The Sloop in Wealden

We were staying at WoWo campsite and The Sloop was recommended as a good pub to walk to. There were 4 adults and 3 children and we thought we'd go to pub for a drink and an ice cream for the children, as it was a hot day. The walk took us an hour, but it was well signposted and we didn't have any difficulty finding the pub. We arrived just after 2pm and the pub was reasonably quiet, just a few families finishing off their lunch. We were met by an unfriendly barmaid, who didn't really greet us but took our drinks and snacks order. We enquired about an ice cream for the 3 children, but was told that ice creams were reserved for those dining. We clarified that we only needed three, but were refused. It's a nice pub with a beautiful garden, however with the frosty reception we received I wouldn't be tempted to return.

Absolutely fantastic Sunday lunch despite being busy. Highly recommend food and service! Plenty of room inside or outside in the lovely garden. Plenty of car parking too. Will certainly be back.

Excellent Sunday lunch despite the fact that the pub was understandably busy. Superb food and very attentive, swift and friendly service. Perfect for couples or families and great inside and external space. Even has loads of parking. Well worth trying and one of the best in our experience!

Excellent food (grilled anchiovies and lamb kofta), drink (choice of 3 draft ales) and service all round - despite being very busy on a warm day.

Came here for lunch with some friends on a Saturday. Great atmosphere and enjoyed some great food. Service was exceptional.

Went today for a Mother’s Day Sunday lunch and the overall experience was disappointing. There are so many tables rammed in we had to ask the lady at the next table if she could move her table so we could actually sit down. Then the chairs were so high it was hard to fit legs under the table. It was far too hot in there, it was uncomfortable. Low ceilings, heating on full blast and tables cramped in does not make a pleasant experience. As for service the young lady was very friendly but every time she got to every table (not just ours) the first words out of her mouth were “sorry” because there was something missing or people were waiting. The Sunday lunch menu is small. It’s either a roast, cod or a charcuterie board with no explanation of what the later contains on the menu. Mum can’t usually manage a Sunday roast so she ordered soup and some bread off the menu, shame the waitress didn’t tell us that the soup came with bread, as I ended up with 7/8slices for a pensioner to eat a total waste of money and food. We had a beef and a pork belly, Expensive and small portions, you can get a better Sunday roast at pretty much any local pub for a better price too. The portion of beef was good but one small slice of pork is unacceptable for nearly £25. One small Yorkshire, bearly any gravy and a tiny portion of veg. The chef should head up the road and try the Farmers, they know how to do a roast… as does the Witch just a little further away. The cheesecake was ok, expensive for what it was but the.crumble was rubbish, huge chunks of undercooked apple and not a strawberry is sight, topped with the smallest amount of crumble ever. The place really doesn’t represent value for money, the environment was cramped and stuffy. We won’t be back and I can’t recommend

Had a lovely meal all cooked perfectly, the beetroot and goats cheese starter was especially good and service was excellent.

Great to find a pub slightly off the beaten track that serves an excellent lunch on a monday. Not far from the Bluebell Railway, Sheffield Park and Wakehurst.

Went for our work Christmas lunch.Very disappointed in the main course. Turkey was turkey roll.No bread sauce, no cranberry sauce.Only veg was kale and carrots no traditional sprouts.

The second time in the past few months that we have been disappointed by the food and the pricing. £25.00 for a small bavette steak, chips and a few plain lettuce leaves. Starters priced around £9.50 and many beers over £6.00. The pub was almost empty on a Thursday evening, which I think speaks for itself. A year a go we were recommending a visit to the The Sloop, but can’t do this anymore. Now off of our places to go for a nice meal.

We have been going to The Sloop for far too long to remember and have therefore seen a fair few owners come and go. The best being Ian and Catherine Philpots some 20!years ago. Last Friday evening was probably our fourth visit since the new...

First trip to The Sloop for 18 months, first meal for a couple of years. First surprise was that half the car park has gone and they have extended the garden. Warmly welcomed and were told it was table service but, after ten minutes I...

Overall we were disappointed with this dinner experience. The price was high for which we would have expected quality food and attentive service as a minimum. The staff were more into chatting to each other than noticing that we, the customers were trying to get...

