The Countryman, Shipley, Horsham, West Sussex
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Top Garden at The Countryman, Shipley, Horsham, West Sussex

Top Garden

Landlords Story

Looking back, it’s amazing how the terminology and the day-to-day routines have changed since I started in the business 30 years ago. I remember it was quite an innovation to find a pub that served ‘restaurant’ style food instead of the usual toasted sandwiches and pork pies. Nowadays it is almost expected to see a fairly extensive a la carte menu in most bars, and even taking it to the next level of being a ‘Gastro Pub’ is becoming more common. Daily routines concentrated on getting the bar up and running for the session ahead, nowadays that has expanded into co-ordinating a team effort of planning menus weeks in advance, taking into consideration seasonal availability of fresh produce, and daily journeys to fish and vegetable markets. A typical day might start at around 7.00 a.m. (sometimes earlier) with a visit to the fish market or a delivery of fresh produce, this needs to be checked thoroughly and any poor quality items rejected. Following this there is the usual ‘maintenance meeting’. This involves checking with Lee, our cleaning and maintenance man, items such as light bulbs, soap dispensers hand towels etc. Then at around 8.30 the first of our chefs arrive. The job then is to start on the preparation of the day’s vegetables and specials. Whilst this is going on I need to check emails for bookings, telephone the other fish, meat and vegetable suppliers and prepare the table plan for the mornings service. Over the next two hours, the rest of the team arrive and the whole place gradually builds up into a hive of activity of laying tables and restocking the bar. Around 10 a.m. I spend about 30 minutes with our Head Chef, Wayne. This time is spent discussing the menu ideas for the following day and how best to utilise the produce that has been sourced earlier on the phone, we also talk about the up and coming functions and special events The next bit is my little break …..This is my chance to pop into one of the local farms and catch up with what’s going on, collect some freshly picked tomatoes or free Range eggs and grab a cup of tea. The hustle and bustle of setting up gradually settles into a gentle calm once the bar is open and our first customers arrive. This is generally around 12 noon, and can vary from day to day, but many of our early regulars are retired couples looking for a leisurely lunch. Fish is always popular at this time, and at the moment the pan-fried Brill Fillet served with parsley sauce and creamed potato seems to be a favourite. Around 1.00 p.m. is the time for the ‘big rush’ when we get a large influx of diners, mainly business professionals, and this is when I like to try and be back behind the bar to help with the wine orders and general bar service. The Set Menu is very popular at this time and we usually finish around 3.30 p.m. This then gives us about two hours to get ready for the evening. The kitchen is still busy making desserts and trying out new menu ideas, and I will catch up on email bookings, handle the bookwork from the previous day, check my wine and spirit order, and at around 5.00 p.m. have something to eat. Today Wayne has got an Irish stew simmering away, made with local lamb from Bough Cottage in Shipley, so I think that’s what I’ll have probably with some braised red cabbage. When I have finished I have got just a few minutes to make a few notes for our next staff meeting, Ted Hennings, our wine merchant, has offered to do a staff wine tasting on some new wines. So I think I’ll take him up on that! Around 6 p.m. the evening trade starts to take off and the first hour is taken up with many of our locals popping in for a ‘quick one’ on the way home. There’s a vast array of drinks served at this time from the local Horsham Ale to Bombay Sapphire Gin, and large glasses of cold Chardonnay. The first of the evening diners arrive about 7:00 p.m., and after a getting a drink at the bar are shown to their table. The Irish stew is now on the Evening Menu, along with Venison Steak in a Port & Redcurrant Sauce and Scallops Mornay to name a few, I wonder what they’ll go for. Anyway, the restaurant is starting to fill up as the guests arrive, and the bar is starting to get a bit hectic as wine orders come in for the reserved tables…, still, before you know it the night will be over and I will be wondering what all the fuss was about. 9:00 p.m. and still going well, diners are all in, the early tables are ordering desserts, and the later tables are just finishing their starters. Looks like a perfect night. No disasters, Yet! Well here we are, 11:30 p.m. and the last of the diners is leaving, the waiting staff are still smiling and happy, saying goodnight to the remaining guests, and I have found another long lost friend who wants just one more for the road. Wayne has already overseen all the clearing away and deep cleaning of the kitchen and service areas, and it now time for our very efficient first class team to sit down for a few minutes with a well-deserved nightcap. Oh! And by the way, the first couple in tonight,… they had the homemade pate, followed by Roasted Sea Bass and The Steak & Kidney Pudding. I was sure they were going to go for the Irish Stew!

Fresh fish every day at The Countryman, Shipley, Horsham, West Sussex

Fresh fish every day

www.countrymanshipley.co.uk

The Countryman Inn is a traditional rural hostelry with warming log fires in the winter, fantastic open country views, a cosy bar and a superb award winning a la carte restaurant. The menu reflects the changing seasons and offers good hearty home cooked dishes of traditional rural food all year. Whenever possible local produce is used. Game from local Shoots, Free-range meats and garden vegetables from local farms are flavoured with home grown herbs, and fresh fish is supplied from boats working out of Shoreham and Newhaven. With over 30 wines from around the world, cask conditioned ales, and freshly ground coffee always available, the Countryman Inn is warm and welcoming

Restaurant at The Countryman, Shipley, Horsham, West Sussex

Restaurant

History

Shipley takes its name from a Saxon word meaning 'the place of pasture'. It is the second largest parish in Sussex with an area just under 8000 acres and is mentioned in the Domesday book of 1087. William de Braose, a powerful supporter of William the Conqueror, was given the manor of Shipley and 40 other manors, including Knepp where he built the original castle, soon after the Battle of Hastings. He and his son participated in the Crusades and were great benefactors of the church. The son passed the estates at Shipley to his nephew, whose brother, Dean of Lincoln, gave them to the Knights Templar. Shipley church is one of the oldest Norman churches in Sussex. It dates from the 12th century, contemporary with Chichester Cathedral, and was built by the Knights Templar on the site of a much earlier church. The church was restored in 1830, when the pyramidal shingled spire had to be removed due to its poor state of repair. At the same time two galleries were removed and a north porch of timber and stone, also dating from the 14th century, was removed and remains detached in the churchyard today. Shipley's historic eight-sided smock mill is worth a visit, and is just a mile's walk along a woodland bridle path from The Countryman. The mill is so called because of its likeness to the farm labourer's traditional cotton smock. Shipley mill has been made famous as the fictional home of the hero of the BBC television series, Jonathan Creek For the Summer, in the Countryman Garden, there is an open air Kitchen serving a range of ploughman’s lunches with home baked bread, various BBQ Grills, Freshly made Sandwiches and snacks

Home Grown Vegetables at The Countryman, Shipley, Horsham, West Sussex

Home Grown Vegetables

New Deer Park

The Countryman is set in open countryside close to the small village of Shipley, surrounded by 3,500 acres of farmland owned by the Knepp Castle Estate. The area is in the process of being turned back into a more natural state, with the introduction of fallow deer, free roaming Tamworth pigs, Exmoor ponies and longhorn cattle. Many wild birds have also been encouraged to return to the area, as the new growth of wild grasses and plant life provide a welcoming habitat. You can even do a bit of bird spotting from the inn's garden in fine weather. Bar Snacks, A la Carte and Fixed Price menu’s available everyday

Garden Kitchen at The Countryman, Shipley, Horsham, West Sussex

Garden Kitchen

Award winning Pub

Les Routiers Dining Pub of the year 2005 William Reed Publishing Best Food Pub 2007 Publican Best Local Food Finalist 2007 Les Routiers Dining Pub of the year 2008 Countryside Alliance Best traditional business award 2009