The Black Lion – Harvester

Good middle of the range place to eat, nothing spectacular, prices have recently gone up to. Stay there about every 2 months and love the bedrooms but often go out to eat in the evening now as have found on the past few occasions no table checks and food not really up to scratch. Good though that the salad cart is free and unlimited. Some staff could do with some personality training. Can take a while to get served at the bar during busy times as the staff are also taking food out. I love the building and the décor and seating is informal and comfy.

This is a great place to take family visitors, especially with children, or people who want a sort of Brighton-​lite experience. Its pretty classic pub grub — king prawns, melon, fishcakes, nachos, chicken in all its ways, steak, grills and burgers. There’s a pretty good selection of this available in children-​sized portions, clearly marked on the huge menus. They’re pushing salad, but I didn’t see many people eating it!
The vegetarian options aren’t very extensive — stuffed mushrooms, pasta in tomato sauce, and sweet potato curry, thats about it for main meals.
Good desserts, and several of them have chocolate in, which is the main thing after all.
The building and surround are large, definitely: there’s one big car park and two smaller ones; there are three areas to eat out in — well, in seasons other than this one, obviously — and there are even two sets of toilets its so big; one set has disabled access.
Its a friendly place, and its not going to break any fresh ground in the restaurant experience but it feels calm and for all its size it doesn’t feel huge, there are nicely sized rooms and various nooks and crannies. Very pleasant.

For a cheap, filling meal you can’t go far wrong with a Harvester. From the unlimited salad cart to the huge meat platters, there’s something for everyone. The staff are very friendly and the place is very family friendly which may not suit all.