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A la Colthard/The Black Horse Amberley

Yesterday I met an old friend from my travel journo days for lunch near his home in Petworth.

My friend acquired – and built up – a highly-successful internet “bucket shop” website which at its peak attracted 3 million hits monthly.

We meet every 3 months of so for lunch in a West Sussex hostelry.

Once it was Marylebone where we met, going to an expensive restaurant and inhaling the fumes of Oxford St en route.

Now it’s a delightful car journey though the Downs to the picturesque village of Amberley and the Black Horse pub.

The fare is wholesome, the service friendly, the reception warm.

I had a creamy chicken parfait liver and skate for afters so the cuisine is more imaginative and I have to say expensive (£45 for a dover sole but at least the waitress, in giving us this special, also told us the price).

My pal had a hearty soup and more traditional steak and ale pie.

I had two halves of the local firewater (Amberley Ale).

In these troubled times what could be pleasanter than a lunch in Sussex pub with an old mate?

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About Daphne Colthard

After graduating at RADA but finding no roles Daphne went into magazine journalism with Good Housekeeping. Widely recognised as one of the country's leading restaurant and hotel reviewers, particularly by herself, Daphne is the author of "Bedded and Breakfasted", a light hearted chick novel and Grand Hotels DC: the Daffers Dictionary. Daphne lives in West London and is married to an investment banker Oliver. They have 2 boys Humphrey and Tarquin. More Posts