Food okay but a little overpriced for my liking If you going to charge those prices then everything has to be top notch, staff and service a big let down - more interested in talking pub banz amongst themselves rather than attending to their customers...

I’m really shocked to read these recent poor reviews. I visited for the first time today, it was a last-minute decision to go as a friend and I wanted lunch in a beautiful garden and she’d been before and recommended it. We both chose a...

It is outrageous to charge such extortionate prices for a mediocre burger with a meagre portion of chips, no salad. The location is beautiful so maybe just go for drink.

Friendly service but way too expensive for such disappointing meals, nothing like the rather impressive photos on the website. Just a handful of chips, a salad that was just lettuce and a unseasoned bland quiche. Improvements needed.

Nice Sunday afternoon lunch, started with olives, bread, ham. Followed by x2 beef roasts and 2 pork belly roasts. Lacking a bit of gravy which was bought straight away after we asked. More than happy to return

A good experience. overall The owners have invested heavily in the infrastructure. The car park gardens and food .One negative it’s more expensive than most gastro pubs in the area.. So £24 for cod fillet is way up there. Up to £10 for. a pudding...

Great food, great service, great atmosphere! Hidden country gem. The salt fish cod was delicious in fact every thing we ordered was.

The place looks great and the service ok but the food was way below mediocre - bordering on awful. . The portions were tiny and it was very hard to know that the Skate dish was Skate. All batter and no fish.

Second visit. Service haphazard. Don’t mind spending money on good food, but portions here are definitely too small. Choose cod for mains, extremely small garnishes. Fillet steak at £30 you’re expecting at least 8-10oz. The one that came looked around 6oz. Overall expect to leave...

Our group stopped here for lunch during a trek to see the bluebells. Our food was served very promptly and was delicious. Great service and a great menu. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff.

Truly sensational. Outstanding food. Outstanding service. Just simply wonderful experience all round.

Honestly the best roast ever. I normally wouldn’t have a roast in a pub as feel I can’t beat my own at home but this was sublime, especially the honey parsnips! The pub was full and we were a table of 14 and our table...

Visited this great country pub for sunday lunch with the family. We had a great time. The pub was lively with a great atmosphere. The food was excellent and the service was very attentive from the hard working team. Will certainly come back.

Nice enough place . Good atmosphere. Friendly staff. However VERY expensive for what is served up. Portion control was very noticeable which means the bean counters are in the kitchen dictating the size of the food portions. Such a pity as it could be a...

Have visited here several times as I live in the area. Brilliant food, cannot be faulted. I live closer to other pubs but this is my pub of choice for food. Only criticism is that the service can be a bit slow at times and...

Sunday lunch today, wonderful venison roast. We had extras of cauliflower cheese and roasted parsnips. All dishes were presented beautifully and were piping hot. We asked for extra gravy too Great staff who were helpful and competent, we would definitely recommend a visit to The...

We had a great Sunday lunch with our neighbours. The majority of the table opted for a selection of starters which were very tasty, the roast options were very popular amongst the table and were delicious. Nice diverse selection of desserts to end the meal....

Sunday Lunch at pubs can be hit and miss but this one is excellent. Really enjoyable with young friendly staff. Tables can be close together but they're all packed which is a testament to how busy they were. Roast beef for three of us and...

We had dinner on Friday evening; 4 of us and were allocated a lovely round table in the bar area. The fire was lit when we arrived and our drinks order taken promptly by a lovely waitress who served us for the evening. The menu...

Proper country pub very warm and welcoming, and lovely dogs too! The food was out of this world! Proper portions with a 5 star taste! Had the pheasant and it was amazing, the dauphinoise potatoes were the best I've ever had. Hats off to the...

As soon as our skate arrived at the table I was overwhelmed by a strong, unpleasant smell. My husband cut into his and there was clearly something very wrong with it, it stank. We sent our plates back and the chef agreed but how on...

Very attentive and charming staff. Food top notch and a pub full of character. Ending up here after a lovely walk in the woods only heightens the experience

I am not going into detail but there were 3 basic mistakes that ruined a lunch time meal , the manager Kate was very happy to remedy the mistakes and there was a satisfactory conclusion which helped. She was happy to acknowledge constructive criticism .

