THE HURSTWOOD in Wealden

Absolutely first class food from this village pub. It’s obvious that the chef is passionate about the food they serve and they change the menu regularly. Add to that their wine list which includes excellent options by the glass and its winner. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ate here for Sunday lunch today and came away torn. The food was really excellent. Tender beef, great roast potatoes and everything on the plate was well cooked. Really was a first date roast but really could do with more gravy. It was the merest drizzle and an extra was £3.50. In fact portion size was generally a bit little all round. £26 for roast beef is pretty costly and there wasn’t that much on the plate, however what there was was cooked perfectly. The trouble was I will always pay for excellent food but the service and ambience let it down. Service was TERRIBLY slow and just a bit disjointed. The wine list we were given, for example, was merely an empty binder. Not even blank pages, just empty. The young barman in shorts was being incredibly rude and full of himself, passing comment on all and sundry, which isn’t amazing when in the hearing of customers. The other problem was the volume of the place. Where the owners have stuffed as many tables as could possibly be in the dining room it gets INCREDIBLY loud. Screaming kids, crying babies, barking dogs and then people trying to hear each other over all of this. It’s just not a relaxing Sunday lunch. In summary, the food is excellent, but expensive, the venue does not justify the price. Midweek this is one of the nicest places to go, on a Sunday it’s just too busy.

Another excellent visit to this brilliant place, delicious lunch and drinks with great service.

The food here is beyond fantastic. I see reviews complaining about the price but I have yet to be disappointed by a dish on the menu. The pricing is expensive but well worth it in my opinion. Staff are always friendly. It's 5* food at a cosy pub feel.

My wife and I went for a meal to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. We hadn’t dined at the Hurstwood for over a year but always regarded it as a great venue for that “special occasion”. We ate outside in the garden as it was a warm evening. The furniture was a bit tired and the cushions were wet. The food quality and portion size was good but doesn’t justify the high price point. Overall, a little disappointing based on past experience and it’s fair to say that there are a number of venues in the area that provide better value for money….

Absolutely fabulous place. Exquisite menu on par with a top fine dining restaurants but with a setting and ambience that has a chilled, bistro pub, artisan vibe to it. Staff are fabulous too, this place is a real gem!

Drinks fabulous 👌 Garden lovely

Whatever the occasion, The Hurstwood never disappoints. Whether it's our anniversary, lunch with friends, a birthday celebration, or simply stopping by for a Bloody Mary, we are always greeted with a warm smile. We adore the food, and the staff are exceptional. We can't wait to dine there again this weekend to celebrate Papa.

Wow! One of the best meals we’ve had. Food was absolutely delicious. Staff were so friendly and helpful. Would definitely come back if we’re lucky n the area!

Food and service was excellent.

Been coming her sone years now. Food as usual, prices have crept up yet again abd remain on the high side compared to local competition, the fillet steak is priced at £35 OMG !!! U have gotta be kidding ! Unfortunately, since my last visit there in the summer of 2018 they have sneaked in an optional service charge of 10% being added to the bill !! Embarrassing to ask to get it removed. Please let me decide what tip I want to leave ! Now this remains a Sussex pub basically with no silver service and no table cloths to justify such a move, so it’s beyond me why this have done this. It’s a revenue generator and a nasty trend and it’s simply not justified On this basis I will go Elsewhere where the food is as is as good and without the service charge.!

Beautiful country pub in idyllic situation. Friendly staff who are polite and offer a great service. I didn't have any food so can't comment on that

Great hidden gem, good kitchen, and great service.

The most exquisite food and a very attentive service, highly recommended .

The food was pretty good and parts were really excellent. But, and this is serious and worthy of notice, the bill was split between us and our share was £146. To my embarrassment Amex refused payment, and I had to use another card. The reason became clear when I read the later text from Amex. The waitress had put in a charge of £1,460,000 which unsurprisingly was rejected as being "above my limit"! Had she put in £1,460 or even £14,600 the charge would have gone through and I would not discovered it for a month or more and had the huge trouble of clawing it back without any receipt. What is bad is that when I raised this issue with the Hurstwood, the manager brushed aside my concerns, stating that "sometimes the console could be faulty" (!) or that the waitress made careless. No one has since been in touch to apologise. Hence the poor rating of the overall service. Moral: do not forget your glasses, check the bill, and keep your receipt.

