Vicki Fairman and Mike Pisko take some time out in the garden of Ye Olde Coach House in East Preston.
If the sun is shining, tans must be topped up, at least that’s Vicki’s assessment of the recent warm spell. Thankfully, Ye Olde Coach House has a substantial garden, accessed through the dedicated dining area away from the bar. The garden is large enough to be spacious, but small enough to prevent you putting your hiking boots before heading back inside, and has a children’s play area at the far end to ensure that it caters to the whole family.
Topping up the tans seemed to be a good excuse to pore over the menu in detail. There’s plenty of choice for all on there, a fact which caused a little consternation with two hungry stomachs being persuaded in opposite directions simultaneously. The content of the menu is largely traditionally English fare and there are plenty of homemade options.
"Feeling in a summery mood," Mike says, "I decided to give the prawn cocktail starter a whirl. I’m glad I did – there were prawns aplenty served on a bed of lettuce with kiwi fruit on the side. The slices of kiwi made an interesting change from the traditional notion of prawn cocktail – but actually worked really well."
Vicki meanwhile took her shades off long enough to spy the soup of the day (which happened to be Leek and Potato), which arrived with warm, crusty rolls. Thick and creamy, the soup wasn’t perhaps the most obvious choice for a summery day, but a wise one none the less.
"You can’t beat good fish and chips," Vicki enthused. "So I had to try the Traditional Jumbo Fish and Chips.
“The word jumbo is slightly inappropriate – eyeball-popping might be a better phrase. Big enough to satisfy even the most ambitious diners, and delicious enough to leave you wanting more even when your buttons are bursting, I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
Torn between menu options, Mike decided to throw himself headlong at the specials board, ordering the slow roasted minted lamb shank in a red wine sauce.
"This was served with mash potato and a good helping of green peas," Mike explained. "The lamb was succulent and the red wine sauce enhanced the succulent nature of the lamb."
With not a bad word to say thus fair, dessert was a definite next step. Whereas one might expect totally traditional fare from Ye Olde Coach House, the chefs obviously pulled something special out of the proverbial bag.
"The Brandy and Chocolate dessert had to be tried," said Mike. "I was tempted by the deep fried ice cream served in butterscotch sauce, but the chocolate eventually won the day. This was truly delicious; the truffle centre melted in the mouth with the ice cream and mixed berries that came with it my summer lunch was complete."
With the chocolate option already taken, Vicki had to be different, opting for a more traditional treacle sponge.
"This was amazing," she enthused later. "Light and fluffy, served with lashings of custard and berries, it was beautifully presented."
"You have thought after the large meal I’d already enjoyed, that I wouldn’t be able to manage the whole thing. However, it was so nice that I did – and the delicacy of the preparation ensured that it wasn’t too sweet or sickly. I would recommend coming here for the dessert alone"
To sum up, Ye Olde Coach House is exactly what it claims to be - a traditional pub, with traditional food coupled with some modern flair. With food served between 12noon and 9pm, a great children’s menu and plenty for vegetarians to choose from, it’s the logical choice for a great family meal out. So why not follow Mike and Vicki’s lead and use the sunny weather as an excuse to get out to Ye Olde Coach House?
