Latest 7 magazine

A promise of great food, good beer and a warm and friendly welcome at The Connaught in Hove

Fifty years ago there were pubs and there were inns. Pubs sold beers and spirits and so did inns, but inns would also sell you a meal. It was a good distinction in its way, as expectations were never stretched.

Then along came drink driving legislation and the licensed trade needed to bolster waning drink sales by offering food. The problem gave rise to the ploughman’s lunch and chicken in a basket and, for a long time after, British cuisine was severely damaged by those two dishes alone.

Fifty years on and the reputation of British food has been rescued and restored by the advent of the gastropub. It’s not a term we like much but it does mark that change in attitudes and also in expectations.

The newly refurbished Connaught in Hove Street is set to become the latest food lovers’ destination in the city. What had become a run down old boozer has been given a bright new face lift, the spaces opened out, cleaned up and given a refreshing new start. The garden, too, has been given a new lease of life, with new furniture ready for good weather. Inside, the makeover has been gentle, retaining the oak bars and boarded walls, and the furniture is an eclectic mix of restored tables and chairs that give the space a timeless quality.

But is it a pub or is it a restaurant, as so many pubs have become?
Well, the policy is simple: half the tables are set for diners and half left free for drinkers. If you want, you can dine in the bar side, too, but there is no pressure to order food. You can also book tables in the dining area.

And making the food is executive chef Brett Mather. Brett has been poached from a successful pub in Kent where his cooking skills have won him both fans and accolades, none less than a prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand. His tenet is fresh, local and seasonal, three good points in our book. The menu is full of great starters, classic pub dishes and a wide range of main courses and puds. We particularly like the fact that the first three dishes in the main section are vegetarian and there are two more in the pub classics section.

Brett is also enjoying the food that Sussex has to offer: ‘‘I will be cooking old red Sussex beef, Sussex lamb, locally bred Gloucester Old Spot pork and fresh game from a shoot in Burgess Hill. I am also delighted by the quality of local fish that is available and can’t wait to start serving that. Whilst not everything on the menu is organic, we will be using as much organic produce as is possible and our menus will change on a daily basis, reflecting what we find from our suppliers.’’

‘‘The Connaught is set for success – a simple concept, a warm and friendly pub that serves great food’’

This kind of food demands a decent wine list, too, and the owners have gone to great lengths to find a supplier who can bring wines to the table to match the quality of the food. It’s one of the many good things that the advent of the gastropub has achieved: we no longer have to suffer bad wine in pubs.

Brett has also promised that the breads and focaccias will be made in the kitchen fresh each day and, although barely open, the evidence we see on the plate is more than convincing. So much so, in fact, they already have bookings for their Christmas day lunch menu. Meanwhile, we have our eyes set on a seared pigeon breast with smoked bacon, shallots and puy lentils and a dish of scallops and black pudding;
or maybe the crab fish cakes followed by organic pot roast chicken with cider and confit garlic and a nice steak. Is it lunch time yet?

The Connaught is set for success – a simple concept, a warm and friendly pub that serves great food.
The Connaught, 48 Hove Street, Hove, BN3 2D 01273 206578 www.connaughtpub.co.uk

This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 3:14 pm and is filed under Andrew Kay's food & drink. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.