Took my Dad and his partner a month or so again and they loved it. The food and the cider were highly rated. More recently went with a friend who had an upcoming operation and as just as with my wife's coeliac disease this was...

Firstly apologies this is written some months after our visit but haven’t had a moment . We have visited the Sloop many times over the years as we use James’s campsite nearby and the Sloop is very convenient. I feel compelled to write this review...

We called in to have a meal but sadly they were too busy. So we decided to stop for a pint and suddenly the pub was full of Morris Dancers. What a brilliant evening - everyone dancing in the road outside the pub, great humour...

Really lovely afternoon spent having one of my favourite Sunday roasts in Sussex! We’ve been here a couple of times for the roast have both times been excellent. The host was very friendly and squeezed us in when we hadn’t booked, giving us a warm...

visited in June for lunch,the food was well presented and absolutely delicious.The service could not have been improved upon ,two lovely ladies who were both attentive and friendly at all times resulting in a lovely visit.

The staff were very friendly and accommodating which was much appreciated. My friend enjoyed his pork chop but my steak was not very flavourful for the price. The 10% optional service charge appears to be mandatory, so either add 10% to what you see on...

We checked out the Sloop before visiting. There was an interesting choice of vegetarian meals. When we arrived, there was a slight change to the vegetarian menu, but equally as pleasing. I had apple and beetroot falafel with buttermilk sauce. It was delicious. So nice...

Been to The Sloop many times since it reopened under new ownership and always impressed with the food and service. This time the service was very poor and the food average. Whilst visiting on a reasonably busy evening there were four members of staff so...

When you pay that bit extra for food you expect the service to match. We were served by 4 different people. Only one of which seemed to know what she was doing. The food was good but the service lacked attention. Sitting inside, the acoustics...

We visited The Sloop last night. I agree with other reviews that portions are small and prices are high. I had the monkfish dish which cost £23.50. There were only 5 small monkfish medallions that sadly were only luke warm. The rest of the fish...

Had Sunday lunch with a party of six. The food was adequate but not exceptional e.g. lamb and beef were overcooked, a late sitting may have played a part. The young staff was pleasant and efficient. Have had an enjoyable dinner at the Sloop on...

We settled to lunch unaware that three hours would pass before departure. The staff were busy and exceptionally unobtrusive. Three courses for four people each carefully woven to ensure the recipient attained an experience missing in many present day hostelries. A craftsperson was at work...

An enjoyable experience from start to finish . For us it was a menu where we could have chosen all that was on offer . Home made soup much to be recommended as was the Guinea fowl . Puddings not so generous portions but good...

Went for dinner at the Sloop as we were staying at their sister pub, The Jolly Sportsman. Staff were friendly, especially Romy the puppy. Oysters were delicious and i had a banging cheeseburger. Loved the fact there was an La carte and pub classic menu....

What an outstanding visit! We booked for a large family group and the staff could not have been more wonderful in accommodating us. The food was beautifully prepared and well sourced with excellent attention to detail. We were able to choose from classic pub grub...

We had the most amazing meal. It was a Mother’s Day treat with 7 of us meeting up from all around the south of England. Everyone is desperate to come again - I’m luck to live only up the road. The beef was beautifully tender,...

Not been to The Sloop for a couple of years, used to be a favourite stop, good reasonably priced hearty food, sadly its now a "Gastro" pub serving miniscule portions with big prices. Even the drinks are expensive, my order... pint of Harveys, 2 lemonades,...

Such a warm welcome from knowledgeable and engaging staff. The wine list is a treat and the food superb. Dogs are also made welcome. There’s a gang of ‘regulars’, many of whom are from the nearby Bluebell Railway and a good mix of local people...

The pub is nice, like it, but it is way toooo dog friendly. Too many dogs in the pub. I don’t like dogs. They smell and I have seen dog fights in the pub. This is unacceptable in ‘gastro’ pub. How can you enjoy the...

Had a wonderful family meal on Sunday! Hadn’t been to this pub for years and years but really had a great time. The food and drink were excellent and high end (I had oysters to start) but the thing that I really appreciated was how...

