The Star Inn in Wealden

Beautiful old pub, serving quality food, ideal for a night out but not necessarily for young children. Lovely garden just off the side of the pub, with flowers and in the sun. Beautiful. Returned with new owners in October 2024, nice atmosphere and friendly pub, good food and enjoyed the evening but I do think the food is overpriced by about £5 per meal.

A fabulous pub within a gorgeous setting serving delicious food 😋

This Quintessential English village pub is the hub of the village community… brimming with laughter of good friends and neighbours relaxing after work. The new owners have kept the essence of the pubs traditions and atmosphere it has been loved for whilst bring in their personal spark. The most amazing burgers and cheese board you could ask for !

Apparently new owners will be back to see what’s changed soon ….. this is the old review … Location Good, Beer Garden Great, Quirky owners Good, Food Average/Poor... Really wanted to have a nice evening, unfortunately just not good enough

Excellent food. Poor customer service. We were made to feel like an inconvenience for being there by the lady behind the bar. They were apparently 'very busy', but there weren't many customers there.

Absolutely beautiful food, welcoming atmosphere and friendly staff that accommodated me and my family. Thank you all so much.

Lovely looking historic pub tucked away in the countryside. Food was ok (albeit not great for the price), and I think if I was to return, it would just be for drinks. Was served by many members of staff during our meal and found them all but one to be great. The one who appeared to the be the person in charge was very abrupt. Having read the other reviews on here, it would appear I'm not alone in thinking that.

Absolutely full of old English charm. Very cosy atmosphere. The staff were friendly and helpful and we didn't have to wait for anything. We had ribeye beef Sunday roast. Gorgeous. Definitely recommended.

New landladies hosted my birthday dinner for 22 guests. Really lovely food, thoughtfully put together menu, beautifully presented with charming friendly staff. Lovely atmosphere and a charming room, table presented beautifully and comfortably seating everybody. Would definitely recommend

Garden and location is gorgeous. Probably the most expensive pub in Heathfield though.

Nice quick sharing plater. Good beer too

Pub and garden are lovely, but the woman behind the bar was grumpy and unfriendly - was going to ask about food but her attitude put us off, so we just had a quick drink.

Visited here last week. Food was ok! Not a great choice. As for the staff and service -ALL RUDE, definitely no service with a smile!! Made to feel as we were a nuisance to them and that they couldn’t wait to get us served and out the door. Definitely won’t be visiting again. Such a shame as it is a lovely pub in a nice setting.

First ever visit, beautiful garden, however, I would not visit again as the lady serving, as well as looking absolutely miserable, was so rude and unhelpful, atmosphere is as gloomy as the pub looks inside. Why work in hospitality if you have no manners or people skills? Terrible.

I recently moved to Heathfield within walking distance of this pub. I visited with my elderly mum and my daughter. On entering my mum asked if they take cards due to the sign by the entrance about cash. Then my mum asked if they could make her a lemon lime bitters. Instead of asking what it was, the landlady said no despite the fact that I could clearly see Aromatic Bitters on the shelf and what decent pub doesn't have lemonade on tap and a bottle of lime cordial? My mum then asked if they were still serving food (it was nearing 2pm) to which the woman said yes but we needed to order soon which was fine so we had a quick look at the menu and just ordered a sharing platter to nibble on. The landlady was standoffish verging on rude. Personally I would have walked straight out but my mum had wanted to come here so we sat outside as I didn't want to make a scene. I had already said how rude she was. The waitress who brought the platter out was pleasant which is why I gave it 2* for service. Basil Fawlty gave better service than this woman. Initially I thought maybe she was having an off day but other reviews comment on her poor attitude. It's such a shame as the place has real potential. It has a lovely setting and it's a 14th century inn. I would imagine the food is decent here too. You couldn't pay me to visit this place again unless it changed ownership.

