Can't fault this place! Very pretty from the outside and quaint, on the inside. It's been nicely…read moredone up. Cosy and homey, there's plenty of seating to choose from. Lovely nooks and crannies with couches and more, and a nice patio for warmer weather. If you're looking for a traditional British pub, you've come to the right place. Reasonable prices too. There's a lovely bar with enough beers on tap to suit all palates and more in the fridge. As for the food, they have most of the pub favourites along with steaks and salads as well as some vegetarian options. The set menu is on from Mon-Thurs and is great value at £11.99 for two courses + £2 for three or for a steak meal. I couldn't fit it in, but dessert was full sized and delicious too. Some had a berry crumble or a melba panacotta. If you're in the area, this place is well worth a visit, it won't disappoint!

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.

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?!

Really good pork roast , service was excellent and a wonderful British pub in the new forestread more

The Turfcutters Inn is an old fashioned pub in the tiny New Forrest village of East Boldre. We…read morepopped in here on a Saturday lunchtime, mid way through a walk. It was fairly busy at the time so I guess it's a popular haunt, it certainly has the feel of a proper local. We didn't stop for lunch, just a refreshing pint and some crisps, but the menu looked like typical pub grub with a few specials on the board. The bar staff were friendly and welcoming, downsides included a telly showing Cash in the Attic or some such tosh, and grotty loos, but overall it's a good stop off for a beer and a wee!

The Square and Compass is such a gem if you're looking for an authentic pub experience in the…read moreEnglish countryside! The views alone are worth the visit, but the unique character of the place makes it even better. From the beer garden in the back to the small museum of fossils and local artifacts, it really has a one-of-a-kind charm. One thing I loved was the quirky "Woodhenge" sculpture in the parking lot--made from tree trunks, it's been standing since 2015 despite the local council initially wanting it taken down. It's still there as of my recent visit, and it's a fun little sight that adds even more personality to the place. The menu is limited, but that's part of the charm! I had the sausage roll, and it was sooo good! The warm, flaky crust and flavorful sausage made for the perfect pub snack. We sat inside since it was a warm day, and the locals couldn't have been friendlier. My friend and I (a pair of Americans) were welcomed like old friends, which made the whole experience even more special. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area--especially if you want to enjoy the local history, great beer, and a fantastic countryside view.

A couple of friends and I once went for a hike along the South West Coast Path in Dorset. It took…read moreus a couple of hours and was really nice: good weather, beautiful sea views, rolling pastures, and a great pub at the end. That pub turned out to be the Square and Compass. When we arrived it was warm and sunny, and most people were sitting on the dozens of outside tables, rocks, or just on the grass, enoying the sunshine. Oddly, a large number of chickens were strolling through the assembled patrons, but no one - drinker nor chicken - seemed to mind. There was a band playing some Beatles covers, too, though they finished shortly after we arrived. This is a proper country pub, long, low and very old wood and stone. They keep kegs of real ale and cider in a pump room here, so you order at the hatch. Check the Dinosaur Room while you're there. I won't say any more, since it deserves to be a surprise. I can't imagine a more relaxed, laid-back, country pub. The only downside was that although we'd planned to take a local bus back to Swanage, where our car was parked, those services don't run on Sundays. The day was so nice we decided to walk back anyway (along the road, though, a much shorter trip than the coastal path). EDIT: I was back again today, and despite the weather being crap - or maybe because of it - this pub was even better. We walked down to the ocean, to watch the surf pound the cliffs by the old quarry. We wedged into one of the tiny rooms and ate pasties and drank Ringwood ale. We gazed in wonder at the bizarre little fossil-and-beach-item museum at the back.

The food was excellent in the little pub in as close as "middle of nowhere" you can get in the…read moreSouth of England. Definitely get reservations for weekends.

I don't even know where to start with the cartwheel! It is one of those hidden gems you just can't…read morebelieve you have been missing out on prior to your visit! The staff go that extra mile to make you feel right at home! The food is just first class, the presentation really goes beyond what you would expect to find in any pub and the quality of food is exceptional! I would recommend the pork belly to anyone and believe me I am super fussy when it comes to pork ( I always end up thinking I could of done better myself at home) but their pork is to die for and very generous with the portions! The crackling just melts in your mouth and really sets the bar so high ( I haven't yet found better, even my own isn't as good!)

Not just a pub -- an establishment! Locals tell me it's always enjoyed a reputation for good food…read moreand our lunch held up the tradition. The menu is extensive (sole, veal, pheasant, salmon, plus the usual suspects) and rich (in sauce as well as money). We ordered from the specials board: dover sole in spiced butter and manor farm pheasant in red wine gravy. Both were excellent and my only complaint is that the sole was drowning in the butter sauce. This seems to be a trend with English cuisine -- dousing the food with tons of sauce, whether it's gravy or butter or curry. We didn't have room for dessert (oh, sorry, pudding, as they call it here), but we ordered one anyway -- the panna cotta was light and delicate. And then we got humbugs with our check. That's mint candies, Yanks. The dining room is tiny and popular so do book a table in advance. If it's wintertime, ask them to hold the one by the fire for you -- very romantic. This place is down the road from some delightful thatch-roofed homes and English cottages, and horses share the road, so if you sit in the garden, you might see them. When I think of England, this is the kind of place I think of. If you're driving around aimlessly or on your way to Salisbury, this is a good choice for a pit stop.

I had this on very high recommendation, my parents went on a mini break at Fordingbridge. They…read moredined here twice as they said they liked the menu so much that they couldn't just go once and wanted to sample more of the menu. When we came back to this area on a family holiday they said they had to take me here. The pub was a bit tricky to find and we relied on sat nav, located in a small village its only slightly out the way. The exterior and interior is lovely with the traditional countryside pub reflective in even the traditional ivory looking handled cutlery. The massive fireplace was slightly modernised with white pillar candles that looked warm, cosy and elegant. I like a menu that is one page and this one was. I was immediately drawn to the Steak served in a garlic, oyster mushroom and tarragon sauce and knew I had to try it. It was amazing! The steak I ordered as rare and it was cooked perfectly, the meat was very tender. All are mains came with a side vegetable selection including a perfect potatoes dauphinoise, buttered carrots, grilled courgette and cooked beetroot. The vegetables were almost as good as the steak! I had a traditional Queen's pudding for dessert which I've only ever had once or twice at home. It was delicious and I was completely impressed by the meringue on top as it was huge and fluffy - making it very fun to eat

This pub offers a good atmosphere good food and good beer in a great location. The menu is simple…read more'pub grub' but is well executed and really hits the spot after a walk across the new forest. Be sure to book to be sure of a table as I've found it can get quite busy, especially on Sundays or bank holidays.

I started this review in 2016 when I was on sabbatical in the UK. I don't know why I didn't finish…read moreit. I still remember the selection of beers was great, the food perfect and the waitstaff friendly.

This place has a great atmosphere, a mixture of modern and traditional. Everyone is welcoming…read more But the kicker is the food. It's absolutely fantastic. I had the Lamp Rump with Dauphinoise ... quite simply melt in the mouth. Followed by vanilla and white chocolate panna cotta... also melt in the mouth with a beautiful hazelnut crumb. Although this place isn't cheap for sure, I think the food is absolutely worth the money. It's about 20 miles from where I live but I will happily drive back here for lunch or dinner.