Solid roast but nothing to write home about. Portions were surprisingly small considering it was more expensive than the average roast in London. And for being a fine dining roast it just wasn't tasty enough. Nice and cosy atmosphere inside.

This pub was highly recommended by locals. The food was good (definitely at the higher end of pub grub and the prices reflect this) and the service was attentive and friendly. When booking a table specify ones towards the front: the three towards the back are cold and lack atmosphere.

This was our first visit and our group was blown away by the Sunday lunch. The attention to detail in each element on the plate was phenomenal... Absolutely delicious. I have never enjoyed "pub food" like it. A real treat. No vegan dishes which is surprising, but they will cater for vegans if they know in advance.

The Hurstwood has always been my go-to for a special meal out with friends - the food is so good. The ambiance warm and friendly. Today, I took a good friend who had not been before. As ever, our lunch was simply great - we opted for a glass of Piper Heidsieck each - this was a proper celebration. We started with the gambas crostini - (I can't imagine ever not having this if it is on the menu) and both had the venison ragout papperdelle as a main course. Mine was rather nicely washed down with a glass of gigondas... (I said it was a celebration). I just had room for the dessert - a crunchy choux bun filled with black cherries, chocolate and cream. A shout-out to our waiter - Sebastian, who, we both agreed, made the meal not just delicious, but great fun. We have started a Sebastian Appreciation Society - membership on application. Thanks, Hurstwood!

Exceptional food, service and atmosphere. A rare reliable gem of a pub! Always our first choice if we can get a reservation. Incredible generous food and experienced efficient staff

Beautifully presented and tasty food, staff very attentive and friendly. Couldn’t recommend enough

Absolutely superb food. Everything was completely delicious and had a twist to it, making it interesting and uniquely tasty. Hidden gem of a pub. Service was excellent and cosy atmosphere. Perfect after walk there from Wilderness Woods who had kindly recommended the Inn to us.

Delightful English country pub - the epitome of everything I wanted as a traveller from Australian. Excellent Sunday roast - like, truly excellent - with warm hospitable service and a cosy atmosphere. Recommend!

Well-served Harvey's ale. Upmarket menu, excellent food.

Fantastic welcome even though we hadn't booked. Food was excellent and we really felt welcomed. Highly recommended!

We had a lovely meal at The Hurstwood. The food was excellent, service friendly and atmosphere in the pub was lovely. Would definitely recommend.

One of the best pubs in the area for an upmarket meal in a restaurant filled with character. Great food and a kids menu The owners seriously rock and the atmosphere reflects that. The whole decor has been transformed at the start of January and looks extravagantly glorious ... Sing Hosanna ... Sing

Food was good and service attentive.

If you just want a drink with friends or family this is not the place for you, has ceased to be a pub, just a restaurant now. To be fair you can just buy a drink but you aren't allowed to sit at a table if you aren't eating. You have to take it outside & no not allowed to sit at tables outside either. The food is tasty but pricy

We had a wonderful lunch at The Hurstwood. Service excellent, menu and food spot on. It manages to get the cosiness of a pub and the service and food of a restaurant together perfectly.

Amazing pub, wonderful staff, delicious food, brilliant service and they even welcome walkers! Thanks so much for looking after us, we'll be back!

Awesome place, my husband and I totally enjoyed it! We just moved to Crowborough and the Hurstwood was recommended to us. Fantastic food and great service! Hannah and Sophie are great. We will be back!

Delicious food and great service in a beautiful cozy pub

This place is amazing - the menu is inventive and tasty and the garden is lovely, as are the people running it. Would go back there at the drop of a hat.