The staff were so rude and contemptuous that we wanted to leave, but we had ordered drinks so it was too late. What a dreadful atmosphere. Never again

Hundreds of years in the making and The Star still delivers! Never fails to satisfy the beer and taste buds. Thank you! Keepers of the faith 🍺

I wish we had seen the previous reviews of this pub on this site and on Tripadvisor, as we would have been unsurprised by the rudeness and poor service we received. There were 5 of us for lunch inside, and 4 having coffee outside. From being made to feel very awkward because we were just 2 people less than we booked for, to being served tepid coffee, the landlady was shockingly unpleasant from beginning to end. She claimed it was because they were so very busy, which they really weren’t, and there were at least 4 visible front of house staff which was plenty. However, what really summed up the whole experience was when of our group overheard her instructing the other staff to deliberately make our group feel so uncomfortable we would leave early so they could reassign our table to someone else. This is a pretty pub, and the food was good, but do not expect to be made to feel welcome here, unless you are a regular.

Awful awful awful! Look at trip adviser reviews - they are actually honest! The owner threatened to call the police on me because I asked for a bowl of chips. I was actually humiliated. Why do owners like this get to own such a nice pub? Horrific and will tell everyone to avoid like the plague.

Such fun here ,the landlord Mike is biblical !!! 👌👍

We had Sunday lunch there last week and it was fabulous, roast rib of beef with all the trimmings. Homemade rhubarb crumble which was amazing. All the team were relaxed and friendly, clearly enjoying their jobs. We also had the best bottle of dry rose ‘Monopole’ excellent value for money in an amazing venue.

Lovely location with a nice large garden. However, overpriced food where the Roast Beef and the Seafood platter didn't live up to it's price tag and rather brusque service from the landlady. The 2 young waiting staff were really friendly and helpful.

Lovely old building in a cute spot. Was expecting great things. Beer ok. Food ok, expensive but not great. Charged the same for small honeycomb ice cream for kids as large one with Baileys for adults. Staff seemed to shout a lot and swear at each other and at people I took to be local clients. Not a memorable experience except for the bill. Such a shame.

I love everything about this place. It feels like it distills everything that makes a local independent English village pub unique into one beautiful little package. It is 25 mins by car from home but it is my new favourite place to go. If you are nearby, do yourself a favour and go check it out. Bear in mind that this is a small, local business and feels like a central part of the community staffed and frequented by locals. It is not a chain pub or franchise and is better for it in my opinion. You may even feel like a bit of an outsider when you first turn up but that is totally understandable and soon passes. You’ll be making new friends in no time, if you make the effort. Great food, low beams, rifles over the open fireplace, welcoming, cosy and intimate, dog friendly, terrific beer garden with enviable views and a history stretching back to the Black Death and the construction of the 14th century church next door. What’s not to like?

Lovely country pub with great atmosphere, a great function room upstairs and a lovely beer garden

Lovely roast, friendly attentive staff. Just feel it was a bit overpriced.

An absolutely beautiful historic pub, perfect cosy fires in winter and a big beautiful garden for summer. There are some great local walks too, so ideal for a post walk beverage!

Excellent food, very friendly and helpful staff. 100% recommended for food, drink and atmosphere.

Thoroughly recommended. We all really enjoyed our visit. Thanks very much.

Went for lunch, found the lady behind the bar very unwelcoming, sat in the garden on tables that looked like they were 14th century! Our starters were delicious, but my partner and I both had the rib eye steak, after the waitress advising us to have it cooked medium rare as was an aged piece of meat when I got mine there was probably only about 3 maybe 4 mouthfuls that were edible it was very difficult to cut even with a steak knife and almost impossible to chew! My partners steak was ok when the waitress came back I explained how I found it and she could see nearly all the steak on the plate she was straight on the defensive saying it’s a rib eye it’s supposed to be fatty but it wasn’t the fat that was the issue it was all the gristle and sinewy bits running throughout making it impossible to cut or chew! She then said ok you didn’t say you couldn’t chew it! Although I had said it was inedible! At £30 I expected better! She said she would tell the chef later when she came back and we weren’t offered anything not even a drink! Shame as the rest of the meal was good! Won’t go back!

