Since I was staying at house in West Sussex, looking after some dogs, I invited a couple of young students to join me for a sunday lunch, the young man being the son of friends and his girlfriend. They have a small flat in Chichester and I knew they would enjoy a good meal out.
I had originally planned the lunch to be at a country pub, with a good reputation for home-made cooking, but they closed for lunch at 2.30pm and I had a few things to do during the day, including watching some 6 Nations Rugby on TV, so had to find somewhere that served later in the day.
My research came up with nothing that I really fancied, so I asked them to choose somewhere. They came up with the Bosham, to which I somewhat reluctantly agreed, having been put off this chain restaurant pub by a past experience some years back. An opportunity to give it another chance!
The Bosham is in a quite impressive set of brick and flint-faced buildings in pleasant grounds, off the old A27 between Emsworth and Chichester.
The interior is very welcoming and slightly rustic, with tables set far apart. We were greeted by a very friendly waitress and her service remained helpful and ideal throughout, possibly assisted by the fact that the restaurant was not all that busy at about 6.30pm on a Sunday evening.
They have an all-day Sunday menu, which is unusual and in this case welcome, having missed out on lunchtime earlier!
We all had starters and a main course, accompanied by a pint of cider for me, a glass of wine for Jeremy and a soft drink for the driver Emily!
I chose 'Salt and Pepper Calamari', which was a few rings of deep-fried slightly-sauced squid accompanied by a mound of unappetising greenery, the latter being left uneaten. Emily enjoyed her pates and Jeremy his odd-looking prawn and lobster cocktail.
I then chose from the Sunday roast section, selecting lamb shank, one of my favourites, accompanied by roast potatoes and a reasonable selection of roast vegetables, with (not enough) gravy and a Yorkshire. Mint sauce was promptly provided on request. Standard fare and not bad. Emily had a perfectly cooked sirloin steak and Jeremy a chicken pie.
£70 in all. Not a gourmet experience, but I gave it 3 out of 5, which they thought a little stingy.
Not rushing back, but would recommend for families.