BEFORE to my visit to The Farmhouse Inn, Southwick, I had never realised how brilliant it is.

We were welcomed by the friendly and helpful waiting staff on the restaurant side of the bar, who promptly sat us down at our well laid out table.

As a Wadworth pub, The Farmhouse Inn only had three draught ales, which disappointed my brother who was hoping for more options.

He ordered the Wadworth IPA, my mother had a Pepsi while I opted for my favourite tap cider, Thatchers Haze.

We were quite impressed by what we saw while studying the menu. The Farmhouse Inn offers the pub classics, as well as an extensive specials board which changes frequently.

I abstained from ordering a starter as I would much rather have a dessert instead, the opposite of my guests’ views.

My brother chose the battered whitebait to start which was served with a homemade tartare sauce and garnished salad, while my mother opted for the mouth-watering breaded brie wedges which were served with a cranberry sauce.

The starters were perhaps a little pricey at £6.65 for the whitebait and £6.50 for the brie, but that seems to be the case with most gastro pubs nowadays.

The whitebait was cooked perfectly and breaded well, combining with the excellent homemade tartare sauce.

However, the brie wedges were on another level. The tangy cheese melts in your mouth and were complimented perfectly by the cranberry sauce.

My older brother had spotted the sign in the car park which claimed the Southwick pub is ‘Home of the Steak Stone’, so that made his mind up for the main. Served on a hot stone, with the idea that you cook it to your taste, the waitress gave him a lengthy tutorial on how to cook the 10 ounce sirloin steak (£17.95) properly.

I opted for the hunter’s chicken (£13.50), from the specials board, served with chips and salad, while my mother picked the duck in ginger sauce(£15.95), also from the specials board, served with sauteed potatoes and veg.

My main was absolutely delicious. The chicken was cooked perfectly, lathered in barbecue sauce and topped with enough cheese to fill a swimming pool.

The steak appeared to go down a treat, as he is very particular about how it is cooked. He criticised that maybe the serving board wasn’t big enough to cater for a large steak, but was still satisfied.

My mother, a big fan of duck dishes, was not left disappointed, the meat was cooked sublimely and the sweet sauce was tasty too.

Delighted that I still had room for a pudding after my meal, I picked the dessert on the menu that called my name: a Malteser cheesecake (£5.75).

I was slightly disappointed the cheesecake did not actually contain any Maltesers, although I see how that could be a choking hazard, but it still tasted great.

The bill came to £90.20 overall, which I felt was not extortionate for three people as we had who had two courses and two drinks each.

I will surely visit again, and try the steak for myself.

Isaac Garg