please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Beer variety and quality has been continued, being kept behind the bar in cooled casks. But the quality of food of late has become more questionable, apparently in the drive to produce more upmarket food. The owners have demanded that the landlord position flower tubs on the edges of the pub front to prevent motorcyclists parking there, so there has been a reduction of attendance from that quarter. In my opinion there's not such a variety of drinkers as previous and it's not now as sociable as previously
|
Still maintaining a high standard. Roast beef was very nice and pint of Vibrant Forest Salted Liquorice Stout was truly wonderful.
|
Bit of a nightmare to find, but well worth. Not so much a village pub as a pub in the middle of nowhere!
I first visited this pub in March 2012 as part of a trip to the Bowmans Brewery. This pub was selected for the buffet and beers after. I was expecting a few limp sandwiches and a few crisps. The spread was impressive. Lovely hot top quality butchers sausages and bacon sandwiches with plenty of freshly fried chips. There were about 15 of us and they provided enough to feed an army!
I revisited this pub in Feb 2015 for a meal and drinks. The food isn't ridiculously priced and good quality. They had 4 ales on, all dispensed directly from the keg. The 'Swift One' was in excellent condition.
The pub was really busy with diners, obviously not a pub that is feeling the pinch and people travel far and wide to enjoy it. Definitely one you have to book in advance for.
|
With a combination of great rural location and rustic unspoiled bar this has been a long, long time favorite of mine. It had slid down in my rating in recent years with a predictable beer choice (Palmers 200 Swift One and Wallops Wood) and rarely doing even logical better Bowman ales like Quiver? Having moved into the area I still frequented it due to the great atmosphere and good basic food, available at all times of the day.
Things seem to have improved of late, with a much more varied choice of beer (Tally Ho much appreciated!) so it is climbing back to being one of my top rated pubs albeit that there is no longer Bacon and Brie Baguette on the menu ... sorry Baxterfish
|
Still maintaining a very high standard. Good beer from Bowman's etc and the best bacon & brie baguette in Hampshire. Shows what can be done with a bit of effort and freedom from a greedy pub company / brewery. An Enterprise or Green King pub would never be allowed to be this good.
|
adwork, another 1 comment poster, where do they all come from? do they all work in other inferior pubs?, the bowman is great, especially now they have got real local cider on draught for the summer
|
This place has the biggest and best back garden imaginable, great selection of ale (though not poured very well) and nice fire place... a proper pub.
A bit bare on the inside and also early closing (even during the beer festival they shut the bar and beer tent shortly after 10!)
|
If you like fine real ale, a friendly atmosphere, no music/big screen TV's (in fact ANY tvs at all!) great countryside all around a large beer garden & good food, well, this is the place for you. If not ........ don't come, because you would spoil it for those of us who love the place & can't visit as often as we would like to! A great, traditional beer- drinkers' pub. I think it's fantastic.
|
First visit this year to an old favourite. Still seems to be doing everything right: local ales (Bowman etc) straight from the cask, excellent brie & bacon baguette in lovely surroundings. See they've got a new dog. Highly recommended.
|
I'm lucky enough to live near this pub having moved to the area two years ago. I love this place, especially in the summer when you can turn up to find a throng of morris dancers, bikers, classic car enthusiasts, archers and other assorted eclectics. The beautiful cloudy cider is the real draw though. The food is passable too, (but not the pub's best asset). This is a pub that I will keep coming back to.
|
Obviously busy at weekends and bank holidays but for a midweek lunch you cannot do better. Excellent ales, love Bowmans, and good food. No mobile phone regime also scores highly. Staff friendly and helpful. One of my favourites.
|
Made the journey on a sunny Bank Holiday Monday to find this place in a rural setting down a single-track road. The bar is a visual feast for the thirsty traveller with a variety of Bowmans and guest ales on gravity. The Swift One and Wallops Wood were very tasty, and I even tried the (green) Signs of Spring which was strangely refreshing.
I retired to the large beer garden at the rear which filled rapidly with noisy families, but then you can always hide inside or at the tables by the roadside to get away from the tribal turmoil out back! With a good range of dishes to choose from on the menu I plumped for roast pork, and while not the best I've eaten (the pork was very tough and quite gristley) it was certainly a hearty meal which made up for it. Perhaps there are other wiser choices on the menu, or the chef had a bad day, so don't discount it for food based on my experience.
