01273 302170 www.staubynsschoolbrighton.co.uk - Viva Lewes

Photos by emma Chaplin
It is a bitterly cold day when I go to review
the King’s Head with Sussex Wildlife officer,
Michael Blencowe, and I’m looking forward to a
warm pub, good food and interesting company.
I remember the last time we met in town he was
carrying a tin of furry caterpillars to release in
the Railway Land.
Given his penchant for carrying extraneous
creatures about his person, Michael surprises
me when he admits to being unadventurous in
his food tastes. The plan for today, he tells me,
is to try things he’s never eaten before. He spots
a starter on the menu that includes eel. And,
when we’re told the fish of the day is grey mullet,
that catches his attention too. “I see them all
the time in the Ouse but I’ve never eaten one,”
he says. I decide on the two-course set menu for
£12, choosing a salad with bacon and Jerusalem
artichoke, followed by mussels.
Immediately after the recent renovation, I
remember someone saying it had been ‘Farrow &
Balled’. Today it still has a nice open, elegant feel,
but it somehow feels more cosy. The addition of
art and photography on the walls helps.
They source their food and drink very carefully
and are quite rightly proud to be the only place in
Lewes to get into the 2012 Good Food Guide.
We bypass the wine list with some regret, since
it’s the middle of a working day. I enjoyed their
Argentinian Malbec on a preview visit.
We take our drinks up to the purple wallpapered
area near the kitchen.
www.vivaLewes.CoM
the king’S head
A culinary adventure in Southover
Food
Our starters arrive swiftly. Michael’s salad
comprises smoked eel, crisp bacon, pieces of
Jerusalem artichoke, slithers of fennel as well as
rocket and capers (£6.50). Mine is similar but
with more bacon and no eel. Both are beautifully
dressed, zingy and delicious.
After the main courses are brought to the table,
Michael remarks on how good the service is, and
he’s right. It’s attentive without being obtrusive,
friendly and efficient. My bowl of plump
mussels in cream and wine is vast and steaming,
scattered with chopped shallots. We also have
some superb chunks of seeded Flint Owl bread to
share. Michael’s attractive-looking, crisp-skinned
fillet of grey mullet comes in a large white bowl
surrounded by clams, cockles and winter greens
(£12.50). By the end of the meal, we’ve built up
quite a pile of discarded shells between us.
A glance at the pudding options makes me very
tempted to try the steamed apple pudding with
caramelised pears and homemade vanilla ice
cream, and the Barkham blue cheese looks good
too, but we decide, with some regret, that we’re
full up.
So has Michael enjoyed his culinary adventure
today? “I have, very much. It means, when I’m
next giving a talk about the Ouse and I mention
the grey mullet, I’ve got something interesting to
say about them. They taste delicious.”
Emma Chaplin
The King’s Head, 9 Southover High St, 474628,
thekingsheadlewes.co.uk
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