The Ram Inn

For part of my 60th birthday present, we came back after about seven years away. I left disappointed and won’t be returning. The food wasn’t cheap, and both the meal and service fell well short of the restaurant standard I expected. When we arrived, staff greeted us, then turned away to talk privately for several minutes. Service stayed slow despite very few customers. They were fairly polite but seemed disinterested. The food itself was fine, and I was told the mackerel starter and ploughman’s were good. But the carrot soup was so salty that two of us struggled with it, and the fries with both Chicken Milanese, the Hake, and even the £5 extra portion were far too salty for two of us to eat. One of us found the green salad over salted too. I like salt and tried to persevere, but couldn’t finish the fries either. With salt already on the table, did they really need to salt them? I mentioned it to the server, who just mumbled “sorry about that” and walked off. I skipped dessert. Other diners seemed to be enjoying their meals, though.

All my guests were impressed with the lunch, and the seasonal food was really tasty and good value. The room had been styled beautifully, and the service on the day was fantastic. I’d organised a meal for 20 in the private dining room, and the staff were brilliant. They responded quickly, got ahead of things, and helped me with the logistics from the start. Thanks to the whole team, especially Meghan, for all the help!

After a pleasant walk towards Firle, we ended up at the Ram and had lunch outside in the sunshine. The local Burning Sky Brewery ale was very acceptable, and the service was good. The Ploughman's was okay, though the portion felt a little overpriced, as seems to be the case everywhere now. The ham was a very small piece, there was no butter, and the chutney wasn’t enough for two slices of bread. I’ll come back in summer and try something else.

The room looked lovely, the service was smooth, and the fresh seasonal food was delicious and great value. My 20 guests were really impressed. I arranged a private lunch, and the team made the planning easy from my first enquiry. They were organised, quick to respond, and helpful with all the details. A big thank you to everyone, especially Meghan, for making it such a success.