please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Bluebell reopened at the beginning of March under new management and it is nice to see the place busy again. The pub is run by an experienced young couple Robin & Lucy Catchpole supported by his Chef Simon and many of his staff followed him from his previous pub. Robin is a kean Real Ale Fan and has aspirations to eventually brew his own beer. The once blanf pub has over the last few months been transformed with new wood panelling, and redecorations making it much more cosy. The pub has a large garden and I cannot wait for the summer when I new childrens play area is planned. Garden tables will appear soon. There are four real ales and being a freehouse do vary but regular beers include Tripple fff Moondance, Ringwood Boondoogle, Hoggs Back Tea, Adams Southwold. There is a preference for LocAle ales. The pub serves excellent reasobably priced food - most mains under £10. You must try the homemade Scotch Eggs which are runny in the middle. It is essential to book for Sunday Lunch, normally a choice of three meets at £9.95. If you like your beef pink, your prayers are answered. Pub gets busy weekends and I would recommend you book.
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Reopened a few months ago. Agreed with 'Jkbayley' comment about bland decor on out first couple of visits but has improved greatly recently with some trinkets an paint bringing back a bit of character. Good selection of ale as freeholds become harder to find. A couple of knowledgable and passionate staff and good reasonably priced food make this a cracking place to eat or drink.
One of my favourite pubs in the area, I look forward to the summer and making the most of their large beer garden.
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A bit bland and empty inside. Some nice sofas but tucked away or torn between fire and draughty door.
Nice selection of beers that were well served. Cannot comment on the food.
We should try it again in the summer.
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Having read their web site where they claim to be a walkers pub my wife and I set off on a 5 mile jaunt with a view to spending a pleasant hour enjoying their self proclaimed fine ales and splendid food. When we arrived we were told very abruptly and rudely that the entire pub had been booked out for a private function and that if we were not a part of the party could we please leave. Nothing I could do would persuade the nasty little youngster, who I believe is the joint owner, to sell me even a pint of beer to drink at the back of the garden. We were told in no uncertain terms that we would have to leave immediately. I think the owners have given in to short term greed and forgotten that they have long term customers to consider. I certainly will not be going back there again. I would suggest to others that, as it is a long way out, and as there is nothing on their web site to give a clue that it may not be open to the public on any particular day, they are taking a big risk in driving or walking all the way there just to be turned rudely away.
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Great that we don't have to suffer youg kids in a 'pub'.
A pub is just that & we don't all want to endure this.!
I sugguest you go to a family friendly chain and use the childrens menu, and leave a proper pub to the grown ups........!!
If children are taken to pubs they have not chosen this but you as a parent have, so use your discretion and visit a watering hole that tolerates & indulges you.
As for the rest of your review, it is just negative & inaccurate.
This is a site for reviewing BEER.........in the main,which is served very well and in good condition, AGAIN.!
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Sadly no longer a warm, welcoming, family friendly pub! New tenants are missing a trick by isolating young families, serving poor food, dirty loo's and lack of welcoming atmosphere. Unfortunately a Sunday lunch that will not be repeated.
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The new people have given it a lick of paint but there's so much white paint and so many bright lights that it hurts your eyes to go in. The new folk are keen and polite and have great ambitions for the place, so I hope they'll listen to feedback and soften the lighting.
The beers on my last visit (3/12/11) were Tripple fff Altons Pride and Moondance and Hogs Back TEA, HBB and Advent Ale (this one straight from the barrel on the bar). I don't like Hogs Back beers but my colleague said the were in good nick. The Tripple fff beers were magic!
We need to use this pub or we'll lose it and it's far too lovely for us to let that happen.
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Recently reopened- some new paint!- Good beer selection and some reasonable wines. They say they are planning to install 4 more engines.....
Nice fire, and could be cosy if the locals could be bothered to close the door, otherwise this needs a self closure putting in place....& some warm drapes....
Limited looking basic menu for such a rural pub, which should be going all out to attract custom,retain business and really make it fly!
The kitchen need to up their game, and put some local game on,.!.....its seasonal available & local!- it even goes in pies.......
A good start,but time will tell......if this really can beat the other eateries in the area,and be so much more than just a drinking establishment.!
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this pub is now closed, and what a shame,it was a lttle gem especially in great weather !
a bit pricey, but it keeps the undesirables out ...will it reopen soon ??
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Visited recently on a hot Sunday lunchtime. Having been last year it seems to have found its natural place in the country pub equilibrium. This year its a lot better, and not so up itself. Much nicer atmosphere. Blue Bell Ale was something special. Didn't eat.
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This place has improved a lot since I last visited in the summer of 2010.
Excellent Moondance ale, which is always a treat. But more memorable for serving, honestly, the best chips I have ever had in a pub. Very friendly barman, and comfortable surroundings.
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Just had a Sunday roast and frankly, won't be bothering again! Run out of chicken and the beef was overpriced for the small portions, it has been a long time since I have eaten a Sunday roast and still felt hungry after it. At �12.95 I felt cheated, especially when I could go to the Jolly Roger for a much more hearty roast at a more reasonable price. Dirty glasses and under staffed - 1st and last time I will be visiting The Bluebell.