Update:- I visited here again, with a very good friend We sat inside tonight. Our meals, ham, egg and chips, vegan risotto were, as ever, top notch. Looking forward to the winter evenings now, that cozy, heart-warming experience 👌😊. Outside seating with stunning views. The pub inside is cozy with lots of character. The food is superb and the landlady is very friendly and welcoming. Well worth a visit. 26/09/2021 For some reason I am unable to write a new review. This is a fantastic place to eat, the food is superb, especially the beer battered haddock! I sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful garden. The owner and all the staff are delightful, very attentive, efficient and friendly. A perfect September Sunday. Thank you to all.

I found the 3 mature ladies in the pub very unwelcoming because we were 5 mins early to opening time at 12 midday. They kept saying how unprepared they were and couldn't give me a paper menu as they were being sorted to eliminate the dirty ones. Eventually I was given one from the pile. On ordering our food I was told I couldn't have a black coffee with milk on the side as it came out of a machine and they were not allowed into kitchen to get milk to put even just a dash into my black coffee for me .... merely because they press a button and the coffee comes from the machine. When I paid the bill without adding my usual tip as I felt rather a nuisance. However, the two servers who brought our food were charming and very helpful. while sitting in the garden which was peaceful and quite delightful a friendly Robin joined us. The food was good and well priced but not exceptional. I and my son decided we would recommend it to our family or friends.

Ook weer zo'n fijn adres waar je met je camper kunt overnachten na een heerlijke maaltijd in de pub. Ook een prachtig public footpath vlakbij wat ideaal is om je hond uit te laten.

Landlords wife died all the work. He hides it well but was drunk. Makes for a very odd atmosphere

just had a fabulous lunch at The Star Inn. food was fantastic, nicely presented. I won't leave it so long between visits next time.

Delicious lunch here in a beautiful and quirky pub. Very old and smells of wood fire upon entering. Cosy table in the corner which was lovely although not dark. Upstairs dining room looks amazing. Sod and chips was delicious. Lovely service and very friendly bar staff.

Lovely old building set away in its own grounds. Called in for something to eat at lunchtime but found the kitchen closed so can't comment t on the food. Garden is great with countryside views.

Lovely drinks, gorgeous atmosphere, had a great time!

Delicious meal, friendly staff, proper pub with food.

Super. Zeer gast vrij . Hier kun je gratis staan. Ps dan is wel de bedoeling dat je hier gaat eten. Heerlijk gegeten in hun pachtige tuin.

Great food, great atmosphere, great beer, what more do I need to say! Love this place

Wir wollten nach der Überfahrt aus Frankreich dort eine Nacht verbringen und dabei Essen und Pints genießen. Leider wurden wir sehr deutlich des Platzes verwiesen. Die Besitzerin meinte sie hätte schlechte Erfahrungen mit Campern gemacht.

The atmosphere was warm and welcoming and the bar was buzzing on Friday evening. We enjoyed a delicious meal ( always a tasty vegetarian choice) and felt very relaxed and looked after by the friendly staff, led by Sue and Mike Chapell. A really lovely evening.

Stumbled on this pub looking for a relaxing evening coffee with a bit of atmosphere. It didn't disappoint, the staff were very friendly and I was welcomed into the locals banter. I'll be back!

One of the best country pubs around by far

Wonderful place, lovely little historic pub, amazingly warm welcome and fantastic service.

We were grunted at by Joey upon arrival. He was incredibly rude. We’ve both worked in pubs and even when we’ve had a bad day we’ve greeted customers with curtesy. Kindness is free. Joey asked us if we were having drinks or food when we said just drinks he replied ‘good!’. We were there at 12pm so first customers of the day. The pub clearly hadn’t checked the barrels before opening as when I ordered a pint of Harveys…. the barrel had finished. Joey then just walked off. Didn’t communicate at all between going to change the barrel and payment. Hadn’t changed the till roll either. Popped in here on our holiday, staff were just really disorganised and rude, wouldn’t recommend.

went in with two friends for lunch. Fire was smoking and filling the pub. My eyes became so sore and watering. My sore eyes lasted well into the early evening. Not very nice. The food was ruined by my chips being slaughtered by an overload of salt. Stop salting chips please. Not everyone can have salt, salt is on the table if people wish to add it. I was literally scraping the salt off.

Delicious food in a beautiful old pub with such welcoming and friendly staff.

