Yahoo News The Crab Pot, West Sussex, pub review
The seaside out of season can be as quiet as winter storms are wild – but that’s why I like it. Selsey in West Sussex suffers somewhat from the curse of boring brown beer, with the honourable exception of long-standing real ale haven The Seal. New micropub The Crab Pot has added some much-needed colour.
We visited just after dark on a chilly Saturday evening, and found the place swinging as if it were high season. Landlord Edward Sye stepped forward to greet us and show us to our seats. His warm welcome instantly marked The Crab Pot out from the soulless wipe-clean template of the storefront micropub.
The beer list, or rather drinks list, edges the pub towards the status of “gem”. Not only is there cask beer, but also lager, cider, wines and local spirits. I opted for a half of Downlands Brewery Resolution (5%), a big, piney American-style IPA; my brother chose a pint of Broken Bridge Brewing Broken Biscuit (4.2%), a porter fittingly reminiscent of chocolate digestives.
No money was requested at this stage: Edward simply wrote what we’d had on the slate hanging at the end of our table for payment on departure, which seems trusting, anachronistic and brilliant all at once.
No money was requested at this stage: the landlord just wrote what we’d had on a slate hanging at the end of our table
As we supped our beers, I took in the décor. Pictures of Selsey and its history included a large print of the old lifeboat station, which was pulled down last year to make way for updated facilities. It’s nice to see it remembered here as it was such a part of the local landscape – and star of many postcards.
Despite the risk of slipping further into nostalgia, I couldn’t resist a gin and tonic. I’ve always been suspicious of those stemmed balloon glasses, but with a pink grapefruit garnish that complimented my Brilliant Gin perfectly, I was converted by the fragrance it delivered.
Micropubs might mark a new step in the evolution – or devolution – of the traditional pub; but this one is a pleasing combination of modern attitude and old-fashioned hospitality.
Sophie blogs at AfemAleView.net
145 High Street, Selsey, West Sussex PO20 0QB; 07834 226751