Fab homemade food of a very high quality in a cosy traditional pub

Great pub, always great service and food

Lovely atmosphere in the tent! Excellent cocktail, great food.

I went there with friends and we had a really good evening. The food was amazing. I had the gambas crostini for starter and it was very tasty and then the mussels which were cooked to perfection. The staff were nice and friendly and efficient. The place is pretty. It's a good restaurant.

Sad it is not our local eating place. Everything was 1st class and dog friendly. Cannot wait to visit again

I was surprised by the quality of the food - really good. Slightly disappointed by the decor. The service was warm and welcoming.

We love this restaurant and always take family and friends. Such a great choice of food. The prawns to start with are amazing as are the fresh sardines. The moules and frittes are the best I’ve ever had and I’ve eaten a lot. Having been an air stewardess I ate them in Paris , Brussels and Amsterdam but can honestly say these are amazing. Such a wonderful sauce. To dip chips or bread into. The focaccia is amazing too. The roast dinners are delicious and saves a lot of cooking and washing up. So I will be going back today for another one with my Husband. Desserts there are many the raisins soaked in alcohol and ice cream are amazing. The lemon posset a must and of course a wonderful choice of cheese. All the wine and cocktails are wonderful. Staff are very friendly. You can sit by a log fire in winter or the tented terrace and beautiful garden in the summer. It’s always very busy as it’s so popular so always book to save being disappointed if you can’t get in.

This is a wonderful restaurant, delicious food. And friendly staff. The crab linguini is very tasty, the fish and chips are amazing. Always a great selection to choose from. My husband loves the steak. The deserts are all yummy. The chocolate mouse with morello cherries or the boozy raisins with ice cream are our favourites. The apple crumble is delicious too. If you have any room left ! They also have a wonderful cheese board. Plus a great selection of fine wines. Beers and cocktails.

This place is a real gem, tucked away in a quiet country lane. I have made a point of returning multiple times since I stumbled across it the first time. Fabulous semi covered outside dining opening to garden with further seating. Inside this cosy pub/ restaurant serves food that looks and tastes great in equal measure. The staff are all friendly courteous and attentive. Ideal place for a family get together.

The food was terrible, no finesse, either too spicy or bland; even the chocolate mousse wasn't a mousse at all and was disgusting. They would do best to stay with bog-standard food such as fish and chips and not try to be fancy. Ended up the next day with stomach upsets. A nice place to go for a drink but that's all.

After a dog walk in the countryside, my husband and I decided to pop in for a beer having been recommended the pub by several friends. We parked out front and came in through the garden and sat at an empty table. It was a Sunday so a fair few people in but not packed. I went to the bar inside to see what the offering was and to pick up a menu. A couple of members of staff passed me and said nothing. No eye contact, no smile. After a few minutes, I asked a male staff member whether it was table service or if I could order some drinks. He seemed very stressed and asked if we had booked and I told him we hadn’t booked, there are a few empty tables outside and we just wanted a drink out there. He told me someone would come to us at some point. We sat out for another 5 minutes and asked a female member of staff if we could order. She again seemed stressed and told us someone would be over. After a further 5 minutes, a young female member of staff came to take our order. She was perfectly pleasant but offered no apology and just took our order (which at this point was just drinks as we thought we would have to wait for even longer for food). Our drinks were brought out by the same male staff member as I approached at the bar. No “thanks for waiting” or “sorry for the wait” or “it’s a Sunday so we’re busy, but thanks for your patience”… just gave us our drinks. I asked for the bill straight away as we were not having a good time. He came back with our bill which included 12.5% service charge. I told him we wouldn’t be paying that and got an even frostier response. I assume they were upset because: 1) we came in through the garden 2) we didn’t have a reservation 3) we weren’t planning to have a full meal If the expectation is that everyone enters through the front and is taken to a table, that’s fine, just put up a sign. If it is only table service even if people just want a pint, also fine, just be polite when someone asks. Yes it was a Sunday, no it wasn’t flat out. We had interactions with 3 staff members, none of whom made us feel in any way welcome. We came today to scope it out following several recommendations from friends as we often go to surrounding pubs like the Griffin at Fletching White Hart at Buxted, Peacock at Uckfield… and thought it would be great to have another local with great service, great food and a beautiful setting. The food and menu looked great and the setting was lovely. But no way will we be returning after receiving such appalling service. We went on to the Peacock where I ordered drinks and cheesy chips from the bar, sat down outside and received a lovely service. I would highly recommend one of the other pubs listed above over this unwelcoming non-pub.

