The Gladwins has opened The Black Horse in Amberley, a 19th century pub with rooms near the family vineyard within the South Downs in West Sussex.
It marks the group’s first venture outside London and its first pub with bedrooms, bringing together seasonal cooking, local wines, considered design and personal hospitality.
Following a light refurbishment, the Grade II listed Black Horse offers 11 bedrooms, now with baths, a garden with a fire pit, and a pub and restaurant with an open kitchen extending into the garden room, where breakfast is served. Food sits at the centre of the offer, with meat from the family farm, wines from Nutbourne vineyards, and most ingredients grown, foraged or sourced within a few miles. A garden BBQ menu features skewers and seasonal plates that highlight Sussex produce.
Inside, the pub and rooms are designed by Ellie Dichler combining reclaimed antiques, locally made furniture and artisanal details. Pottery is sourced from Amberley makers, with lighting by British designers Matilda Goad and Imogen Pope London.
For The Gladwins, the opening marks a homecoming. Gregory Gladwin, based in Sussex, runs the family farm and vineyard alongside their parents, producing the meat, eggs and wines that supply the pub. His wife, Lani Gladwin, arranges fresh flowers from the farm for the bedrooms and tables, while artwork by the brothers’ mother adds a personal layer throughout.
In the kitchen, Oliver Gladwin leads the menu, focusing on simple, ingredient-led dishes that change with the seasons, while Richard Gladwin oversees the guest experience. Guided by the philosophy ‘what grows together, goes together’, the menu showcases seasonal Sussex produce and ingredients from the South Downs.
Dishes include Maldon oysters with rhubarb mignonette, South Coast scallops with peas and elderflower, veal sweetbreads with chestnut mushrooms, and roasts of Sussex beef and vineyard lamb from the family farm. The BBQ menu features grilled skewers of spring lamb, monkfish with kohlrabi, free range pork belly and halloumi from Sussex High Weald Dairy, alongside mini pies served at the bar.
Every Monday, the venue host a wine supper club, bringing guests together around one table for a three course dinner with paired wines.
