I ate at one of Worthing's most popular pubs – I can see why it's a family favourite

A large pub, located in Broadwater Street West in the heart of the bustling Broadwater shopping area, it underwent a refurbishment three years ago when it was taken on by Good Times Pubs & Bars.

An independently owned and operated pub group, Good Times also owns several pubs in the Brighton and Hove area.

In The Cricketers, the firm has created a pub with a friendly vibe, eclectic artefacts lining the walls and a huge stack of board games for families to play in the various rooms, nooks and crannies.

Even the toilets have a flourish of showmanship about them, with red curtains lining their entrance. The pub also has a large rear garden, which in the warmer months is filled with tables and a children’s play area.

We were invited along last Saturday afternoon to sample the pub’s new spring menu. As a community-led public house and restaurant, the venue prides itself on its fresh food, quality real ales, fine wine and spirits.

We were seated in a pleasant back room with a large skylight, letting the natural light flood in. We were conveniently located next to the huge selection of games, and we played a good few while we were waiting for our food.

It was hard to choose what we wanted from the extensive menu. There’s a decent range of options, and they all sound pretty good!

In the end, we opted to share some ‘bar snacks’ first – the breaded haggis bon bons, served with tomato and Irn Bru ketchup and the pea and asparagus arancini, with chilli jam and quattrocento cheese. Not only were they both delicious, but I thought the portion sizes were great for the price (£8 each). Bar snacks are also 3 for 2, all day every day.

My son ordered from the children’s menu, plumping for southern fried chicken pieces with mash and beans. He loved the super smooth mash, and there was a good portion of meat.

My daughter went for two items from the bar snacks menu as a main, the corn tortilla chips with jalepenos, salsa, melted cheese and guacamole (except they kindly swapped the ‘spicy’ jalepenos for pickles) and the garlic baguette topped with smoked cheddar. A carb-lover’s dream, she was very happy and very full afterwards.

My husband went for the roast pork belly, with golden beetroot rosti, chargrilled spring onions, roasted fennel, apple gel and a chimichurri cream sauce. He loved how tender and flavoursome the pork was, and said all the additions blended perfectly with the dish.

Feeling hungry, I opted for the Caesar burger, with crispy fried chicken, smoked streaky bacon, parmesan and Caesar mayonnaise. It was a delicious combo and a huge meal. I was able to bring half of it home and eat it for dinner, which was a real win!

Even though we were all full, pudding stomach is different to savoury stomach, so we all squeezed in a dessert. My son had the kids chocolate brownie, my daughter and husband both had the Eton mess sundae, and I had a mint choc sundae, which I was delighted to find included brownie pieces. They were all huge, and so yummy.

The staff were so friendly, and it was a lovely spot to spend an afternoon relaxing and enjoying top-notch pub grub.

For more information, or to book a table, visit https://www.thecricketers.pub/