A superb evening outside, beneath the extensive & stylish canopy. All three courses were exquisite, and the staff charming, thoughtful & very attentive but discrete. I really can't recommend The Hurstwood highly enough. Wish we had an equivalent in Northamptonshire.

Visited Saturday lunchtime. absolutely beautiful decor inside and out. We sat outside under the canvas canopy on a stunningly hot day. The chefs were outside cooking. We had fish and chips and a cheese salad which all sounds really plain but was absolutely delicious. Also had a couple of drinks and focaccia bread to start. Just under £70. Definitely recommend and will return with friends.

The food was delicious the best I have tasted for many moons! Well worth a visit!! Staff all very polite, happy and helpful. Thank you Maddie for your service and help.

Delicious! You have to try the PX raisins for dessert 🤤🤤

Food and service wonderful and there is a lovely outside area too!!!

We had dinner and the food is fabulous, good atmosphere. Next Day we had a drink (2 pints) after a hike, and enjoyed sitting in the garden (it was nice sunny weather)

You just won’t be disappointed. ***** Great food - excellent restaurant quality. Great service - fine attention to detail, Great decor - atmospheric country hygge A special place. Caring owners (lovely dog too!) Fantastic selection of cocktails, drinks, wine and zero alcohol. Our virgin mojito’s were delicious. A large covered outdoor area out back which looks perfect for both sunny days and outside gatherings.

Went for Sunday lunch with the family, lunches at least £10.00 more than any other pubs we visit. Charged an extra £3.00 when we requested a little more gravy and £1.00 for an extra Yorkshire pudding then 12.5 percent was added to the bill at the end. The drinks were also very expensive. Nice country location, good sized outdoor dining area, friendly staff, food overpriced but quite nice.

Great food, certainly a cut above most pubs!

We had my husbands surprise 75th birthday party. There are three words that sum this outing up,FAB. FAB. FAB . A big thank you to Martin - Lenca and all the staff on a wonderful lunch time everything went very well. Pammy.vg@gmail.com

My wife and I went for lunch on Easter Day. In our opinion the food was not great. We both had a roast lunch , my wife had the roast beef and I had the roast lamb. My lamb was covered in a very gloopy gravy . There was no atmosphere and was extremely expensive . I mean £75.00 for two roast lunches a glass of fizzy wine(£12.50) and two coffees. Certainly won’t be going back , having said that there was nothing to encourage one to go back. It is after all a village pub !!

Excellent Sunday roast beef, tender, perfectly cooked, fantastic vegetables. Beautiful pub interior.

Lovely staff and gorgeous food would highly recommend.

Me and my partner visited recently after hearing good things. We are about 30 mins drive away but it really was worth it. Every course was delightful and you could tell a lot of thought had been put into every dish on the menu. The service was great, and friendly, and we were really made to feel at home. It was quiet but the ambience was still lovely. We can't wait to go back.

Had an excellent lamb roast for Sunday lunch here, you could actually taste the garlic for once, my partner had a delicious Winter salad, all served by charming staff.

Had lunch with the family at The Hurstwood last Saturday. I cannot put into words how outstanding the food was. Hands down the best meal we all had in months…if not years!

Absolutely excellent food yummy and staff so friendly and attentive will definitely be returning

A lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and a great menu. The starters were sublime but our varied main courses didn't match up to the same standard. Not a cheap evening out so our expectations ran high.

First visit. Sunday Lunch. 3 beef and 1 lamb. Delicious in every way, 4 clean plates. Yes, it is expensive, yes it is worth it.

the best roast dinner I’ve had, highly recommended.

