The Going Out Awards

Best Family Dining - Sponsored by The Flooring People

It’s not difficult to find high-class nosh in Sussex, but what about places geared towards family dining?

We want to hear about the places with the best children’s menus, the family-friendly staff, and activities to keep youngsters occupied while they wait for their nutritious meal to arrive.

This is for the venue which goes over and above fish fingers and chips.

THE SHORTLIST

Yew Tree, Arlington

Peter and Joan Laws have been dishing out home-cooked food in this Sussex institution for 19 years.

The Yew Tree is based in the quaint village of Arlington and is a postcard perfect pub, with ivy climbing up the 110-year-old building.

The place is famous for its huge portions, extensive menu and is ideal for families, with a large play area, big garden and warm welcome for dogs.

The Ginger Pig, Hove

The Hove restaurant has just been crowned Best Food Pub in the Brighton & Hove Food And Drink Awards 2014, which means it has taken the gong for the third year running.

One of the four much-loved venues which make up Ben McKellar’s Ginger stable, The Ginger Pig will be a strong contender here.

Families are welcome at the place famed for serving quality traditional British cuisine made from with produce from Sussex suppliers.

The Dyke Tavern, Brighton

Kids might not notice the Mock Tudor exterior, long banks of leather seats and classic design inside The Dyke Tavern when they visit.

It’s no surprise given there are toys, colouring books and a special menu, including half-size Sunday roasts for the little ones.

A creative menu includes bar tapas, gourmet burgers, classic mains and unusual pizzas.

The Bridge Inn, Shoreham

Set within a stone’s throw of the River Adur and Shoreham harbour, The Bridge Inn has some of the best views in Sussex from its terraced garden.

Blankets are on offer in winter but when the sun shines it’s a Barbecue Shack. Walkers with muddy dogs and boots can stop for refreshments in The Bridge’s Footbridge Bar and there is a function room seating up to 35 people which is ideal for family get-togethers.

JB’s Diner

The mozzarella sticks will keep the kids happy all day long, as will the 50s rock and roll which the stereo pumps out, but the reason JB’s Diner remains a must-visit for many Brightonians is its milkshakes.

The giant milkshake flavours include Oreo, peanut butter, cherry, Milky Way, blueberry and Lucky Charms.

The place where the classic American diner never dies has US-style dining booths, and the stars and stripes fly proud as you eat your burgers and fries.

AND THE WINNER IS...

The Bridge Inn, Shoreham

The Bridge Inn’s Sam Stevens says the award is reward for the staff’s hard work, which means service goes to plan and they get legions of regulars coming back again and again.

“We all work hard as a team so everything goes smoothly. It is a pleasant working environment and that reflects onto customers.”

He says some days they have 100% regular customers and he is always busy.

“Every day we expect certain customers at certain times – and it shows we are doing something right. We have a big garden and in summer we are one of the best places to visit because of the huge barbecue and riverfront location.”

Owner Imogen Trickett is over the moon to be chosen by Argus readers as Sussex’s Best Family Dining venue.

As bar supervisor Stevens says, “It shows that all the effort is appreciated. Winning the award is brilliant.”

THE SPONSORS - The Flooring People

In the modern home there are many ways a homeowner can help with the green issue.

When it comes to your floors the Flooring People are doing more than most to make your choices as easy as possible.

They can offer you carpets and hard flooring to fit every room and every budget – just pop in or give Sam a call and she’ll offer you her expert advice with no obligation to make sure you can make the right choice for your home.

If you are looking for top quality, long lasting hard floors at the best prices then Amtico will be the best choice for many.

They are always finding innovative ways to improve their floors and have the best choice of colours and designs in the marketplace.

The surest way to start being green is to have the best product available so you can keep it for a lifetime. Amtico Signature now has a life time warranty and Amtico Spacia warranty has been increased to 25 years, giving you a long term flooring option

They have just launched 26 new colours of wood, abstract & Tile in the Spacia range (sampling available in store soon), and made further improvements to their products adding an extra urothane coating to help further protect against scuffs & stains

This means you have the widest choice to find exactly the right floor design and colour to turn your house into the perfect home for a lifetime. A home you can live in with all the bangs and scrapes a family will give it and not cause you sleepless nights.

Amtico manufacture all their products in local UK factories, saving on transport and carbon miles. All Amtico floors are made of PVC to maximise their life - PVC is a non-toxic material, composed of 57% salt (an inexhaustible resource) and 43% oil – it is also easy to recycle. Our production facilities in UK and USA are ISO 14001 certified, where possible we aim to work only with other similarly certified suppliers.

Almost 100% of our production and post-production material is granulated and recycled back into the product so much so that investment in our factory processes and technology have, over the last 5 years significantly contributed to the reduction in the amount of waste sent to landfill by 93%.

The Flooring People, 93 Boundary Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 7GA.

Call 01273 420202 or visit our website www.theflooringpeople.co.uk

VOTING

Voting has now closed. The winners will be announced in The Argus on Friday December 12.