Just a 20 minute drive from Brighton sits the sleepy commuter town of Haywards Heath. Here, those in the know will find a lovely slew of restaurants, pubs and bars which benefit from an idyllic location close to the South Downs and all of the countryside that affords.
This natural bounty, as it were, is a big part of the concept behind The Sloop Inn. It's a rustic restaurant which prides itself on serving seasonal, locally-sourced produce all year round. In the kitchen you'll find head chef Vincent Fayat, who was born and raised in South West France before falling in love with Sussex back in 2002. Over the last 20 years he has worked in the area, first at Ockenden Manor under the helm of Stephen Crane, where the kitchen was awarded a Michelin Star which was maintained for 12 years. Since then, he made it to the Roux Scholarship's regional final, won Pride of Britain's 'chef of the year' competition, and enjoyed a stint at The Jolly Sportsman which is now part of The Sloop Inn's small, but growing, group.
Due to its seasonal nature, the menu regularly updates to include the best produce available at the time, but the website offers an idea of what to expect. For a starter, enjoy a fun take on the classic fishcake with brown shrimp and curry sauce, while for mains there might be delights such as roasted local roe deer with croquette, braised red cabbage, truffle potato puree and kale, or something more relaxed like wild garlic and stilton quiche with chips and salad. If you have room for dessert, try the dark chocolate tart with honeycombe and raspberry sorbet, and why not wash it down with something from the digestif section, like a classic Old Fashioned?
The wine list is seperated into sections such as rich and textured, or full and complex to help you choose, with variety from all over the world. In the sparkling selection, though, you'll notice a special shout out to Sussex with the restaurant's local vineyard being Nyetimber.