HORSE & GROOM

From politics and beer to rugby and romance – we take it all in our stride at the Horse & Groom. I mention rugby because we’re gearing up for the start of the 2012 6 Nations. It all gets going with back-to-back weekends of bruising ball chasing, all of which you can watch in our bar.

England against Scotland is the big match here and it looks set to be an enthralling game, not least because England will field a host of new caps. Oh, and then there’s the fact that the Auld Enemy are bristling for revenge after their defeat at the World Cup. After that, we’ll see how the new boys take the sunshine of Rome.

February means romance as well as egg chasing and the Horse & Groom is still the place to come! We’re taking bookings for Valentine’s (Mal is a man of many culinary talents and a fine Valentine’s menu is among them). Our cosy restaurant is the perfect place for a romantic dinner.

If you want to make a night of it, Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr are longing for each other in An Affair to Remember at the New Park Cinema in Chichester and, at Chichester Festival Theatre, there’s the choice of The Sound of Music or Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe. And, if you want an extra-special night, you can follow a show and dinner with a stay in one of our charming rooms.

A few days earlier, just down the road, the Kennels in Goodwood is hosting a Valentine’s Opera Gala. The Night at the Opera evening on 10 February features operatic duo Jon Grave and mezzo-soprano Susan Legg.

For more info on the Horse & Groom or to book a table or a room, contact Mike and Michelle on 01243 575339 or info@thehorseandgroomchichester.co.uk

You can get politics and beer at the Horse & Groom in East Ashling almost any night of the week, but occasionally I like to broaden my horizons and there are a few good reasons to do so in Chichester over the next couple of weeks.

It may be only the older regulars that remember this on television, but Yes, Prime Minister is coming to the Chichester Festival Theatre on 26 January for a short run (and the original writers are in charge)– well worth making a mini-break for and booking one of our cosy rooms.

Talking of cosy rooms, the seating at the Chichester Cinema is a lot more comfortable these days, and for a completely different slice of UK politics, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy starts there on 10 February (nicely timed for the awards season).

Staying with cosy rooms, rarely is there reason to venture outside of the Horse & Groom bar, beautifully warmed by our open fire, in search of decent beer, but West Dean College is hosting a day course on beers for gastronomes and guzzlers on 4 February. Highlights include matching beers to food and a visit to a local brewery – I recommend once school has finished putting the theory into practice in a lovely pub just down the road! There’s also another food course  – spicing up your winter (28 January) – that looks good: something spicy and a few beers sounds like a perfect recipe for winter!

Keep warm and see you soon at the Horse & Groom!

For more info on the Horse & Groom or to book a table or a room, contact Mike and Michelle on 01243 575339 or info@thehorseandgroomchichester.co.uk

Well, the hatches are truly battened down at the Horse & Groom at the moment. Any cobwebs from a busy Christmas and New Year have certainly been blown away, which is all the more reason to get comfortable in our cosy bar with a plate of food!

But despite the wind, it’s not too cold out, which is a good excuse to stretch your legs. There are plenty of good walks around here, such as at Kingly Vale or Goodwood, and I think the views are particularly refreshing at this time of year (particularly if followed by a pint and something warming to eat from Mal!).

Another way to burn off some of that festive indulgence (and prepare a bountiful harvest for later in the year!) is a no-dig gardening course on 23 January at West Dean College. If you want your hard work and creativity to produce more immediate results, a marmalade masterclass on 20 January might be a better bet.

The first local race meeting of the year takes place at Fontwell Park on 12 January for anyone who wants a bit more action from a day out. If staying in the warm is more your thing, Swallows and Amazons comes to Chichester Festival Theatre for a short run from 17 January, while the Edward Burra and Bloomsbury and Beyond exhibitions continue at Pallant House Gallery throughout the month. There’s also a free tour of the gallery buildings on 12 January.

Everybody says that January is a quiet month but it seems pretty busy to me – country walks, racing, gardening and cookery classes, shows and exhibitions: well worth booking one of our lovely rooms in Chichester and making a break of it!

For more info on the Horse & Groom or to book a table or a room, contact Mike and Michelle on 01243 575339 or info@thehorseandgroomchichester.co.uk

Only a few days left to Christmas. We haven’t had the snow we did last year but the fire in the Horse & Groom bar is still roaring away regardless.

As usual, we’re open till late on Christmas Eve, 12-2pm on Christmas Day and 12-6pm on Boxing Day, the 27th and the 28th. It’s normal hours between the 29th and 31st, and then on New Year’s Day it’s 12-6pm. There’s always plenty of Christmas cheer, so pop in whenever you fancy.

Talking of being festive, there are still a few local Christmas carol concerts to enjoy. Chichester Cathedral has free concerts on the 22nd and 24th, and Pallant House Gallery has its own free sing-a-long on the 22nd.

