouGov survey, ‘less than half of British adults have eaten a soufflé, and The Heartwood Collection ‘is on a mission to bring the soufflé into the spotlight and onto the nation’s plates.’ I’m a big soufflé fan, so I can’t resist the starter of a twice-baked cheese soufflé with a rich coastal Cheddar sauce. With a crisp top, a fluffy interior and a full-bodied sauce, this is a technically well-executed dish combining a French classic with a British twist.
A slab of compressed beetroot terrine is lifted by a gentle horseradish sorbet, with a balsamic dressing bringing out the beetroot’s sweetness.
From an interesting wine list, we choose a bottle of Grüner Veltliner Grafenegg from Kamptal, Austria. With a slight sparkle, it has an attractive minerality and lime notes. It is an excellent match with my main dish of dressed Devon crab, an unctuous, funky crab mayonnaise, fab triple-cooked chips and a mixed leaf salad. This is the type of simple dish that is a pleasure to find in a pub like The White Hart. The crab is very fresh and very simply dressed, just the brown and white meat with no chopped egg or other accoutrements.
An excellent spring vegetable risotto of peas, broad beans, asparagus, grated Grana, and wild garlic oil had a vegetal crunch with plenty of spring flavours and rice that still had some bite to it.
And then back to the soufflé for our shared dessert. A fabulously green pistachio soufflé full of flavour is given added sweetness by a dollop of Jude’s chocolate ice cream. It is very light and very rich, unlike me.
After a great night’s sleep, it’s time for a well-deserved breakfast. There is tea or coffee plus juice, and the choice of one continental item and then one à la carte item with plenty of options. After a fruit platter with natural yoghurt and a pain aux raisins, we choose the Eggs Royale, a toasted English muffin with some excellent smoked salmon, two poached eggs and a freshly made Hollandaise sauce.
The full vegetarian comes with vine tomatoes, smashed avocado, wilted spinach, hash browns, mushrooms, toasted sourdough and two eggs.
After breakfast, we are properly set up for our day. Lewes and the surrounding area have plenty to keep you entertained at any time of year. With The White Hart’s history, central location, lovely rooms and reasonably priced menu, why would you want to stay anywhere else?
The White Hart in Lewes
55 High St, Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN7 1XE
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