I'd not been to the Sloop Inn before but had been recommended it by a friend living in the area, and I'll certainly be recommending it myself as well. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed, and the staff were attentive all evening, despite it being...

Myself and my partner had been meaning to visit for a while but had never got round to it, so we came in between Christmas and New Year for lunch. The pub is lovely but it was very quiet and there was little atmosphere -...

Having had a very enjoyable Sunday lunch in the summer in the garden, we were really looking forward to dining in this gastro pub. What a disappointment it was with an uninspired menu and poor wine list. We could not find any interesting starters so...

Although this is local we haven’t visited for a few years and it has changed hands a few times since then. Our son went for Sunday lunch with some friends and raved about it, he wasn’t wrong. The staff were very welcoming, friendly and efficient....

We popped in for a quick lunch. Nice pub, efficient - though not particularly warm - welcome. There was a choice of only two sandwiches on the menu, smoked salmon and cream cheese or hummus and roasted red pepper, served on what they proudly described...

Booked for Sunday lunch at The Sloop Inn today on the basis of previous reviews, prior to heading over to Sheffield Park Gardens in the afternoon. Pleased with our choice. It was indeed very dog friendly. The staff kept plying our dog with biscuits and...

Chose the pub as it was dog friendly. Didn’t know the food would be amazing too. Short typed menu of the month. We chose belly pork, local roe deer and local cheese. Absolutely fabulous menu. Allergies were not a problem and taken good notice of....

This pubs offers more than your standard pub grub. The food was divine. Service excellent, we shall return!

Not much more can be said than excellent and 5 stars all around. The roe deer; smoked haddock risotto; pannacotta were to die for. Wine selection small yet good. Very attentive service my happy smiling staff. A great evening - thank you.

Me and my family came here for a lovely Sunday afternoon meal, Having heard the pub recently changed hands we were keen to try it out. The pub did not disappoint!! the food was fantastic, lovely portion sizes (not too big and not too small)...

My best friend and I came here for a joint birthday outing. We were very pleased with the food - very tasty and well served. The staff were all lovely and very accommodating. We were lucky weather wise to have enjoyed the garden. We will...

Had a really lovely meal here - great atmosphere, friendly efficient service and excellent food. Also dog and baby friendly.

We know well The Jolly Sportsman, East Chiltington, and we heard that the team from there has moved to The Sloop. (Interesting to note that that the team has now bought The Jolly Sportsman so that they own both locations.) So, we decided to have...

Good inside space and lovely beer garden with good seating areas, some screened off with plants. Staff were very attentive and accommodating. Food was delicious and the menu a little unusual which suited us although they did also do 'pub favourites'. Desserts were also amazing...

We had a brilliant lunch for our group of 16 on Thursday. We were fortunate with the weather so were able to sit outside. We had pre-ordered a set meal - and it was brilliant. They were very accomodating with our vegan and vegetarian guests....

New owners in June 2021 ! New Menu ! New Higher Price! Small Portions ! What a total disappointment! This is a pub not a west end restaurant ! Good food yes but very poor value for money overall and from this experience you will...

Came for lunch with friends and sat in the nice garden. Service was mixed, one server was friendly, efficient and helpful, the person who took payment was borderline unpleasant to one of our group. Another server didn’t recognise the name of our drinks order failed...

We were keen to go to the Sloop following the recent refurbishment and change in ownership. we were not disappointed. From the moment we arrived we were attended to by Rob and his wonderful team throughout the meal. The service was the perfect balance of...

A lovely luncheon in one of my favourite pubs of the Scaynes Hill / Haywards Heath area. The food is always of such good quality, and the service was wonderful. A special mention to Rob, who was very hospitable and sweet. Hope to come for...

Excellent dinner with a mix of pub classics and more interesting options. Small but well formed wine list. We will definitely return. Thank you.

I was a regular at the Sloop before COVID so I was keen to see the new Sloop after it’s re-opening. I wasn’t disappointed. The food was excellent, a rare steak served rare and medium rare served medium rare and lamb just the right side...

We went to the Sloop as we had heard it had changed hands . The garden was beautiful , with lots of big tables and the new interiors were incredible, such a transformation. The service was excellent and we found it hard to decide what...