If the vocal chords need a little encouragement, a real ale or two should do the trick, although you may not want to leave our cosy bar. Either way, add in a hearty meal and you’ve got the ingredients for a very festive evening.

As the weather is likely to be a bit milder, there will be plenty of regulars getting out and about. If you fancy a little bit more than a stroll to make room for some more fodder, the nearby Weald and Downland Museum is holding its Sussex Christmas until 1 January and Fontwell Park has its Boxing Day Racing.

We’re all looking forward to a festive couple of weeks and hope to see you. If you can’t make it in, merry Christmas and happy new year from everyone at the Horse & Groom!

For more info on the Horse & Groom or to book a table or a room, contact Mike and Michelle on 01243 575339 or info@thehorseandgroomchichester.co.uk

So, Christmas has arrived in Chichester! The tree is up and the lights are on, a local triumph that was marked with a celebrity, the mayor and, best of all, fireworks and lots of people. All of which has helped stir the festive spirit (literally and figuratively) at the Horse & Groom.
There are plenty of Christmas carol services taking place in Chichester to get us in the mood. Chichester Cathedral is hosting its usual wealth of concerts, including carols from Seaford College (9 December), the University of Chichester (12 December) and Bishop Luffa School (14 December). All of these concerts are free and our cosy bar with its open fire is a good place for a pre- or post- performance get together.
An alternative venue for Christmas carols is Pallant House Gallery, which is hosting its own free concerts on 8 and 15 December. Put the latter date in the diary and it could be the start of a great long weekend. Staying in one of our lovely rooms, once the carols have been ticked off, there’s the chance to catch the opening night of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at Chichester Festival Theatre on 17 December. In between, you can stock up on treats at the Chichester Farmers’ Market on 15 December.
Talk of eating and drinking, Mal’s Christmas menu (or his normal menu!) is a great excuse to take a pause between all the festive activity.
If you’re not quite ready to be immersed in all things Christmas just yet, the Chichester Festivities autumn programme comes to an end on 11 December with an audience with the enigmatic Maureen Lipman, who will talk about her new book, among other things. Also, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is at the Minerva Theatre until 10 December.
For more info on the Horse & Groom or to book a table or a room, contact Mike and Michelle on 01243 575339 or info@thehorseandgroomchichester.co.uk

Christmas is coming (if you can see it through the fog!) and this Saturday the switch will be flicked on Chichester’s festive lights by actor Simon Callow, who has been at Chichester Festival Theatre in Dr Marigold and Mr Chops. It reminds me that we should dust off the Horse & Groom decorations soon.
In the meantime, the roaring fire in the bar will provide us with a hearty glow (that and maybe a pint of real ale or two). Talking of wintery warmth, I’m sure plenty will be radiating from Sir Terry Wogan as he talks us through his recent exploits and shares a few tales on 1 December at the Venue as part of the Chichester Festivities autumn programme.
If you fancy packing your bags and making a long weekend of it in one of our lovely rooms at the Horse & Groom, once you enjoyed some bonhomie with Wogan, you can head off to the Chichester Farmers’ Market on 2 December and pick up plenty of delicious things for Christmas. After one of Mal’s lunches back in East Ashling, you could visit Pallant House Gallery for the Edward Burra exhibition, which is full of iconic images of everyday people.
As for the rest of the weekend, the last Goodwood Breakfast Club meet of the year is due to take place on 4 December, which will require an early start. Best to head up there before the masses and get back to the Horse & Groom for lunch, before going off to the Tree Dressing Celebration at the nearby Weald & Downland Museum in the afternoon.
Talking of Mal’s meals, the Horse & Groom Christmas menu is up on our website. Our diary is already filling up for December so get in touch soon if you want to book a table.
For more info on the Horse & Groom or to book a table or a room, contact Mike and Michelle on 01243 575339 or info@thehorseandgroomchichester.co.uk

Star Wars and James Bond at the Horse & Groom? Well, not quite, but in the form of actor Julian Glover down the road at the Vicars’ Hall in Chichester on 29 November. Who’s Julian Glover? Well, I have to admit that I had to look this one up but once I saw his photo I recognised him instantly.
He has been a major baddie in The Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and For Your Eyes Only no less and, as part of the Chichester Festivities in the autumn, he is hosting an audience with, alongside his wife, actor Isla Blair. Definitely worth a ticket to quiz him about that back catalogue.
Also part of the Chichester Festivities in the autumn programme is an evening with everyone’s favourite TV gardener, Alan Titchmarsh, at the Venue on 22 November. I’m sure that will be a popular event. Talking of land green and pleasant, Fontwell Park holds its 999 Emergency Services Family Race Day on 13 November.
Of course, the Horse & Groom in East Ashling makes a perfect base for these autumn events, whether you fancy a pint in front our fire, one of Mal’s delicious meals or you want to make a night of it in one of our lovely rooms.
On the subject of Mal’s meals, our 2011 Christmas menu is now up on the website. It’s not quite time to start talking about Christmas markets and festivals, but the restaurant always gets busy over the festive season so it’s a good idea to book your place at our Christmas table in advance!
For more info on the Horse & Groom or to book a table or a room, contact Mike and Michelle on 01243 575339 or info@thehorseandgroomchichester.co.uk

