REVIEW: The White Horse - fabulous food and wine affordable for millionaires and country folk alike

You know, when a bottle of Bordeaux is priced up to £1,380 in your local that this is no ordinary wine list.
The White Horse at Chilgrove.The White Horse at Chilgrove.
The White Horse at Chilgrove.

But then, this is no ordinary pub.

The White Horse at Chilgrove believes in blending the exceptional with the exceptionally traditional.

By which I mean, in one sense this is an utterly authentic country inn.

The White Horse at Chilgrove.The White Horse at Chilgrove.
The White Horse at Chilgrove.
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It’s a place where walkers hiking the South Downs and dog owners instantly find a place of refuge.

It has the Sussex way of country life imbued not merely into the fabric of the building and the style of the decor but the menu itself.

The beef, the game, the lamb, the pork - it’s all local. Genuinely so. And it is the seasons which dictate the choice not the whim of the kitchen.

So the duo of gravadlax on the starter menu comprises trout from the local chalk spring and crab from Selsey (£8.95).

The White Horse at Chilgrove. The SnugThe White Horse at Chilgrove. The Snug
The White Horse at Chilgrove. The Snug
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The pork tenderloin on the mains is from Funtington (£19.50).

And the duo of lamb, of course, is from the South Downs (£26.95).

When we dined there was venison on the specials board. Served pink it was spectacular.

Head chef Robert Armstrong is supremely expert at making the best of the best local ingredients. He is an artist too.

The White Horse at Chilgrove.The White Horse at Chilgrove.
The White Horse at Chilgrove.
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On our visit we were served by India. She is just 13 and working hard in her spare time.

Wow, she is a star. Confident, cheerful and utterly in control of the brief.

She is a credit to herself, the pub and her mum Niki Burr who is a partner in the business.

The eclectic decor includes a wall of mirrors and a rich sense of the country everywhere.

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And despite a wine list to rival any eating place in the world, it’s not all for the millionaire.

The bulk of the wines come in at normal pub prices - like the food. It’s just the quality is exceptional.

So even if you cannot afford the Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1st growth, Pauillac 2005 at £1,385 you can still enjoy a rather nice Italian Ponte Milano at £4.75 a glass.

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