Visited for the first time, live nearby but never knew of its existence . Lunch for four, three had the excellent crab linguini , the other fish and chips also excellent. Then onto remarkably good puddings. Very friendly service and really good cooking. Really makes...

Booked table on Saturday afternoon for lunch at 2pm the following day. Terms and Conditions of booking state 48 hour notice to cancel or £30pp will be taken from card used to secure booking unless they can re book the table. I tested positive for Covid on the Saturday evening and therefore rang to cancel the booking. I rang 18 times and the line was permanently engaged with no answer phone. I then took to my bed for what has been 6 days. This morning I checked my bank account and £60 had been taken from my bank account at 230pm on the Sunday of the booking. I rang Martin at The Hurstwood to explain the situation and ask that my account be refunded. He said he was in financial difficulty and wouldn’t refund the money. He said if I’d rung the evening before the booking he could have let the table go to some else (he had several people wanting a table at that time apparently). I explained the situation. He proceed to rant further about his finances and how I wouldn’t understand. I couldn’t get a word in edgeways to say I sympathised as I had worked in hospitality for many years. When he’d finished shouting he hung up. Am I to believe he didn’t re book the table and kept a reserved sign on it for two hours? Should I have just pitched up with Covid? Many of us are in financial difficulty but we don’t steal from people.

We managed to get a booking here on the night, which was something of a (pleasant?) surprise. Service was polite and not over attentive which is how we like it. Menu didn't have an abundance of choice (six or seven main courses?) but we opted...

Fabulous- recommend the sea bream and thé gambas stater! 👍👏🏻

Really amazing food. We were a big party, seated outside in the cute well decorated canvas area. It was a little cold but blankets were provided. The staff were friendly and very attentive, the starters and mains were especially good. Catered well and easily for vegan, dairy free, gluten free and other various dietary requirements for our group of 18

Excellent lunch. Not cheap but very good.

Great village gastro pub. Run by a team of husband & wife from the Czech Republic who seem to have amble of experience in food services. We ordered 6 different dishes among 3 of us and they were not bad at all. Balanced, sophisticated, reasonably...

Great menu and nice outdoor seating area.

We only recently discovered the Hurstwood and have been twice already; once just as a couple, and then last week, with two of my young adult children. The venue itself is gorgeous (we ate out under the canpoy both times), and the food absolutely delicious. The menu is fairly short, but creative and it's very unusual for both of us to feel spoilt for choice, with so many dishes we'd happily eat. This is not a cheap night out, but we have eaten at similarly-priced venues around East Sussex, and not got the same standard of fare or service. I ended up taking half my steak home and it was just as delicious and tender the next day for lunch. The great quality salads and delicious dressings, plus variety of veggie sides, also make it easy to have a healthy, as well as tasty, meal. On both visits, the service has been warm, professional, and 'on it'. We will be back very soon, especially as the lovely setting makes it feel like being on holiday!

Good food cooked very well is not cheap. Noticed there were comments about the price in some reviews. Food, utilities, staff have all gone up up up!..a business needs to make money to survive. The Hurstwood produces high end, quality food with good service -...

This is a great pub with great food! The service was excellent and the atmosphere (we sat outside) was perfect. We traveled a bit outside our normal range for this meal and we so happy to have done so! The food was wonderfully prepared, sophisticated...

Incredible food, fantastic service and a great location

Fabulous service, food way beyond what you would expect..the food would not be out of place in a great restaurant in London .. absolutely loved it

Delightful service with a range of dishes made with ingredients local to the area, good prices for what you're getting. Superb selection of drinks! (Also a garden, with an amazing range of produce!!)

Where to start...we have used the restaurant pre and during the pandemic when possible. Visited for the first time the other night and I could not believe the prices (even before the non discretionary 12.5% uplift). A bowl of liguine with crab which was extremely...

Just exceptional food with an amazing atmosphere!

