The Giant’s Rest – Wilmington

This is a lovely (and very popular) little pub in the middle of the East Sussex countryside. Good selection of real ales which don’t seem to change much but the choice of Hopback’s Summer Lightning, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and Harvey Sussex Best are all very well kept, so no complaints there! For those whose tastes aren’t beer related they have an excellent selection of wines and a good selection of soft drinks. Unusually for most pubs we have been in, they are happy to keep on making hot teas and coffees right up until closing time something you rarely see in London.

The food menu is brilliant, my first meal of home cooked ham and bubble & squeak was superb. Lovely thick slices of ham with a side chutney which was spicy and figgy and set off the ham beautifully, they also did the bubble & squeak with local sausages which was really good (these were the sausages used for the B&B's breakfasts as well...lovely!). Main advantage to going to places like this with like minded friends is the fact you can try more dishes and pints and without a hesitation I can say the Giant's Rest's food is superb even the veggie African Sweet Potato & Peanut stew that one friend had looked and tasted gorgeous too, it is really nice to come across a pub which does good meat dishes as well as veggie ones.

They even have two B&B rooms above the pub which are comfortable and have the advantage of getting to enjoy yourselves in the bar for longer and not having to worry about getting home. We had a really nice weekend in Wilmington which is a good base for walking in this part of the country, not that we got much walking in due to the heavy snowfall and ice which was everywhere.

Be warned though, this is a real food pub with tables booking up fast especially for Sunday lunchtime so if you are just popping in for a pint you may find it a tad crowded around the bar. In fairness I don’t consider this a fault; a busy pub is more likely to keep going than one which is empty. Even though we were staying there we had to book our dinner tables but the staff did inform us that this would be the case and reserved the tables for us. The staff here couldn’t be more helpful, cheerful and knowledgeable about the pub’s menu. Even in busy times they are fast and efficient making the place even more enjoyable.

The whole weekend and the pub were a great joy, can’t wait to return!

The Giant's Rest
The Street
Wilmington (near Polegate)
East Sussex
BN26 5SQ
Website: www.giantsrest.co.uk