A bit cramped but lunch was very good

Lovely place- v rustic & not contrived. Great food & good value wine list. Excellent resident dogs

Beautiful pub and setting but disappointing food and rushed service. Blue cheese and tomato bruschetta arrived in minutes but needed longer cooking. Seafood chowder was far from fresh. For £8 starter and £16 main course food should be so much better.

Haven’t been here for many years. On spur of moment went with my wife for lunch. Lovely greetings and a very tasty meal struggled to devour the lot but soooo good. Will be back

Beautiful old 14th Pub. Staff were friendly and welcoming as soon as you walk through the front door. Enjoyed the whole atmosphere, and staff continued to be attentive throughout. The food was nice but that's all I can reallt say. I had Fish and chips, I was a bit concerned when the food turned up five minutes post ordering also. Beautiful pub and great staff, but the food let it down slightly.

Lovely old pub with great food and good service

Great location, Great Staff . Well worth visiting, proper old English pub.

Second visit for lunch and was not disappointed, great food and great ambiance. We will return.

We visited the pub in the summer to have food but ends up having just coffee because of the greetings!!! We felt that we were not good enough to go!! We have been asked to move as we aren’t having food when other seats aren’t occupied!! Lovely place but wishing the they are more friendly!!

Went for dinner , wet evening log fire was a warm welcome cosy little place lovely food , Fantastic staff had a very nice evening

* Mush have English Pup experience * Great art and interlect * Friendly & inviting locals * Best food i’ve had in the UK (Reccomand Liver & Mash, Fish and chips - with extra homemade sauce, and when in seison the Scottish Mussles) * if you have a van, you can stay the night! I ended up staying 2 nights and meeting the Star himself, the owner Mike & his dog Patrick. And the lovely barladies Wendy and Karen. This place is the livingroom of the neighbourhood and makes you feel so at home that you never want to leave again. They even organise things like yoga and meditation sometimes. This pub is worth the extra miles to reach it, and in case you had a bit too much cider, you can fall asleep in the carpark.

Traditional old country pub with atmospheric surroundings and open fires, great garden for summer. The food is good quality but seating is limited

When I attended the primary school nearby, we were told the pub was the original accommodation for the workers building the church, i.e., older than the church. As I remember, about 40 years ago, the pub was friendly.

Lovely, welcoming atmosphere and good food too. Friendly, helpful staff

We decided to stay here on our way further north in our little motorhome. If you call up and book a meal, you can ask to park up in their car park overnight (they unlock the side door to the toilet but no other facilities, which was fine for us as we are self sufficient). The owners Mike & Sue couldn't have made us feel more welcome. The pub and the garden are beautiful, the food was lovely (not a great choice for us vegetarians but what I had was really nice), and we had a genuinely lovely evening and met a lot of good people. The following morning, Sue & her staff even gave us a push so we could jump start our beloved, if slightly temperamental, Bedford Bambi!! Thank you guys, we will be back !

Seemingly friendly but rather acerbic greeting by landlady. We (8 adults, 3 children) had been told in advance that we’d need to order by 12.45, and we did try! We’d travelled various distances for a family get together but had hardly had time to greet each other before we were really hassled for our order. Think we managed, just, but were ‘jokingly’ told off for ticking items on one of the paper menus rather than wait for her to write them down. We certainly got the message! We’d mistakenly assumed we’d be taking the order to the bar. Crowning moment was after a bar stool collapsed and my son ended up on the floor. He didn’t make a fuss, but needed antiseptic wipes for the wound on his leg caused by a support bar piercing it. She asked to see it then just muttered ‘men!’ before providing a wipe. No incident report compiled, though I’m fairly sure one should have been filled in. He was reluctant to take it further. I was pretty cross. Teachers and nurses in our group would all be expected to fill one in but, as I said, he didn’t want to make a fuss. We did enjoy our food and the young waiting staff did a great job on a very hot Sunday.

Great food - also suitable for veggies or vegans. A diverse menu (not all listed here), including everything from steak, fish & chips, mixed seafood platter, etc etc Crab Salad (todays special) to standard + veggie burgers. Also home cooked desserts! Very friendly (& helpful) staff. NB it's in Old Heathfield

The owners are heartwarming and great! Couldn't recommend the place more. The food is delicious and the garden lovely :)

Great authentic pub with a variety of great beverages.

