WOW!! I hadn't been in here for a few years despite living nearby, but I called in for Sunday lunch…read morea few weeks ago after my dear mum said it had changed hands and things were on the up. I have to say the food was superb, at the time I think i even said it was the best sunday lunch i had ever had, I think I was a little taken a back by the quality of the food on offer. They have successfully managed to retain some of the old charm and proper pub feel, while making the dining a cosy, friendly experience that is all about locally produced food. The lamb had already sold out (turn up early or book on the phone if you don't want to miss out) so the three of us had duck, chicken and beef. Each dish was cooked pretty much to perfection and the home made yorkshire puddings were great. Sunday lunch just how it should be! This pub focusses on local, fresh produce all of which is prepared on site and served in simple, traditional dishes. The menu is short, but in my opinion that is the way it should be, as it means each dish excels. It is always so disheartening to find a pub that has 30 dishes on the menu as you can almost guarantee each one will be mediocre. Not the case with this pub. To top it all off the ales are well kept, the Bowmans "swift one" was a very refreshing pint and anything on tap from Hopback is a safe bet. All in all this pub comes very highly recommended, great food, nice atmosphere, good beers and friendly service, what more could you want?!

We called in for lunch. A friendly staff and a pleasant ambiance welcomed us. This is an old…read morevillage pub that offers great food and beer. They also support local community events and activities. Toilets are clean and parking is available. I had the best steak and kidney pudding and all the trimmings while my daughter enjoyed the vegetarian menu, vegan options are also available. The Royal Oak is the essence of what a rural pub needs to be to survive these days. Only a mile or so off the A36 but in a beautiful old village. I heartily recommend, but do book early as this is a place sure to be popular with cyclists, tourists, locals and passing trade.

Great classic English Pub with a nice food upgrade. Very good beer, thatched roof, neighborhood…read morepub. Nice garden where the locals bring their dogs and have a pint. Tuscan pork and bean stew (outstanding!), chili with chunks of real steak, first class fish and chips. What more could you want!?

Well, where to start . . …read more I found this place by accident when I was doing my articles to qualify professionally in Salisbury, by sheer good luck I took rooms just a few yards away from a pub I had unknowingly driven past a hundred times - it is - it really is - well hidden. Once I found it I practically moved in . . .. This pub is located in the tiny hamlet of Netherhampton - just outside Salisbury in Wiltshire. If you are in the area - eat here! It is a chocolate-box cover thatched pub - all oak beams, real fires and horse brasses. The beers - ever changing - are kept in such fine condition that they have won awards (plural) from CAMRA. Their lagers are - well - lagers (enough said) if you're in this pub drinking lager you've missed the point utterly. However - their ciders (and I'm thinking Black Rat in particular) are first class. If you want a drinking pub you can't go wrong here However . . . their food . . . is . . . sublime. Now don't get me wrong they serve pub food. You won't find some sort of Cordon Bleu stupid pretentious nouvelle cuisine here. But you will find things like sausage and mash with sausages made from local wiltshire pork with REAL mash made from real spuds. The ham and eggs are made with ham from the local farm simmered in Black rat cider for four hours then roasted slowly and served with eggs from the hens next door. Their Jambalaya Gumbo and Cassoulet are beautiful creations scratch made by their chef (and she really is from New Orleans!!). But - and I challenge you: try their chilli. Normally Chilli is a dish that is best avoided at all times - its usually made with left over roast beef from the Sunday roast or it's just minced beef with tomatoes and hot stuff. This is different - this is real chilli, real steak - in chunks, whole tomatoes braised to a vermilion syrupy sauce ignited with fresh scotch bonnet chillis. The other chef, Taylor (the boss's son), has made this his signature dish. Now listen up: I hate chilli - it's usually secondhand, second-class, reheated muck that I wouldn't serve to my dog. I NEVER order it when eating out - with one exception - the V&A. I regularly travel from my home in London down to Netherhampton just for lunch, and if I'm to be honest, I order one of their fabulous pub meals and get them to pack me a serving or three of their chili to take back home. Great beer, great food and great hosts. I know of no finer pub in England (that hasn't stopped me looking you understand . . .) One more thing, dogs - even three-legged ones - are welcomed. Oh yes - forgot to say - you'll find a picture of it among my photos.

