insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 13 - March 2016 | Page 40

FOOD+DRINK

THE SHEPHERD AND DOG

a proper country pub
with personality
Time and time again, thinking about what to do over the weekend, I find myself yearning for
the same thing: a proper country pub. Gastropubs are fabulous, as are more upmarket wine
bars, but there’s just something very special about the laid back, local feel of a real country pub,
and, with the number of pubs in the UK now at its lowest in a decade, they’re a rarity these
days. Polly Humphris finally finds what she’s looking for at the Shepherd and Dog in Fulking.

Far from the outdated ‘tankards and tweed’ stereotype that may
blight perceptions of a place to relax with a pint in the countryside, the
Shepherd and Dog is a country pub that sits neatly apart from both
‘gastropub’ and ‘traditional boozer’, but that shares qualities with both.
Like a gastropub, a breed that swooped in and saved an awful lot of
pubs’ lives in the 90s, the Shepherd and Dog serves delicious, highend food and drinks, and, like a boozer, it’s got that warming sense of
familiarity about it that only a well-loved pub has.

Formerly the pub’s head chef, David also knows his food, and so do the
rest of his staff. Presented with a menu so full of loveliness I didn’t know
what to eat, Eleanor, our brilliant waitress (who, it must be noted, had
crayons and colouring in front of the kids before we could say ‘starter’)
suggested the Drunken Mussels, and I’m glad I took her up on it. Served
in a beer and bacon broth with chilli and spring onion, they were so
fresh and tasty, I almost wished I’d had them as my main. Until my main
arrived. A stilton and leek pudding with grilled courgette, garlic butter
kale and semi-dried heritage tomatoes, the pudding was almost as light
as a mousse in places and every single flavour on the plate sang out. It
would be a crime not to mention the tender and moist spatchcock quail
too - served on a bed of earthy pearl barley coated with a rich mushroom
sauce, the only fault there would be that my other half ordered it, so I
didn’t get to eat it all.

It’s also got its very own personality, a welcome trait that’s apparent the
minute you walk in the door. With lots of candles flickering; framed ‘then and
now’ pictures depicting the local area; a gorgeous inglenook fireplace taking
centre stage; and low beams setting off its cosiness perfectly, the restaurant
is one of those rooms that makes you want to sigh ‘ahhh’ happily and sit
down the minute you enter. It’s a warm and welcoming space only matched
by the attentiveness of the excellent staff who greet you with a smile, but
give you the time and space you need to decide what it is you want to order.

The Shepherd and Dog at Fulking is not to be missed. With no stuffiness
and just the right amount of edge courtesy of its young, clued-up
management, it isn’t pretending to be anything other that what is so
clearly is - a proper country pub. The food is fantastic, but you’d be just
as welcome to stroll in with your dog if only to sit and sup a pint. Or four.