Our favourite places to eat and drink near the South Downs

June 5, 2026

Petersfield is a better town than most people give it credit for. Independent, local and just 7 minutes from the cabin - it covers everything you need for a stay without feeling like a detour. Beyond it, the pubs in the surrounding villages are exactly what you'd hope for from the South Downs: walkable, old and serving food that matches the landscape they're sitting in.


These are the places we send guests to most.

Pubs

  • The White Horse, Hawkley (Pub with No Name) (1.5 miles on foot)

This is the one. A whitewashed 17th-century inn sitting in the middle of the countryside, 1.5 miles from the cabin across the fields. Tables outside between the pub and the pond, real ales, great food and the kind of place that feels like a discovery even though people have been walking to it for centuries. It's closed on Mondays. Walk there in the evening, eat well, walk back in the dark with a torch. If you only go to one pub during your stay, make it this one.


  • The Hawkley Inn (20 minutes on foot)

A proper village pub with a beer garden that looks out towards the church, good food and classic ales. The walk from the cabin takes about 20 minutes through the fields and lanes. Closed on Mondays like the White Horse, so worth planning around. A slightly different character — quieter, more tucked away — and good for a longer lunch if you're doing a morning walk and want to end somewhere.


  • Queens Head, Sheet (10 minutes by car)

Great pizzas, a wide choice of ales and a big garden that gets busy on good weather days. It has more energy than the other two — a lively local rather than a quiet countryside inn — which makes it a good option if you want a different mood. Food served until 8:30pm and parking is easy. Worth knowing about as the livelier evening option.


Cafes and bakeries

  • Josie's, Petersfield

The best brunch and coffee in Petersfield. A relaxed spot on the high street, good food and exactly the right pace for a Saturday morning before you head out for a walk. Go here first, plan the day over coffee, then go.


  • Madeleine's Kitchen, Petersfield

Dog friendly, which matters if you've brought yours. Cakes, sandwiches and deli items in a good-natured cafe that feels like a proper local spot. Good for a quick lunch or picking up things for the cabin on the way through town.


  • Hoxton Bakehouse, Petersfield

The best pastries and cakes in Petersfield, opposite the new Gail's. Go here specifically for something good to take back to the cabin for breakfast, or stop in on the way out of town after a bigger shop.


Farm shops

  • Durleighmarsh Farm Shop (7 miles)

The closest farm shop to the cabin and one of the better ones in the area. Pick-your-own fruit in the summer months, good local produce year-round. Worth the drive on the way in if you want to do your food shop properly rather than going to the supermarket. Check opening hours before you go.


The Pub with No Name is what most guests talk about when they get home - the walk and the pub together make something that's hard to find anywhere else. Everything in Petersfield fills in the gaps around it, and between the two you're well sorted for a weekend.

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