On August 31st, my family and I were on a tour with a wonderful guide (Jill Pretorius of Windsor…read moreDay Tours)... We had already walked all over Winchester, we were on our way to Stonehenge, we were excited and hungry, but also jet lagged and exhausted! Jill brought us to The White Lion joking that, being only 400 years old, it was practically a brand new pub! We came in (mind your head), and were immediately sat down at a big, groaning, family table! Water was served, beers and ciders followed, and then meat pies and fish and chips were ordered all around! This meal was absolutely delicious in the way that only homemade country pub food can be. The cider selection was excellent, and we left refreshed, happy, and ready to take on the rest of our day (mind you, we ALL passed out cold in the van after Stonehenge and on the way back to our hotel)! Thank you so much to the ladies of The White Lion Inn & Pub for your extremely warm hospitality!! Much love! I hope to make it back one day!

One of the best surprises in Hampshire, fantastic ambience, nice service and the food was just…read moreincredible. I had a lamb roast that was divide, my wife had an incredible mushroom gnocchi and my daughter had a what seemed a never end.tower of fine chicken breast, English bacon and cheese with a good portion of home made barbecue sauce. Lovely lunch in the middle of the New Forest.

After a night at this pub, I felt like I really got to know the English! Good folks, great beer and…read moregreat food. I've dreamed of going to England all my life. From my early punk rock days, to my days as an award winning home brewer (beer geek), and now as a dad, the experiences I have wanted changed, however, beer has been a constant! Personally, I love English style cask ale, and i wasn't disappointed. The kids and I spent two weeks in London and Paris, and before we left England I wanted to visit a traditional country pub. This was it! After reading Ira's review, I knew we would be trying the pies and puddings. I started with beer.... and we started with prawns for an appetizer, but then the real food began! I had the venison pie, my 13 year old had turkey and cranberry, and the 10 yr old went for chicken and ham. Yum! All three were huge and tasted fantastic! Next came dessert.... and more beer. We're Americans, so the waitress helped us negotiate the dessert menu just as she did the pies. We decided to go for one traditional English dessert (jam rolly polly) and one non traditional (berry covered flan). Thankfully we got only two because they were huge! We visit cities often, but we live in the country, and we can eat a lot. At the end of this meal, we were stuffed! When we first came in a little past six, there were a few locals around the bar and one couple eating. One of the owners, Joyce, greeted us and checked on us throughout our meal. As we were leaving, she introduced us to her son and we talked kids for a bit. Our server also was helpful and fun to talk to. The locals made us feel at home. By the time we waddled out, the place was filling up, and it looked like the local crowd was coming in for beer. What can I say? What a great experience on the last night of our trip

Tucked away just off the A338, this pub has recently reopened under new management. Joyce & Hughen…read moreoffer a traditional menu supplemented by a tempting board of specials. The pies are a speciality-made by a local farmer just for the pub. There is also a terrific pudding selection. I had the best spotted dick and custard for a decade - far better than the Pudding Club of GB offering. The staff are enthusiastic about their food and customer service and word is obviously spreading as the pub was heaving by the time we left. For mains we had the veggie lasagne (superb) and scampi. If the pies are as good as they say/look, my 4 star rating may become 5 next time.

Super friendly. When the owners saw we were foreigners, he took special care to bring us a menu…read moreand ask after where we are from. He spent a bit of time chatting. We were even offered free tastes of local beers. Service is amazing. Food is great. Large vegan menu. Superb local atmosphere. Sweet! ! They even offer Spotted Dick on the menu. It's a special today! !

From the owner: We're a small village pub situated right next to the historical, Stonehenge…read more Our staff are extremely friendly and always ensure that the customers are satisfied with their experience.

Food was pretty average, service was fine, nice place, but nothing to get too excited aboutread more

I have had a most memorable meal at the Boot - a simple affair in the bar that will linger long in…read moremy memory. All we had were grouse (from the famous Stockbridge butchers, Robinson's) and a bottle of Gevrey Chambertin, but it was perfect. The wine was decanted at our request and was absolutely delicious; rich and smooth, and was the perfect accompaniment to the grouse. The grouse arrived whole in a glorious rich gravy and dressed with spinach, game chips and bread sauce, and looked as good as it tasted. It was one of the finest meals one could have. The grouse was £21.50 - very reasonable. The wine cost considerably more. The service was perfect and the ambience, surrounded by locals, everything that a good pub should be.

Don't be put off by its proximity to the A303. This a great pub and once you're past the front door…read moreit feels like a world away. Amazing menu - if I could write a menu packed just with the top pub food I love, this would be it. We only just managed to choose before we were planning a return visit. We both ordered the pie of the day (chicken & bacon) having checked it had a crust base not just a measly topping on a casserole. Staff are friendly and know the dishes. It's a 'slow food' place but we didn't have a long wait for food. PIETASTIC! and excellent value at £12.50 each. If you enjoy good food - do not drive past!!!