Came to visit some fabulous people all the way from Manchester, Had a lovely meal atmosphere is amazing I would highly recommend the brownie fudge cake! Yummy! Will definitely be returning ;)

Really lovely proper pub. Great beer garden and good food. Great walk nearby!

Lovely old fashioned village pub with really excellent food.

Very friendly pub would go there again

Visited just before lunch on a seemingly quiet Saturday. A few locals at the bar and a youngish man on duty. The pub is geared for serious diners and my request for a sandwich was met with a negative and offered an alternative choice of starters off the main menu. I stuck with my pint of bitter, which was excellent. The Landlord kindly offered me a newspaper and came across as friendly and welcoming. I remember this pub from the 1960s and 1970s when I lived in Old Heathfield and lts landlord then,a Mr Bean. Overall the barman could have been a bit more welcoming to visitors, but it's clearly a popular pub - especially if you're looking to show off your new 4x4 or trans American rally car. Beer was well kept and interior decor in keeping with the building's heritage.

Very friendly reception, good food, good atmosphere, good people. Will definitely return!

Lovely venue - very atmospheric and a beautiful view from the garden. Friendly staff. Good to see it busy.

Lovely place full of character. Very friendly staff and welcoming of dogs both in the beautiful garden and inside. Food is absolutely delicious.

Found it a bit cramped and didn't feel particularly welcome. Local pub for local people...

Lovely old pub with a stunning beer garden. Loved the peacock's on the roof next door. The menu looks great, we will be back!!

What a lovely pub, went for a beer with my brother and was made so welcome, could have stayed there all night, will definitely go again when I’m in the area. The food looked and smelled gorgeous. Paul from Penzance

An incredibly strange pub, it is a typical 'local's' pub, that when you enter heads turn that you're not a regular. The owner, is a very eccentric man, which is fine, but he doesn't give the best service, it's all just a bit odd. The food is very very expensive, and honestly is fairly lacking, it's not horrible, but not nice either, just meh, which is not really good enough when you are spending on average £17 for a main and £7 for a dessert. Definitely will not return.

Truly awful. We, 6 adults, an autistic 7 year old and a 7 month old baby were met with EXTREME RUDENESS, the worst customer service we have ever had. One of us was on time (1.15pm), others max 15 minutes late, in part, because a large group of classic cars had filled the car park, so we had to park nearby and walk. Having looked at the menu on-line which reads ‘Please Speak to a member of staff about allergies & also our Vegan Options!’, we had asked about these and was told that someone would be along in a minute. I asked shortly after if it were table service for drinks or should I go to the bar and was told it was table service and someone would come and take our order. Believing the member of staff who came to the table next was there to help with those things, I tried to order drinks, I was interrupted and was rudely told to order food NOW as we arrived late. Odd - as it was the pub who had asked to move our booking later (12.45pm to 1.15pm). My friend then asked about the vegan options, and she was rudely interrupted too, told to order from the menu and in tone that was SHOCKINGLY PATRONISING and HOSTILE, was handed one with the words “that's a MENU”. The food was good. Tiny problems (missing cutlery, defective pepper grinder) were resolved quickly. We also got more gravy. I had to find someone to ask for desert menus, but was always v. polite. We ordered 3 cheesecakes, teas and coffees. Then, the hostile one returned saying the young man who had taken our order was new and "didn’t know what he was doing" (uncomfortably belittling him in-front of us) and that there was only 1 small cheesecake. So, we changed our order. My friend asked if they had "any like, plain ice cream” (she was asking for my son as the menu only had ice cream with rum), the woman hostility replied “we don’t have LIKE ice cream, we have ice cream”. She then said the flavours. She seemed unable to hide her irritation when my son was asked what he wanted, he's autistic repeats questions. After she left and the young man cleared the table, we assured him he was doing a good job as she’d clearly demoralised him. The food and drinks arrived, the waitress asked who the tea was for, I asked if it was the earl grey and the waiter said they didn’t have any earl grey, so I said, "no, I don’t want that then". My friend said she’d have the tea instead. My friends went downstairs to pay and left whilst I took my son to the bathroom. As my son and I were leaving, the previously rude woman apologised for the tea mix up, saying that they did have it and that there was a mix up. I said, "it’s OK, mistakes happen" and continued to walk to the exit. And then it got worse! She said we'd been rude and had put a hand in the face of the waitress. We REALLY had not been the rude ones! I stopped, asked if she was serious as we’d had the worst customer service that we’d ever had. I apologised to the waitress saying “I’m really sorry if you felt we’d been rude darling", and the older woman told me not to use darling as it was patronising! I looked at her incredulously and reminded her the comment “we don’t have like ice cream, we have ice cream" and then she barked at me to keep my voice down or leave. Odd - as she made this false accusation when I was walking to the door to LEAVE. I then said we were local and would have given them future custom, but now wouldn’t, and she shouted “Good, get out of my house”. I said she was “extraordinarily rude”, my sweet autistic son was becoming distressed and she said “poor boy”, poor boy” inferring that my son suffered having me as his mother! And then I left, shaken and shocked. We were all affected, she ruined the meal. I still feel shaken and left the pub more than 6 hours ago. I'm trying to recall if anyone put their hand in the waitress's face in a way that could have been viewed as rude, and can’t. Did I put my palm up when I declined the wrong tea? Maybe, but to put it ‘in her face’ would have meant rising extending my arm fully in a way popular in Germany in the 30s/40s. And I definitely didn't do that.

