Fittleworth Restaurant Guide

“Given the number of great country pubs within 20 minutes of Chichester, Horse Guards stands out for the quality and originality of the kitchen” (which delivers a short seasonal menu strong on local produce) but the setting is also “exceptional” – being a “stylishly rustic” 350-year-old pub with a clutch of rooms on the fringe of the Petworth estate (and with a “lovely peaceful garden” to take in the scenery).

“When you walk through the portcullis into the castle it’s like entering another world” at this luxury hotel, which sits in “well-manicured grounds” and looks straight out of a Disney movie. The dining room itself is “situated upstairs” in a modestly sized barrel-vaulted space. Not everyone is wowed by the straightforward modern British cuisine but even doubters say the surroundings “make up for it”.

This restored village pub offers “some great food in an area that needs more restaurants – their stuffed bao bun was worth the trip on its own”. Its co-owner, model Jodie Kidd, posed nude for a new pub sign to protest that pub closures are ‘stripping’ Britain’s heritage; it was removed on council orders in 2023.