Storrington Pubs

Storrington is a small town in West Sussex, a few miles inland from Worthing. Its in the South Downs National Park, at the foot of the downs, on the north side of the ridge.

This is a guide to its pubs, well places that serve alcohol and food, so that includes the odd cafe and restaurant as well.

Its surprising, for a rural area, and a National Park at that, that few of these establishments have a great view (an obsession of mine). Nothing on the ridge, just the Sportsman at Amberley, the White Hart at Stopham Bridge, and the Black Rabbit in Arundel, and the pier pavilion in Worthing really count.
Pretty much every pub here has pretensions of being a gastro-pub, with pricing to match, say £13, or more, for a burger. Few of them have the cooking to match, and fewer still of them consistently have the cooking to match. Many times I had great food, returned, and had a disappointing experience. And not everyone want to spend £25+ for lunch (say main + pint + coffee + tip) every day! Prices are shocking compared to (say) Brighton or London.
The other thing is that there are still a lot of local pubs for a sparsely populated area. Many are quiet at lunchtime. The busiest establishment in the area is probably the Costa Coffee in Storrington village centre. This is a lesson that most pubs still haven't learnt. For a pub to survive, it needs to be a welcoming place for a hot beverage (as 'Sheldon' would say), not just alcohol. Costa, on the other hand opens early, is open all day, is bright and airy, has WiFi, is a little 'anonymous' (i.e. you don't feel rushed to leave to give them back the table), a person there on their own doesn't look like Johnny no mates, and a coffee and pastry is about £5, and its busy all day long. Just as well it doesn't serve wine!
Finally, in this day and age, these establishments need to be more aware of people with special needs - banisters on both sides where there are steps, some chairs with sides (so you can push yourself up) for example. Special needs doesn't just mean step free or wheelchair. These reviews of mid week lunches, and the choice of venues, reflect the need for a nearby parking space. A plea to venues: If you have steps, have a handrail, on both sides!

To Do: The Countryman (Shipley), Horse Guards Inn (Tillington), Big Plant Nursery Jungle Cafe (Ashington), and some local vineyards.

Sadly, my increasingly frail lunch companion succumbed to covid-19. Appropriately, her local, The Moon, was our last meal. Thank you, to The Moon, and to every one else. I still miss our pub lunches. Cheers!

Final Update: Jan-21. (Except The Sportsman, Jun-24)