Had another beautiful lunch at The Star in Heathfield. Food as always amazing and service great . Sue and her team always do whatever they can to make you feel welcome. Would highly recommend

Very friendly old pub. Good food, limited parking. Would recommend for a lunch time or a quiet evening

Great food, atmosphere and friendly landlord, landlady. Will be back

What a fantastic pub! Hidden in the back roads of Heathfield, this warm, cosy yet stylish little pub offers great local beers, a wonderful atmosphere with soft, romantic lighting and a roaring fire. Saving the best for last, the food is absolutely sensational. I had lobster tails and prawns, both of which were cooked perfectly. I also tried the venison burgers that my friend ordered, which were delicious too. Portions were generous but full of quality as well.

This wonderful old pub is really quiet charming with it's simple rustic decor.

Nice pub. Very old and interesting. Good beer and great garden in summer.

Proper old school pub, low beams, Harvey's on tap and impressive food. Plus locals out of Vicar of Dibley . . . .

staff friendly ambionce good.Unfortunately the roast had run out , opted for the fish and chips big mistake!!

First time we have visited this Pub and it was outstanding. The service and food was up there with the best. Lovely landlady and magical setting. Highly recommended

Just the cosiest, friendliest pub with great characters and reasonably priced drinks. Wonderfully eclectic clientele.

Have used this pub on many occasions over the years because it was very good, but not anymore. After visiting with friends recently, once for lunch and once for an evening meal, we found the food very poor and it was the same menu. We won't be back.

Lovely cosy old pub. Great garden. Food was a little pricey, but good quality. Visited on a Saturday lunchtime (today) with two family members. Although not that busy and plenty of staff, service was poor.

What a lovely find! We had an evening meal here tonight. Our first visit. Homemade chicken soup, chicken mushroom & leek pie was so good! The staff are friendly & helpful. Thank you Mike for letting us put our motor home in you carpark for the night. Will definitely come again.

Cosy pub with two real fires and a selection of three real ales on my visit (Harvey's, Tim Taylor Landlord & Lakedown). The food is very good, either downstairs in one of the two bar areas, or upstairs in the more formal restaurant which has a great ambiance. There is also a large beer garden with a range of benching if you are looking for outside space.

A lovely warm welcome will definitely be going back

Great atmosphere, amazing pub and beer garden

Beautiful traditional English pub

A quirky old English pub providing quality food at a good price. Handled an allergy very well, great service with a smile and humour. Very dog friendly. A lovely place to visit, we will be back

Lovely beer garden, really nice food, and friendly staff.