Spring tulips at The Bell in Ticehurst (credit Saltwick Media)
The Bell in Ticehurst, East Sussex, has arguably one of the finest pub gardens in the land. Designed by RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medal garden designer Jo Thompson, who lives in the village, there is year-round interest, which is particularly splendid right now with the Spring bulbs. Before or after lunch, why not take a walk around the Bell’s garden to admire the tulips. A riot of colour, texture and form, the garden sings with jewel-bright colours from magenta and violet to buttery yellows and acid greens with Tulip Menton, Tulip Merlot, Fritillaria Imperialis, Narcissi, Anenome and Allium Miami.
The longer and increasingly warmer days bring a new, lighter menu to The Bell in Ticehurst. The seasonal menus created by Head Chef Mark Charker have been designed to celebrate the start of British Summer time with new season English Asparagus, Jersey Royals, young cheeses, and soft herbs. The rich and varied produce from Sussex suppliers include Burwash Rose cheese, Spurs Farm free-range eggs, Fletchers Flock lamb and Maynard’s berries.
Launching on 26th May is The Bell’s Garden Kitchen BBQ. Come for alfresco delights on the grill every Friday and Saturday throughout the summer, until 28th August.
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For further press information please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room PR on hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk | 07730 039361
About The Bell
For centuries, The Bell has been at the very heart of Ticehurst village, geographically and emotionally. After closing in 2008, The Bell underwent painstaking renovation, opening in November 2011 welcoming locals and visitors from further afield.
The Bell’s design is eclectic in the truest sense of the word - the building looks as if an eccentric nobleman has travelled the world and filled his house full of curiosities from his travels. The result is quirky and utterly charming. The eleven guest rooms offer a highly individual design, with features, including silver birch branches (a nod to the derivation of Ticehurst’s name, which is “the wooded hill where goats graze”), huge copper bathtubs, upside-down tiles and randomly placed light features. Eschewing room numbers, each of The Bell’s guest rooms has its own distinctive name, from “The Benefit of the Doubt” to “Smiles of Memories.”
Quirky touches continue in the public areas, from bowler hat lights and a floor-to-ceiling book pile in the main pub area, to mismatched vintage-style wallpaper and Wagner Tubas for urinals in the gents. Each room offers the curious visitor a feast of visual surprises, not least a fine collection of art by Tracey Emin, Henry Moore, Banksy, Graham Sutherland, and Picasso. The neon sign in the aptly named Stable with a Table, a dining room with a unique sunken oak table for groups of up to 18 feasting friends or family, fondly observes “I will always love you my friend”, summing up the sense of constancy yet originality awaiting visitors to The Bell.