We have been coming to The Sloop for many years and have always enjoyed our visits. The food is beyond excellent and there is a comprehensive wine list to enhance it, the staff are very friendly and helpful and the garden is stunning. We were...

The Sloop is our local pub and has just changed hands so we were keen to see how things were going after the previous owners, who are a hard act to follow, were coping. We were not let down. This is the best time of...

Very nice reception although very busy and garden of tables almost full one spare table. Waitress very helpful and served us very quickly stayed for an hour whilst sun was out. Very happy!

Only one waitress out of 4 was wearing a mask. We had a maskless waitress who took our order directly next to us- no attempt to social distance. The waitresses walked in and out of the pub without masks on so customers using the facilities...

This was the first time I had visited and I was blown away by friendliness of the staff, the setting and the very high quality of the food. Everyone knows how extremely difficult lockdown has been for catering establishments but here was one as a...

We have been a few times with the children and on date nights - works for both. We sat in the garden along with chickens in the distance a horse drinking water and well behaved dogs lying on the grass by the foot of their...

We have been to the sloop many times but mostly in the summer. We were celebrating a birthday and had the most brilliant Sunday lunch for the family (and dog was welcome too). We had 3 different roasts and all the meats were cooked perfectly....

Last evening my friend and I visited The Sloop Inn near Scaynes Hill for and early dinner. We were welcomed by the friendly staff, who did advise when I booked they were having the 1st quiz night back after lockdown, but it wouldn’t start until...

stopped for a drink, lovely tucked away - or so it feels - nice garden with well spaced tables, good service.

During Covid restrictions we've been treating ourselves to Sunday lunches at local, independent hostelries We hadn't been to the Sloop for a while and now realise what we've missed ! The pub has good parking and a spacious garden area. Inside is a restaurant area...

Well, we only live 5 miles away from the Sloop but had never heard of it! During a 10 mile walk we started seeing signs in the woods for a place named The Sloop Inn. A quick internet search made us more inquisitive. We decided...

Don't remember the last time we enjoyed a pub lunch so much, all the staff were so attentive and pleasant, special big up to Jack. The roast beef meal was perfect and all this with music from the 20th Century boys, wide range of music...

We spent a wonderful Sunday afternoon at the sloop having spent a weekend camping at Wowo ... the service, food and atmosphere was second to none and the managers were very flexible with a last minute booking change . given the covid restrictions the afternoon...

We all need a treat and today was a surprise. Last year we was driving down this little lane and popped in to this lovely pub for a drink how nice it was. A few months later we revisit, September 2020 went for lunch. So...

Visited this restaurant twice in 3 days last Sunday, My party of 4 just had the roast mains (x2), 1 fish and chips and 1 crab. Food was excellent and the service was OMG simply superb; The desserts were to die for. We had a...

The pub was very busy and the four of us were an hour late but we still got a nice spacious table. Service was efficient & friendly and the food (three crab salads, fish and chips, and some plum/frangipani tarts) was delicious. Will definitely return.

I visited this pub restaurant with family to celebrate a birthday. Obviously , times are difficult atm ,but we were seated well away from others . The food was really disappointing . A very unexciting curry , which I could have so easily have made...

What a delightful idyllic pub restaurant which i had no idea existed until suggested by friends. A lovely garden which we used for a pre meal drink. The very friendly owners were wonderful by supplying a cooling fan. The staff were amazing, the food out...

Came here at last minute when staff member very kindly offered an earlier table even though it was all booked up. Very nice garden although was incredibly hot when we were there. Food a little pricier than elsewhere but it was on the gov food...

Went for lunch using the eat out gov deal (£20 off). Arrived soon after opening and I don’t think the staff were particularly ready for orders coming in... quite a bit of waiting with no staff on hand. They later got on top of the...

Wanted to make the most of ‘eat out, to help out’. Had a great impromptu Wednesday lunch sat outside. We hadn’t booked but found an unreserved table. They have it well set up post Covid. We were told that our food could be delayed as...

We enjoyed two lovely pub lunches in the garden this week while camping at Kitts, and both were superb. They manage the social distancing perfectly - table bookings, collection of details upon your first order, clear markings for distance, super clean bathrooms. But it's the...