Is there anything better in Autumn than hunkering down in a cosy pub for a roast with the family?  If there is I haven’t found it yet! In celebration of my partner’s birthday, we chose to head to Poet’s Ale & Smokehouse in Hove, the perfect spot for a lovely family lunch.

The Poet’s Ale and Smokehouse is a historical pub and has been a staple on the Hove pub scene, notorious for smoked dishes (as the name suggests) and its friendly service. Wrapped up warm we set out for a pre-lunch stroll.

On arrival at the pub, we were warmly welcomed into this charming venue.  I was pleased to get into the warm but was surprised as to why there were two entrances.  My other half explained that in the past I would have had to use the door into the lounge where the ladies would wait while the gentlemen entered the bar via the other door. While I’m relieved times have moved on, (in Hove anyway!) it was a good example of the history of the building.

Inside, there was a mix of generations, and it felt like a real local neighbourhood pub. We spotted a poster in the corridor which said: “It’s nice to be important but more important to be nice”. After spending an afternoon at the Poet’s Ale and Smokehouse, I think that sums up the atmosphere of the pub and the staff perfectly. Lucky for us, this traditional pub still has a games room, and we enjoyed a relaxed game of Dobble before lunch. The games room makes a nice change from being presented with simplistic colouring sheets for the kids, as you find in chain restaurants.

Like most kids, my son is a pasta-lover, so I was not surprised when he requested a macaroni cheese. As mac n’ cheese wasn’t on the Sunday menu, I worried he may have to miss out, but I needn’t have been concerned, as we were told it was no problem to make what he fancied, again proving it’s more important to be nice. At £7.95 for kids, the meals are reasonably priced, and he scored it 10/10 and we all know kids can be the toughest critics!

For us there was a choice of all the meats you might want for a Sunday roast – a smoked Sussex Beef Brisket; a Duo of Smoked Sussex Lamb; Smoked Chicken or a Duo of Pork, Smoked Loin & Cider Braised Belly - you can even order extra crackling, not that we needed too as the portions were generous, but sometimes you just have to have an extra helping of yumminess! The vegetables had plenty of bite and added variety to our plates, with a good contrast of flavours. The cabbage was a welcome compliment to the meat, with both red and green served, with a gentle spice and the local autumnal beets, were full of flavour. Finally, I mustn’t forget to mention the lovely, fluffy Yorkshire puddings which were homemade. After all that we had no room for dessert, and we were ready to waddle home after a great value-for-money family roast.

The pub felt like a home from home, cosy and authentic, just the way we like and perfect for those Autumn Vibes.

Marta

^{Disclaimer - The meal was party paid-for and partly gifted.} 

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