Mario encapsulates what the establishment represents

You sense nothing can surprise Mario Quieti within the unchanging surroundings of Midhurst’s Spread Eagle Hotel; nor can anything banish his evergreen smile.

He knows the establishment better than anyone.

After 35 years of commanding the restaurant like the captain of some fine ship, he is not only the Spread Eagle’s longest serving member of staff, he is also a part of the very fabric of the place.

It’s hard to imagine life there without him. He is, within the perspective of Midhurst hospitality, something of a legend.

“I should have retired five years ago,” he confides as he take the order for pre-luncheon drinks. “But I like it here too much.”

So he still returns for special duties like Sunday lunch.I comment that I have been a regular customer of the Spread Eagle since 1980 and remember him from my very first meal.

“I had darker hair then!” he laughs.

So did I.

For Mario encapsulates everything that this establishment represents: its timeless stability as mature and reassuring as the 15th century beams.

Of course there have been changes.

But it’s all been beautifully blended.

In the mid-1980s there was a major conversion of the West Street wing.

In the late 1990s, the Aquila Health Spa, comprising indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room, hot tub and gymnasium, was added.

But this is a family business and has been for more than half a century.

From the peace and serenity of the lounge bar to the warmth of the dining room – with its array of copper pans and Christmas puddings hanging from a beam – the building oozes class and a classic approach to everything it does.

That was never more true than with its Sunday luncheon menu.

It is rather chic these days to offer meals that are more of a journey than a destination. You will be tempted with all manner of tasting menus; or foods reconstituted in the form of froth and foams in so many different ways; the whole experience represents an adventure rather than a leisurely repast.

Not so here on Sunday.

The starters included prawn cocktail with iceberg lettuce and Marie Rose sauce. It was just the way I remembered it from thirty years ago when no menu was complete without this English favourite. Nothing fancy or ostentatious.

Leek and potato soup was another choice. Less familiar were the spinach, leek and chorizo quiche with tomato salsa and salad leaves or the goats cheese crotin with a French bean salad and roasted hazelnuts.

The main courses are just as traditional. It would not be Sunday without roast sirloin of beef. And this was cooked perfectly, slightly rare, very tender.

The Yorkshire pudding bloomed on the plate like a giant puff ball. I would like to say it was just as mum used to make. But, if truth be told, she never managed anything half as impressive.

Mario serves the roast potatoes and selection of vegetables – cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots.

“Just say if you would like some more,” he says.

The roast pork belly with apple sauce is full of texture. Of course, there is always a pay-off with belly – you have more fat than with most other cuts but in return you get a whole lot more flavour.

We didn’t try the pan fried skate wing or the vegetarian option of pea, broad bean and aged Parmesan risotto – frankly the roast beef was just too tempting.

The puddings were familiar. Eton Mess, Sable biscuit with clotted cream ice cream and local raspberries – excellent.

And, of course, a sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce – although being a glutton I would have liked it served with clotted cream too.

Three course Sunday lunch is £28 per person, and coffee and home made fudge – just right, not too sweet – is £3.

Service is not included – and, of course, the service is excellent.

Mario is the star. I know many people extraordinarily disappointed if they dine and he is not on duty.

But his colleagues do a great job too – right across the age spectrum.

Amongst the younger members is Damien, the perfect waiter too.

And they strike just the right balance of being conversational when it suits you.

There are those who want something slightly more complex and demanding for their £28.

But there are others who derive huge comfort from enjoying a Sunday luncheon just as it used to be.

The Spread Eagle is an enduring part of Midhurst.

Like all ancient coaching inns it has had to adapt to changing times. But fortunately, that process of evolution has been subtle and it has never lost sight of the values which underpin the hotel and on which its success lies.

Feature by The Restaurant Inspector