I have to be honest, I really dont want to put this on as I am local as is my family but sadly this review is required. We attended recently at the weekend. We were taken to our table which was fine and looked pleasant. Then it went downhill........firstly we had to wait 40-45 for our drink order to be taken, and this was only as I had to walk upto a waitress to let her know the situation, so I am not sure how long it would have been had I not asked myself. We also had a 2 1/2 year old child with us and no one from what I could see there had a child this small so I would have thought the staff would have noticed this and worked quicker through all orders. The house wine was the most cost effective option at £30 its extremently expensive. We then waited 20 mins to be given our food order, by this time we went straight to our main courses which were very simple, 1 x steak, (Which is costed at £32 and 4 x Ceasar salads (costed at £22) absolutely extortionate for a salad in my opinon and 1 x pork with potato £28. Our food then took 40 mins to be cooked and we chased this twice before it finally came out. The pork option - they had forgotten the potato completely, and tried to accomidate this with a complimentary glass of wine. My steak was chewy and not valued at the £32 price tag at all. In the end we had to really push the staff to remove the service charge off the bill but that is all they were willing to do. The bill still coming to £83 per couple. We have family over and we recommended this pub so it was quite embarrasing with the issues that occured. My 2 year old had to be taken out before the end as he was far to tired having to wait all this time. We will not be recommending this pub now sadly and wont be going there for food, given the issues and the very heavy price tag.

Interesting menu, delicious food, friendly people. Attractive garden growing some veggies and herbs as well as flowers and fruit trees. 😋

Father's day lunch, absolutely perfect, faultless

A very picturesque Inn, in a very picturesque village, with very picturesque staff, surrounded by very picturesque countryside. It was picturesque.

Worth paying for! Fine dining, great choice, good service. Took the dog too.. nice atmosphere and range of beers :) would recommend

What an awful meal and service was passable definitely not worth the 12.5% that you put on the bill. We haven’t been for about 4 years or so and fancied venturing over. I couldn’t believe how much your prices have gone up and was not...

A warm welcome from all the staff for my dog & I, when we stopped halfway through a long hike. Beautiful setting, the most delicious lunch and I would highly recommend this establishment. Next time, I will definitely stay longer & try a dessert!!

This is a lovely pub, with great food, and nice staff. However, the clientele it attracts (due presumably to the high standard of food it offers) means it's not very family friendly. My husband and I turned up on this Early May Bank Holiday Monday...

An absolute gem of a restaurant and great to have such a fabulous menu locally. Not the cheapest but worth every penny.

A great evening out, lovely meal as usual.

Excellent Sunday roast. Food is great. Nuce atmosphere. Great staff too. Can't recommend enough

Friendly people,lovely food good price.Start of a lovely holiday.Would definitely return in the future

Good food good beers great service..5*

Today me and my partner visited for the first time and we were amazed by how amazing the Sunday roast was. After trying many restaurants far and near we are so happy to have found this little gem so close to home. Everything was perfect...

Today me and my partner visited for the first time and we were amazed by how amazing the Sunday roast was. After trying many restaurants far and near we are so happy to have found this little gem so close to home. Everything was perfect and we have definitely found our new favourite local place to eat. Can’t wait to return again. The roast, starters and service was all perfect. Thank you for a lovely birthday meal.

We had a really lovely afternoon here. The food is on the pricier side but it was delicious and the staff were great with a lovely atmosphere inside. Looking forward to returning with friends and enjoying the garden in warmer times

Arrived at 1(ish) without pre-booking. Met with a very warm welcome and then with little fuss directed to table for 2 in busy restaurant area. Comprehensive menu with delicious offerings throughout as well as vegan options. Clearly these people are professionals and passionate about their...

We’ve been several times before and had a good experience, however last night was not so good. The impression was that there must have been a different chef. The squash dinner was a plate of horribly sweet vegetables, the pheasant was like rubber and inedible...

Tasty food, a little on the expensive side. Sadly didn't offer the more expensive prosecco at the same price as the slightly cheaper one that wasn't in stock.