13 Jun Love food, hate fuss?
Fine dining in a relaxed pub setting is the best of both worlds for those who love food but hate fuss. The Earl of March near Chichester is a perfect balance between the two.
This is a country pub in the West Sussex village of Lavant with a delightful garden and set against the picturesque backdrop of Goodwood and the South Downs.
The food is as pretty as it is delicious. Our recent set menu choices included starters of: oak smoked mackerel with wasabi, lovage, cucumber and preserved lemon; as well as barkham blue cheese, pear, pickles and toast. Our main courses were: cod, asparagus, pink fir apple potato (whatever that might be), salted grapes, fennel and sea herb salad; and the vegetarian option of local asparagus, poached Hallgate duck egg, saffron Hollandaise and heart of palm.
Tuesday at the moment is Moules, Frites & Muscadet Night with a steaming bowl of mussels, crispy frites and a glass of ice cold Muscadet for £12.50. Simple and delicious.
Friday’s from 5-7pm is happy hour with 20% off all drinks, and you can often pick up a package from the discount sites which makes a visit a snip as well as a treat.
There’s a special Sunday lunch menu with dishes such as thyme baked camembert and seeded crostini, oak smoked salmon with hairspring watercress and citrus horseradish cream, The Earl’s Roast of the Day with all the trimmings and he staple of sticky toffee pudding pimped with salted caramel sauce, toffee and honeycomb ice cream for dessert.
One other lovely thing for foodies with families – The Earl of March has a special children’s selection, called the Mini Gastronaut’s Menu, guaranteeing your little ones have “an out-of-this-world experience.”
Our recommendation – get The Earl of March on your visit list!