‘What makes this 16th-century freehouse so special is the atmosphere: informal and friendly, yet 100% professional.’ Visitors are greeted with ‘big smiles and a warm welcome’ at this well-liked inn, in a hilltop village in Sussex countryside. ‘Andrew Russell, the owner, has the ability to make a total newcomer feel like a favoured regular guest,’ say Guide readers this year. ‘There’s usually a fire burning in the grate’; in the popular oak-beamed pub and restaurant, chef Alex Jacquemin’s ‘superb food’ includes classic pub grub and more modern fare, perhaps seared sea trout, Poole Bay clams, spring vegetables. A drinks list spanning local and cask beers and English wines makes good accompaniment. No matter the menu, ‘attentive service’ from ‘knowledgeable staff’ is the order of the day. The ‘clean, comfortable’ rooms above the inn, now redecorated, are praised for the many ‘little touches’: a capsule coffee machine, fresh milk, ‘decent toiletries’, reading material. ‘Room 1, our favourite, is spacious yet cosy, with a view onto the village church.’ ‘It was all we could have hoped for.’ (William Webster, AD, and others)