Old House Inn

Went here for Sunday dinner as a ex chef I am picky, but this place was the best I have been for a long time, service and food spot on recommend to any one

Had a lovely meal today at The Old House. Finally somewhere I can highly reccommend for dining. Limited menu although fresh and tasty. Even the vegetarian option was very good. :-))

Back in December 2010, my parents, my aunt and I braved the bad weather to honour our reservations at the Old House, Copthorne. We’ve been to the Old House before. We keep going back it is lovely. We went there for my mum’s 50^th, my 18^th and now my mum’s big 6 – 0. Despite the stupidly low ceilings (it is a period building after all) the place is incredibly charming and the food is amazing.
The staff congratulated us as we ducked through the door, dusting off the snow I’m sure they had many cancellations that evening due to bad weather. They offered us a seat in their ante-​room sofas by an open fire and brought us champagne (well, I had a G&T not actually a huge fan of champagne) and canapés.
Whilst sipping our drinks, we chose our meals. What followed was a delicious and tastefully presented meal. I suspect a number of staff were unable to get through that evening, as we were often waited on by the restaurant managers charming couple.
For starters, I went for smoked salmon with pickled cucumber the cucumber was surprisingly tangy and complimented the salmon beautifully. Delicious, and I made it disappear very quickly. My mum decided to give starters a miss, and I can’t for the life of me remember what my dad had. My aunty had gorgeous looking duck liver parfait, served with an intriguing grape chutney and toasted fruit bread.
Main courses arrived seamlessly in fact, we didn’t have to wait long all evening (not that we were rushed, either the staff seemed to be very intuitive when it came to timing). We set ourselves up with a bottle of red (Fleurie Cuvee Presidente Margeurite 2009) and a bottle of sparkling water. The birthday girl went for a lovely looking salmon fillet, whilst my dad went for twice roast belly of pork (famously the most delicious and least healthy cut of pork). My aunty went for a double whammy of liver, choosing pan fried calves liver, served with bacon, creamed potatoes, roasted shallots and Burgundy jus.
Predictably, I went for the duck breast. Oh yes. Grilled and presented on fondant potato, buttered cabbage and sweet and sour jus. It was, surprisingly, a little bit tough, but otherwise utterly amazing. The sweet cabbage matched the rich flavour of the duck perfectly.
We did manage to fit some sort of pudding in. I just had a liqueur coffee (Kahlua, if you’re interested), but mum went for an amazing vanilla panna cotta (it’s like jelly made of milk! Why have I never had one?) and my aunt had a plum crème brûlée, with a satisfyingly thick sugar crust.
I love the Old House. I doubt this is the last time I’ll go there. Fine, it’s not for the faint hearted about £50 a head, plus wine but for a special occasion, it’s perfect. Quality food, a large wine selection and delightful staff. The building itself is charming with its dark wood beams and open fire places, but just mind those low ceilings!

We went to the Old House for a pre Christmas lunch — 3 ladies including my 82 year old mother. The table was booked for 1pm so we arrived at 12.30 so we could have a pre-​lunch drink. Big mistake — we were rebuked by the very snooty owner who told us we were booked in at a certain time for a good reason and should not have turned up early. He could see my mother was quite frail but made no attempt to find her a chair — so we stood in a corner with our drinks.
He was obviously only interested in the large groups of business people — I suppose they drink more = more profit. If you are one of those you will get a very high grovel factor — if not you will be treated as a bit of an inconvenience.
I would never go there again at any price. Good manners cost nothing.

My husband and I went to The Old House for lunch on our first wedding anniversary in February this year. The restaurant is set in beautiful countryside and is full of olde worlde character.
We were seated on a plump sofa in a lovely alcove and we ordered two glasses of Prosecco which came with nibbles while we perused the menu. The menu was a fixed price for three courses and was extremely reasonable with plenty of choice. The wine list is very long and caters for all tastes and occasions.
The duck parfait was wonderful, our roasts were cooked to perfection and the desserts were fabulous. There is also a good selection of coffees and liquers to finish with.
The service was impeccable, the staff were very friendly and they really make you feel special. This is a great place for special occasions but also relaxed enough for anytime. We will definitely be going back very soon.

Reasonably price and the staff make you feel special. Perfect place to take your partner or for somewhere on a special occassion

You feel special the minute you walk into this restaurant. Sited in a 16^th century house in beautiful surroundings, there are lovely old beams, latticed windows discreet lighting, sumptuous sofas and in winter Inglenook fireplaces with real log fires. You feel as if you are sitting in your own drawing room waiting for the butler to bring you a drink (I wish !!).
BUT there are two surprises here. one is that it is not intimidating, the atmosphere is relaxed and the staff friendly. The second is the prices, Yes you can go the whole hog & have A la Carte but they also do a set dinner menu for £19 and lunch for £10. The food is amazing, English with a touch of French maybe, but utterly different and superbly presented.
Whether you are just a couple or a larger party there are little alcoves of your own, the tables are set apart and not on top of one another. An air of luxury hangs over the candle lit dining room and the service is leisurely & impeccable.
The menu is varied and they have a superb wine list to suit most pockets. (look at their website)
If you want to impress there is no better place to go, we have never been let down. If you don’t want to impress go anyway & have a super, relaxed experience & meal. I just love going here whether it be for a special occasion or not.
It is on the B2037 between Snowhill & Shipley Bridge. Has plenty parking.
They have private function rooms for Weddings, Corporate or Private parties.