Review of the Black Horse Inn, Castle Rising: Quaint village pub serves excellent, fresh food

This quaint village pub nestled in the picturesque Castle Rising is somewhere I will be very excited to return to.

Myself and my friend Liv visited the Black Horse on Saturday afternoon very hungry after a dog walk.

I hadn’t realised the pub is also dog friendly which is a huge bonus, so I will have to bring my four-legged friend Ralph when I next visit.

Liv has visited the pub before and raved about the delicious food, but this was my first time visiting since new owners took over last year.

Upon entering, the pub had a cosy and welcoming feel to it. The bar area to the left looked like a comfortable area to sit with a pint - as many were doing.

We were greeted by friendly staff and seated in the restaurant area.

Drinks were our first priority, I went for a pint of orange juice and lemonade (£4.80) and Liv had a Diet Coke (£4). Our drinks arrived quickly and were refreshing.

Moving onto the exciting part, the main course. I was really impressed with the options available and there was something for everyone, from fresh sandwiches served with chips at lunch to some pub classics including fish and chips.

Liv went with the latter option, which was battered haddock, hand-cut chips, minty mushy peas and tartar sauce (£14).

After deliberating over sandwiches, I ended up settling on their halloumi burger (£14) which was served in a brioche bun and included hummus, sun-dried tomatoes, baby gem lettuce and red onions. This came with a side of chips and homemade coleslaw.

We were blown away with our meals which were truly delicious. The halloumi in my burger was crispy and well paired with the hummus and tomato and I particularly enjoyed the delicious coleslaw.

Liv was also impressed with her fish and chips, noting the generous portion size and crispy batter on her haddock.

We were stuffed after our mains and couldn’t find the room for dessert. However their options included some classics such as sticky toffee pudding, but the churros caught my eye. An excuse to come back, right?

Our total came to £36.80, about £18 split both ways and I think the quality of the food was worth it.

I can’t wait to go back there and take some family members over the Christmas period.

Ratings out of five:

Food: Great options, fresh and delicious. *****

Drinks: We didn’t have anything alcoholic, but noted they had an extensive wine menu. ****

Staff: Very friendly and welcoming staff who made sure we had everything we needed. *****

Decor: A cosy pub which was comfortable and well decorated. *****

Price: The food I thought was good value for money. However, I did find my drink to be a little bit on the pricey side. ****