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Ben Sulston has only been at the Rainbow in
Cooksbridge for a couple of months when we meet
him, but his ideas are already starting to permeate
the walls of this historic S<strong>us</strong>sex pub...
Tell me about your cooking experience? I was
at Ockenden Manor before joining the Rainbow,
but much of my thoughts on food were developed
when I was lucky enough to work ‘stages’ in some
fantastic kitchens, including The Fat Duck and Le
Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons. I <strong>us</strong>e fresh, seasonal, local
produce whenever possible, and believe that you
shouldn’t over-complicate a dish - let the flavours
speak for themselves.
How is this reflected in your menu? Our menu
is seasonal, and at the moment (mid Aug<strong>us</strong>t), girolle
m<strong>us</strong>hrooms and greengages are key ingredients on
the menu. We aim to source the best available local
ingredients - the m<strong>us</strong>hrooms are hand-foraged,
and all of the fish is line-caught - <strong>us</strong>ually earlier
that morning. S<strong>us</strong>tainability is a key part of our
philosophy.
How does that reflect in your prices? We provide
high quality food at extremely competitive prices.
For example, our daily set menu, offers two courses
for £12.50 or three for £15. The à la carte is equally
fairly priced, (prices start from £5 for a starter and
£11 for a main) and we always offer a choice of 6
starters, mains and desserts.
Your Specials Board looks interesting… We
believe the specials should be j<strong>us</strong>t that - special. We
always feature a steak, from a local farm, and the best
line-caught fish available that day. A recent example
of our specials was a beautiful Hebridean Hoggett
from Townings Farm, which we served as a piece of
cheF
coNFideNTial
...................................................................
BeN sUlsToN
A D V E r t o r I A l
loin, crispy belly and shepherd’s pie. As a chef it’s
exciting to work with such fantastic ingredients.
Any vegetarian options? We always have a couple
of vegetarian starters and one main on the menu.
[Wild M<strong>us</strong>hroom & Mozzarella Arancini the day we
looked].
Any pub grub? Head in to the front bar and we’ll
serve you a S<strong>us</strong>sex glazed ham and homemade
piccalilli sandwich or a homemade sa<strong>us</strong>age roll.
What’s your favourite dish so far? It’s hard to
pick j<strong>us</strong>t one! The hogget was fantastic, but I was
also very happy during the asparag<strong>us</strong> season with a
sea bass served with homemade gnocchi, chorizo,
asparag<strong>us</strong> and butternut squash. A recent lunch
favourite m<strong>us</strong>t be the homemade venison sa<strong>us</strong>ages
served with S<strong>us</strong>sex beetroot and pickled girolles.
Any special events coming up? We put on regular
tasting men<strong>us</strong>, to enable our c<strong>us</strong>tomers to try
seasonally available treats. In September, we’ll be
celebrating apples; while in November there will be
a game-based menu. The aim, as always, is to serve
everything at its freshest and best.
Can I get my hands on these ingredients? We’re
j<strong>us</strong>t about to start a monthly produce market, and
on the first Saturday morning of the month (starting
Sept 4) our main suppliers will be selling their range
of produce out the front of the pub.
Give a top tip to our readers: Buy fresh
ingredients and treat them with respect.
Interview by Nick Williams
If you would like to be kept up to date with events
coming up at The Rainbow you can sign up for their
monthly e-newsletter via ben@rainbows<strong>us</strong>sex.co.uk
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