Griffin Inn

Licensees: Toby Erlam, James Pullan and Marcus Wysock-Wright

Tenure: Freehold

Head chefs: Andrew Billings and Nick Petersen

Turnover: Over £1m

Covers: 65 in restaurant with a further 65 approx in bar; garden including terrace has potential for further 100 covers

Covers per week: 1,000-plus in summer;

700-plus in winter

Wet:dry split: 40:60

Best-selling dishes: Rye Bay cod in Harveys batter with chips and tartare sauce (£13); linguini vongole (with local clams, chilli and garlic) (£12); slow-roast belly of pork, champ mash, roast apples, mustard cream (£14).

On the menu: Bruschetta of wild mushrooms, pancetta and goats' cheese; steamed razor clams with white wine and parsley, chilli-fried gambas crostini; wood-roasted rump of Romney Marsh lamb, anchovy dressing, gratin potato; chargrilled loin of tuna on chorizo, chickpea and red-pepper stew; pannacotta with winter fruit berries; lemon polenta cake.

New for 2008: Whole black-leg chicken, roasted in wood-oven, halved and served on wooden platters.

Best business idea in 2007: Wood-burning oven on terrace. A "parliament of owls" - a specially constructed wooden and canvas smoking shelter on terrace with heaters and candles, named after the owls flying through at night (the collective noun for owls is parliament).

Chef's favourite ingredients: Local organically-grown leaves, vegetables from our own market garden; fish from our own fisherman at Rye Bay and beef, veal and lamb from Fletching farmer David Hollings.

Three things which make our pub stand out from the crowd: Attractive, young, intelligent staff (mostly graduates, or university students); two separate menus, one for the restaurant, one for the bar; superb selection of wines, outstanding views over Sussex Weald from two-acre garden.

Best-selling beer and wine: Harveys best bitter (£2.80 pint); Sauvignon de Gras, Chile 2006 (£14.80 per bottle, £3.90 per glass).

Extras: 13 individually-designed and decorated bedrooms, with Victorian roll-top baths, four-posters and flat-screen TVs with DVD players.

The Griffin Inn Fletching, East Sussex TN22 3SS % 01825 722890 www.thegriffininn.co.uk​

Recipe​

Seared loin of Venison (for 4 persons)

With roast shallots, spinach, parsnip puree, Juniper jus

Ingredients:

1 x loin of venison (800-900grams)

8 x banana shallots

Spinach (washed)

8 x parsnips

1 x litre milk

Juniper berries

Gin (4 shots)

Red wine (2 x glasses)

Salt, pepper

Method

1. Marinade venison loin in crushed juniper berries in olive oil for 12 hrs

2. Peel & roughly chop parsnips, add milk and water to cover. Add generous pinch of salt. Boil until very soft. Drain, keeping the cooking liquid. Blend in food processor till smooth, add a little of the cooking liquid to thicken.

3. Peel & halve shallots, toss in thyme & salt. Place cut side down onto roasting tray with light layer of olive oil & small slices of butter. Roast until golden & soft.

4. Place juniper berries, gin & red wine in a pan & reduce to a syrup. Add half pint of chicken stock & reduce by two thirds. Whisk in the butter until glossy, strain off the juniper berries.

5. Cook spinach with knobs of butter & black pepper until soft and drain off any excess liquid.

6. Seal venison loin in heavy frying pan with a little oil, about 2 mins on each side, and leave to rest for about 15 mins.

Carve into half centimetre slices.