The Hurstwood — Restaurant in Wealden

I have to be honest, I really dont want to put this on as I am local as is my family but sadly this review is required. We attended recently at the weekend.

We were taken to our table which was fine and looked pleasant. Then it went downhill........firstly we had to wait 40-45 for our drink order to be taken, and this was only as I had to walk upto a waitress to let her know the situation, so I am not sure how long it would have been had I not asked myself.

We also had a 2 1/2 year old child with us and no one from what I could see there had a child this small so I would have thought the staff would have noticed this and worked quicker through all orders.

The house wine was the most cost effective option at £30 its extremently expensive.

We then waited 20 mins to be given our food order, by this time we went straight to our main courses which were very simple, 1 x steak, (Which is costed at £32 and 4 x Ceasar salads (costed at £22) absolutely extortionate for a salad in my opinon and 1 x pork with potato £28.

Our food then took 40 mins to be cooked and we chased this twice before it finally came out. The pork option - they had forgotten the potato completely, and tried to accomidate this with a complimentary glass of wine.

My steak was chewy and not valued at the £32 price tag at all.

In the end we had to really push the staff to remove the service charge off the bill but that is all they were willing to do. The bill still coming to £83 per couple.

We have family over and we recommended this pub so it was quite embarrasing with the issues that occured. My 2 year old had to be taken out before the end as he was far to tired having to wait all this time.

We will not be recommending this pub now sadly and wont be going there for food, given the issues and the very...

Booked table on Saturday afternoon for lunch at 2pm the following day. Terms and Conditions of booking state 48 hour notice to cancel or £30pp will be taken from card used to secure booking unless they can re book the table. I tested positive for Covid on the Saturday evening and therefore rang to cancel the booking. I rang 18 times and the line was permanently engaged with no answer phone. I then took to my bed for what has been 6 days. This morning I checked my bank account and £60 had been taken from my bank account at 230pm on the Sunday of the booking. I rang Martin at The Hurstwood to explain the situation and ask that my account be refunded. He said he was in financial difficulty and wouldn’t refund the money. He said if I’d rung the evening before the booking he could have let the table go to some else (he had several people wanting a table at that time apparently). I explained the situation. He proceed to rant further about his finances and how I wouldn’t understand. I couldn’t get a word in edgeways to say I sympathised as I had worked in hospitality for many years. When he’d finished shouting he hung up. Am I to believe he didn’t re book the table and kept a reserved sign on it for two hours? Should I have just pitched up with Covid? Many of us are in financial difficulty but we don’t steal...

My partner and I love coming to The Hurstwood. Lenka and her incredible team go above and beyond to make every visit special and welcoming. I hosted my best friend’s (civilized) mini hen do here on a summer Sunday, and it was absolutely perfect.

Recently, my partner and I came for a romantic celebration dinner, and from the moment we walked in, we felt completely at home. We were promptly seated and had a drink in hand within minutes. The wine list deserves special mention—it’s both exciting and thoughtfully curated, with a particular focus on high-quality, by-the-glass English sparkling wines. There truly is something for every palate and pairing.

As for the food:

We started with the focaccia, which was beautifully bouncy with a perfect crust.

The game terrine, clearly made with the freshest local game, was delightful—a perfect portion size, too.

For the main course, we had the local beef fillet, which was cooked flawlessly and paired with a beef cheek croquette and luxuriously creamy dauphinoise potatoes.

To finish, we couldn’t resist the sticky toffee pudding. It was rich and decadent, served with smooth vanilla ice cream—a perfect end to an amazing meal.

We can’t...