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Nice location, good service and the Blue Bell ale is fantastic. However, the massively overpriced food leaves a lot to be desired. The beef was incredibly fatty, the potatoes and Yorkshire pudding were bland and the vegetables were practically raw. Not worth �12.95 at all. A real disappointment.
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High prices or not, this place continues to thrive. The cooking is of a really high order for a pub. Try to leave room if you can for one of their huge traditional desserts. The house ale is brewed by the fff brewery of Four Marks and it's a good lunchtime pint, not too strong (there are stronger ales if you want them). The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. The staff are all young, welcoming and enthusiastic. There's piped music but it's not so loud as to be intrusive. Today there was a log fire burning, which was very welcome on a cold day after a walk round Frensham Pond.
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Very lovely on a summer's evening with lots of children and dogs/dog walkers in the garden.
Friendly staff- although service does suffer when it gets busy. Food is okay to fairly good but a little expensive.Then this is a country pub in Surrey so what can we expect?
Overall if the weather is nice then the garden is a lovely place to be with a pretty good pint and not bad food.
Bumped into Damon Hill (the ex-F1 champion) in there this summer which blew my tiny little mind! Been a big fan of his for years! So much so I couldn't bring myself to talk to him! I always choke when I meet famous people I admire!
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I've lived around here all my life and didnt realise this little gem was right on my doorstep! First went their for my surprise 40th.
Its a lovely country pub with plenty of charachter and suitable for old and young alike. We had a great meal in a lovely little snug away from other customers.
A decent selection of ales including a house bitter (not sure what it was as I'm sure they dont brew their own!)
Food is fairly pricey but pretty much what you'd expect from a decent free house out in the middle of nowhere.
The landlady is really welcoming and genuinely wants to spend time chatting to you.
I've been back since then and found it just as good. Not a bad little find - give it a go!
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Not a bad place to visit as a decent selection of real ale and food looks good (although didn't bother on my last visit).
Still needs some money spending on it (garden especially) but I guess this will happen in time.
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Great find, nice and comfy with a good garden area with a kids play area. Looking forward to it being a regular stop on a bike route with the family.
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Great pub - great food - can be busy on a sunday - but that is to be expected - staff are great - good new kids area - the garden could probably do with a bit of landscaping - all a bit bumpy/rough. but over all excellent.
I cant believe csomeone was moaning that 2 drinks and 2 lunches at �17 was expensive! stick to the Hungry Horse fella!
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My partner & I were staying in the area (Tilford Wood Log Cabins) to celebrate a birthday. We did some research for good places to eat and The Blue Bell certainly seemed to be highly recommended compared to some of the others in the area. We were pleased to have done our research. what an excellent venue, very friendly staff, very clean and well kept and as for the food.. wow.. superb! Great value, good portions and truly delicious (especially the homemade syrup sponge!). A great evening & well worth the journey for a country gastro pub.
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This place has really changed since I was last there -- about 12 years ago! It was a sleepy local, then it closed for years and has now reopened as a foodie pub. And it works. The food is really good; the portions are not huge but they are well prepared and they are accompanied by veg that hasn't had all the life boiled out of it. It's not cheap, but it is good value and I think that's what matters.
The house bitter is a very pleasant pint and well worth a try; there are other real ales available if you want something more familiar.
The service is friendly if a little slow, but in this case I think that suggests the food is doing more than take a quick turn round the microwave.
We'll be back.
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I was hoping for better. Visited for a Sunday roast a few weeks back. My partner and I both ordered roast beef which came out fairly quickly. We were then told that they had run out of Yorkshire puddings only when delivering the food to the table. I was disapointed but asked for some extra roast potatoes to make up for it, only to be told thay had run out of them as well. This was disapointing as there were only 2 very small roasties on each of our plates! We then had to wait over 5 minutes for the veg to be delivered. They then tried to sweeten us up by offering us some mashed potato 10 minutes later, when we had nearly finished. Barman seemed a bit up himself as well.
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This is a great pub. The food is fantastic and the staff are very friendly as already reported. Food isnt expensive or cheap, you get what you pay for at the end of the day and as far as I could work out its all cooked to order and fresh, and it shows. We visit fairly regularly and one sunday there was a 45 minute wait on food, which in our opinion shows that its busy, people want it, the food is fresh and the staff are honest. We were more than prepared to wait. Your doing a great job Blue Bell, keep it up! Mrs Walker
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Visited 17 Aug. Limited real ale but Tea was good. Only real complaint was the cost of two small lunches and two drinks - �17. Maybe the refurb bill needs to be repaid quickly. The interior was a little surprising, more like a wine bar but that's probably a personal view.
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A very good country pub - good selection of well kept ales - TEA, and a guest from the Triple fff brewery at Alton (local stuff and exceedingly good too). Staff are super friendly and the food was good too. Gets busy on a sunday so may have to book. Nice beer garden. Only minimal cloud on the horizon was the inferior pork scratching variety - the dreadful Mr Porky's. Still can't have it all.
anonymous - 21 May 2007 17:37 |
