Crossways Hotel

We really enjoyed the whole B&B experience and would recommend it. Breakfast was great, with coffee, jam, marmalade, toast, and a full English available. The wine list isn’t huge, but there are several half-bottle choices, which works for a small place. Dinner was the real treat. We started with the trio of pâtés, delicately done and nicely presented, and the leek and bacon pie, which was sublime though I’d have preferred it without tomato sauce. The sweet potato soup was very good, and both meat mains were lovely: very tender pork roulade with a great chestnut sauce, and guinea fowl. Desserts were good too, the chocolate praline and frozen citrus were delicate and tasty, a perfect end to the meal. The atmosphere is unbelievable, like a little place out of time but with all the comforts. Our room was spacious and spotless, and the bed very comfortable. We stayed the night and had dinner, and it was a lovely experience.

We paid £168 including breakfast, which felt a bit pricey, though that may be down to the area and how close it is to Glyndebourne. Breakfast was good and the staff were very friendly. We stayed one night while visiting friends at Wishing Well cottage across the road. Having a whole cottage with a fantastic kitchen was nice, but it felt a little odd to share it with other guests. We did have a large bathroom of our own, with both a shower and a bath.

Only six tables, so you feel like an individual rather than just a punter. The people are lovely and the place has a lovely feel, with a real heart to it. It’s hard to categorise, and that’s part of its charm. The food is brilliantly fancy without poncy service or intimidating prices. As caterers ourselves, food and drink are our specialist subject and favourite pastime, and we loved how much heart and passion goes into everything. Little extras like a homemade canapé, a soup course, a free coffee top-up, and petit fours made the set menu feel well worth £41 per head. It was a refreshing change from the other restaurants we’ve been to, a unique experience. We spent our wedding night here 13 years ago, and only now came back for an anniversary meal. We left wondering why we waited so long, and plan to return at least once a year.

The garden was lovely, the room was fine, the bed firm, and breakfast was good. It was quieter than I expected given the hotel sits on a busy main road. We missed the restaurant because it’s closed on Sundays and Mondays. I’d return if I were in the area.