The Jolly Sportsman

About The Jolly Sportsman

The Jolly Sportsman is a restaurant-led pub with rooms tucked away in East Chiltington, a small village on the northern edge of the South Downs about four miles from Lewes. The pub is best known locally for its kitchen, which focuses on seasonal, locally sourced cooking and a well-chosen wine list, alongside a handful of comfortable bedrooms for overnight guests.

Its rural setting, with a large garden and outdoor bar, gives it a genuinely quiet, countryside feel that is hard to find within Lewes itself, while still being close enough for an easy day trip into town or onward to Brighton. Dog-friendly rooms and a relaxed, unhurried pace make it popular with couples and walkers exploring this part of the Downs.

Guests staying here should expect a destination dining pub first and a hotel second: the emphasis is firmly on the food and wine, with the rooms designed as a comfortable extension of an evening spent at the table rather than a full hotel service.