THE HARVEST HOME - Southwick Road, Denmead.

Today we journeyed in to Denmead to visit The Harvest Home. We'd eaten here several times before and thought it time we checked in to see what was happening. This is a nice country pub with plenty of parking out front and a good size garden out back. It certainly isn't the biggest pub in the world, neither does it feel too small. It is pretty much split in two, in an open plan kind of way. The bar on one side and the restaurant on the other. There are of course plenty of tables outside for when the sun sees fit to shine.

It didn't take long for us to tick all the basic pub boxes. Temperature good, music just right, staff friendly, prices realistic and fair. The menu was good without blowing your mind, prices ranging from £6.95 for a pasta dish, to £13.95 for a mixed grill. Most meals were under £10, with deserts coming in at a very reasonable £3.99. There are also several sharing platters on offer, if you're in to sharing. We, however, were intrigued by the fish shop Friday special. For just under £7 you can choose from cod, plaice, fishcakes or battered sausage. All come with chips, peas and bread and butter.

I opted for the plaice, while Dad chose the cod, covering both fishy bases. It didn't take too long for our food to arrive along with an enquiry as to whether we would like any sauces. For those of you who may be interested in such things, Dad had some ketchup. Let's start from the top and work down. Both pieces of fish were very good. Crisp batter in Dads case, crunchy breadcrumbs in mine. The fish was perfectly cooked inside its various crispy jackets, unlike several soggy and unpleasant examples we've had in the past from other pubs. The chips were just chips, not homemade, but fine never the less. We weren't overly impressed with the peas, being of a tinned pea consistency. All together, they were decent plates of food, especially for less than £7 each.

As I said, we've eaten here before, so are able to judge on more than just our fishy Friday. The food is of a good standard here, and the staff friendly. We were particularly impressed with the pricing of the food. The amount correctly representing the meal. Too many pubs blanket price, making everything near enough the same, regardless of how much the ingredients cost or how much work is involved. We think this an honest country pub, and when you can get a decent feed for less than £7, what is there to complain about?

Atmosphere          8

Service                 8

Food                    7

Value                   9

Verdict                 4* 

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