The Jolly Sportsman

We slept so well, the bed was incredibly comfortable, and the room had thoughtful touches and useful information. It was our first stay at The Jolly Sportsman, but we’d happily come back. The area around it is beautiful, and the atmosphere was wonderfully peaceful from check-in to check-out. Everyone we met was warm and welcoming. Dinner was lovely too, with charming places to sit, friendly, attentive servers, and delightful food and wine. Breakfast was one of the best we’ve had. It felt cosy, the food was clearly fresh and locally sourced, and a lot of care had gone into the experience. We had such a lovely time and can’t thank the team enough. If you’re considering a visit, go for it, you’d be missing out otherwise.

The staff were really friendly and the place itself is stunning, which made the meal such a letdown. I know ingredients have got more expensive, but £31 for pork schnitzel and chips felt like a central London price in a countryside setting. The pork was extremely fatty, so we sent it back. The roast beef sandwich we got instead was very underwhelming too. In our opinion the food just wasn’t high quality. We’d expected much more.

It was a lovely day in an idyllic corner of England, and we still enjoyed a pleasant lunch together. My grandson and I ate at the JS today. The staff were welcoming as usual, and the food remains excellent, though we both noticed the fish and chips had got noticeably smaller since our visit about three months ago, both the fish and the chips. My grandson is six weeks shy of 18, but they wouldn’t serve him a cask ale even though he was having a table meal with me. I understand the rules allow 16- and 17-year-olds to drink beer, wine, or cider bought by an adult over 18 with a meal, while licensees can choose to be stricter. Many independent pubs use discretion in situations like this. With pubs and traditional brewers having a hard time, I can see why. I think the Jolly Sportsman should reconsider that discretion.

We’ve been here three times now, and everything has been consistently brilliant. The Chicken Milanese was great, and we love the Jolly Ginger mocktails. Staff, atmosphere, food, drinks and facilities have all been excellent, and I’d definitely recommend giving it a try for yourself. We’d seen reviews criticizing the fish and chips and pork belly, but after trying both, we couldn’t agree. The pork belly was flawless, and the fish and chips were lovely, with some of the best chips we’ve had. The fish wasn’t all batter. How good the fish is comes down to personal preference, but we thought it was very good. Desserts were excellent too. The crumble’s clustered topping isn’t quite my preference, though it had plenty of filling. It comes very hot, so I’d let it cool a little first. We’ll definitely be back. If something isn’t to your taste, mention it while you’re there, you may simply have been unlucky.