MY PUB: The George at Burpham, West Sussex

The 17th century, grade II-listed pub and restaurant is strong with its food offer and pledges to serve “the freshest, local ingredients from our AA Rosette awarded kitchen”.

Here, head chef and general manager Martin Bull tells The Morning Advertiser​ more about his site near the south coast, which is also a dog-friendly business.

The pub​

The George sits in a beautiful Sussex village of Burpham about two miles from Arundel, close to Brighton.

The George dates back to 1735, formerly known as the George and Dragon. It was acquired by a group of locals in 2013 to save it from the hands of developers and they decided to change the name to the George at Burpham to avoid confusion with another local pub of the same name.

It is a quintessential English village pub next to the church, village hall and village green.

The George is very much a destination pub, with exposed beams and oak bar.

There are six benches out the front for use when the weather is better and a car park next to the village hall.

The publican ​

I run the kitchen and my wife Charlotte runs the front of house.

We have been in hospitality for 27 years. We started off washing up and working up to owning our own pub in Chichester (also in West Sussex). After selling that, we had jobs with myself working at the two-rosette Richmond Arms in West Ashling, West Sussex.

After a while, the opportunity came by to manage the George, which we jumped at. Having known it locally, we knew we could further the business.

The trade​

The pub is very much a food-led gastropub. We get customers ranging from walkers and cyclists enjoying the South Downs to families and couples out for a full three-course meal. We offer bar snacks for those wanting a quick bite too.

The team​

We have a team of six in the kitchen and 14 front of house, we have some mums who want to work a few hours to students and a couple of trainees on apprenticeships programmes.

The drink​

We have three ale pumps all with something local: Harvey’s, Fauna and Long Man are some of our local breweries.

Lagers are Estrella and the local Hepworth lager, which is not so strong and ideal for those driving and, due to our location, someone always is.

We also have Estrella Free Damm 0% too. This has become so popular, we have it on draught.

Les Caves De Pyrene supplies the wine. We have a good choice by the glass with natural, organic wines being something we like to use.

The food​

Everything is prepared in the kitchen. We have a good mix of classics and a la carte choices in the menu, we love the fact someone can pop in for a Scotch egg or toastie and someone can have a whole megrim sole or pork chop or something simple like a burger – we try to cater to every need.

As a destination pub, the food is the main reason for a visit. Using local suppliers, we keep the menu simple but full of flavour and seasonal produce.

The events​

There are various events that happen in the village green, which we always get involved in. We provide a bar for the summer fete and any wedding that are happening at the village hall.

This year we are helping with ‘Burfest’, which is a jazz festival. We are doing a bar and barbecue with other offerings like pizza and an ice cream van.

The future​

We are constantly looking at improving the pub whether that’s with new local suppliers or the food and drink offer.

We would love to add another site, build upon both, and see where we could go from there.