It already seems a lifetime ago, especially since the Welsh contrived to lose to the French as well, but everything really did fall flat for Johnno’s boys (a fall almost as startling as Tuilagi’s from that ferry). But we’re still showing the final games in East Ashling – I doubt it, but France could shock us all.
The rugby may be coming to an end soon, but the horseracing continues down the road in Fontwell. There are two jump meets coming up, on 27 October and 4 November, and our bar, restaurant and accommodation are a good base to enjoy a day at the races.
Staying with horsepower, even closer to us is Goodwood Motor Circuit, which will be hosting the fifth anniversary of its Breakfast Club event on 6 November. I might have to drag myself out of bed for this one – there is going to be a “dream grid” voted by Breakfast Club fans. As always, best to get there early and then follow me back to the Horse & Groom for one of Mal’s hearty lunches.
From fireworks on the track to fireworks in the sky – it’s that time of year and I’m sure there will be plenty of pyrotechnic shows going on. We might even have one, but if you fancy a big, organised do, Fontwell have one on 5 November, along with a High School Musical and Glee-themed evening. Wherever you go, a warm bar with proper real ales and a roaring fire will be waiting to defrost you here.
Also, I want to mention the Stonepillow Big Sleep Out on Chichester Cathedral green on 29 October. Always a big charity event in Chichester and well worth supporting.
For more info on the Horse & Groom or to book a table or a room, contact Mike and Michelle on 01243 575339 or info@thehorseandgroomchichester.co.uk

And breathe. I don’t think that could have been more painful to watch, but the important thing is that we’re through to the quarters. If Nick De Luca had picked that ball up, it would have all been different I think – that was the game changer. Bring on the French next Saturday.
We’ll be up bright and breezy for kick off. No roast beef to go with les Rosbif – we’ll have to wait a few hours (hopefully celebratory ones) before we can tuck into one of Mal’s hearty meals. After the Tonga game, it’s hard not to be a little optimistic, but we’ll see.
Talking of bloodthirsty clashes, Sweeney Todd is on at the Chichester Festival Theatre until early November. The Steven Sondheim musical stars Michael “Love Changes Everything” Ball and Imelda Staunton and, according to the reviews, sees the theatre’s season go out with a bang.
Somewhere else you’re likely to find some more polished performances, from the presenters and the main attractions, is the Weald and Downland Museum on 8 October. The open air museum hosts the Antiques Roadshow – I’m tempted to have a rummage in the cupboards and pop up – the Horse & Groom is only down the road in East Ashling.
I might also pop up to the last racing meet of the year at Goodwood on 9 October. Hopefully the weather will hold for the season finale on Sunday – our garden is a lovely place to toast the winners (or forget the losers). The horseracing continues at nearby Fontwell with a day of jump racing on 19 October.
For more info on the Horse & Groom or to book a table or a room, contact Mike and Michelle on 01243 575339 or info@thehorseandgroomchichester.co.uk

Well, four points but an unconvincing display and the loss of Lawes, and perhaps more crucially, Sheridan. Not sure what to make of that start. Anyway, with Scotland notching up the points, it looks like game on 1 October will be a big one: I think the Horse & Groom will be packed!
Revival weekends are always a treat, but next big event at Goodwood is horseracing on 21 September. It’s one of the last ones of the season up there and the big race is the Foundation Stakes. There’s also racing at Fontwell: the new Fontwell Festival takes place on 30 September and 1 October.
The pub is not far from either racecourse, so no doubt we’ll have people popping in to drown their sorrows or celebrate their winners. We should also have a few making a weekend of it in our rooms in our converted flint barn.
If you after more motoring at Goodwood, the wait isn’t that long. The Breakfast Club kicks off again on Sunday 2 October with its Everything but the Car event, which means all sorts of weird and wonderful bikes, trucks, vans, aircraft, etc. I find these gatherings are always best followed by one of Mal’s Sunday lunches.
If the rugby and motoring don’t float your boat, then there’s always the Apple Affair at West Dean. It is really is beautiful there and the events are always a treat. Expect lots of apple-related goings-on at this one.
For more info on the Horse & Groom or to book a table or a room, contact Mike and Michelle on 01243 575339 or info@thehorseandgroomchichester.co.uk