A proper English pub in the village of Boldre in the New Forrest. Wooden beams, open fires, copper pans adorning the walls...you get the picture!
It's a surprisingly large pub, although I'm not entirely sure it's laid out in the best possible way. My boyfriend and I were seated on a table that felt a little like it was in a corridor, with wait staff and customers squeezing past us on a regular basis.
The food menu is big and focuses on fresh, local produce. They also have a number of daily changing specials on top of the standard menu. I went for the beef wellington, and the boyf went for the whole gurnard, one of the specials. The gurnard was apparently delicious - the boyf leaving nothing but the bones (he even ate the eyes!!). The wellington was pretty good, and certainly large. A big chunk of fillet steak, pate and mushroom encased in light flaky pastry. Admittedly, it was easier to eat when the wait staff remembered to bring me a steak knife, unfortunately, I was three quarters of the way through by this point! Both dishes came with separate veg, a great selection but looking a little microwaved.
We could only manage to share a pud - we went for the creme brûlée which was good but not exceptional.
The wait staff were mainly youngsters but they were friendly and efficient.
The pub also has a nice garden, can imagine it would make a great place for a pub lunch when the summer eventually arrives. read more