The Broad Oak, Brede
There is something reassuring about a good village pub. Not one trying too hard to reinvent what a pub should be, but somewhere that understands the simple formula: a warm welcome, a well-kept bar, hearty food and a genuine connection with the community around it. The Broad Oak in Brede fits comfortably into that mould.
Alan and Kerri Deeprose took the reins at The Broad Oak in 2020, bringing with them more than a decade of experience in hospitality and a clear understanding of what makes a good village pub tick. Since then, they have shaped it into a welcoming, easy-going place where locals and visitors alike can settle in for a drink, enjoy a good meal or join in with the busy calendar of events that has made the pub such a lively part of village life
Food follows a traditional approach, with a menu firmly rooted in familiar pub favourites. Scampi and chips, ham, egg and chips and a changing pie of the day sit alongside a specials board that gives the kitchen a little more room to play. On the day of our visit, that included Pan seared pork steaks topped with a cider sauce and served with mustard mash and a medley of vegetables and a roast chicken supreme served with dauphinoise potatoes and an onion, bacon and red wine sauce.
Our own choices began with the tandoori chicken, before moving on to “Big Al’s” pie of the day, the sort of dish that feels entirely at home in a country pub. Generous, comforting and uncomplicated, it summed up much of what The Broad Oak does well. We finished, as any sensible pub meal should, with sticky toffee pudding, which was quite simply- superb.
Alongside the standard menus and specials boards on both days, Sunday brings the traditional roast, while Tuesdays offer a two or three-course set menu through the pub’s Tuesday club menu. The menus change with the seasons too, with the Christmas festive offerings beginning from 1 December.
The same care extends to the bar, where there is plenty of choice whether your preference is a well-kept pint, cider or something a little different. Familiar favourites sit alongside Hawkstone’s cider and IPA, with Sussex’s own Harvey’s providing a welcome local presence. That local connection carries through to the kitchen too, where ingredients are sourced close to home wherever possible and homemade food remains very much at the heart of the menu
But perhaps the more interesting story of The Broad Oak is what happens beyond lunch and dinner.
Its charity quiz, held every second Wednesday of the month, has become a part of local life. Together with its meat raffles and other fundraising efforts, the pub has raised an impressive £20,000 for local charities, recognition of that community contribution has even come in the form of a community award.
There are regular karaōke and live music nights too, often featuring local bands, while one of its more unusual fixtures is Oak & Octane. Owners and enthusiasts bring along their cars and motorcycles and spend the morning admiring an eclectic collection of cars and bikes they also welcome anyone who fancies breakfast and a coffee on the day It is a simple idea, but exactly the kind of event that turns a village pub into a meeting place rather than simply somewhere to buy a pint.
That, ultimately, is the appeal of The Broad Oak. The food is hearty, the bar is well stocked and there is plenty happening throughout the year, but it still feels recognisably like a village pub. Places that remain firmly connected to their communities deserve to be appreciated. The Broad Oak appears to have found their place there rather nicely.