All things said and done it's a pleasant and popular pub and an absolute must for the real ale fan.
|
Excellent buffet laid on when we visited after a Bowman Brewery trip. Probably me but couldn't get on with the Stonehenge beer I had, it was green. Know it's supposed to be green but something in my head said no.
|
A gem. Although I think the Bowman ales are not quite as good as they were a year or so ago, Wallops Wood is a brilliant pint. There are normally one or two guest ales on at any time although I have noticed that the variety of these guest beers has reduced (maybe its the crdit crunch!) The pub itself is fantastic and the food is good. Quiz nights are always fun and the pub has a good atmosphere all year round. Do not miss this one.
|
Visted this pub today for the first time. Can only say that this is a treasure! All the beers are on gravity. I tried the Bowmans Swift One and the Oakleaf Naptu Ale - both were excellent. The food was good quality and big portions. I can't undersatnd some of the previous review points about high prices - I have not come across many pubs recemtly with so many dishes under (and well under) �10 and the beers were reasonable at �2.80. Service was efficient and friendly. Will definitely be looking for any excuse to get back there, even if it is an hour's drive away.
|
I'm rather surprised to read so many negative reviews of the Bowman's beer quality. I visit at least once a month and always find the beer well-kept. The Bowman Ales in particular sell very quickly and are always, in my experience, crisply served. Some of the 'guests' probably stick around a little longer and lack the edge of the Swift One, Quiver, Wallops Wood etc.
|
Stopped here on recent cricket tour. Great beer range but quality not exceptional and prices way o.t.t. - especially for food.
|
nice pub with lovely beer garden situated in the country. However, the beer itself is not kept very well at all, a real shame. The prices and service are also something to be questioned?
|
After a 3 mile walk with dogs, I was exceedingly disappointed with both the quality of the the beer and the service! Both were awful! The beer was cloudy, flat and too warm, and the bar staff were so disinterested and slow that each time we wanted a drink, we waited for 10 minutes plus!!!!
Go back? probably not until someone in charge recognizes that Good beer and Good service are paramount!!!
|
Lovely pub when we visited for there beer festival on 28th June however the prices of �3 a pint on everything and �4 for a baquet did seem quite steep.Was told the prices go up for the beer festival and they are not always this expensive.
Lovely garden and the extension, which wasn't there last time we paid a visit, was well done and could have been mistaken for being there longer.
An enjoyable visit.
|
Lovely and in the country. great food and a nice pub looking restaurant area.
|
Spent all afternoon Sunday in this wonderful pub. Beer was superb as was the food.Well worth going out of the way for.
|
This pub is virtually perfect. The beer is excellent, sourced from local breweries and straight from the cask.Food is also very good. Well worth seeking out.
anonymous - 11 Nov 2007 13:29 |
I used to visit this pub over 12 years ago when I lived close by. Glad to hear it hasn't lost any of it's character. I will make a point of visiting again when I am in the area. If I remember correctly, wasn't this pub the home of the Portugese Racing Sardine Club? I kid you not. Really!
|
By way of an update to my last review of almost a year ago, having since visited the Bowman in its extended form I can only endorse the comments made by CJG and others. Although it is in stark contrast to the original bar, in being contemporary, clean, and clearly with a focus on a restaurant ambience, the extension and new bar only serve to add a new dimension to the rustic character of the old pub, and in no way detract from that or diminish its genuineness. Indeed, it can be hailed as a great success, and dare I say that it does seem to attract a slightly wider clientele than before?
Another aspect that has inevitably brought forth the more discerning punters has to be the arrival of the Bowman Ales, for which this pub is in effect the brewery tap. These really are superb and can be found in excellent nick here from the cask. It is one hell of a phoenix that has arisen from the ashes of the once-proud Cheriton Brewhouse.
I should also mention that I found the food to be on equally form when I last ate here in June. Rarely do I see fit to do this, but there is sufficient justification for an increment in my numerical rating in this case!
|
An honest, no frills pub that has a varying selection of proper beers from the barrels behind the bar. Excellent staff who serve a full pint and who welcome everyone including locals, motorcyclists, walkers, etc. Best to go midweek when it's not packed.
|
sort the drains out you smelly people, not to mention the flat old beer, teach the barstaff to pour a proper pint, and where's your smoking shelter???!!!!!
|
Fantastic pub.Always was and and always will be. But why on earth did we have to pay �3 a pint at a beer festival recently?
|
An excellent pub, certainly one of the finest in Hampshire. The recent extension has only added to its attractiveness in no small part due to the extra space offered whilst not bespoiling the original bar. Good food is offered but that is to miss the point. The beer - served straight from the stillage-housed barrel - is never less than exemplary. The selection constantly changes, though it's a good bet to feature something from Archers - now in administration, the superb Droxford-based Bowman Ales, or Stonehenge.
|
Went to this pub on Easter Bank Holiday Monday and it was packed out. There are large gardens around the pub and two bars inside, which more than coped with the room required for such large numbers. If you do go on such a day as a bank holiday be prepared to queue at the bar for a while at peak times - best advise avoid them. Food we had was very well cooked, but again there was a wait, although it was only 40min as opposed to the hour we had been told when ordering.
A very good pub which is popular and worth the journey.
|
If possible take a tent as you can camp here, alot of beer to consume, also the the latest Bowmans Ales. When you are sober ask about the archery on site, a fantastic club.
anonymous - 9 Feb 2007 18:55 |
A summer pub! they have a beer festival in the summer which is brilliant.
Good ales and has now got better since the changes.
Good food as well.
|
I am not yet au fait with the alterations mentioned below, although it would appear that by and large it's business at usual at the Bowman.
I can appreciate that this will not appeal to everyone; whilst the pub is undeniably rustic, honest, unpretentious and in a beautiful countryside location, some more particular customers will find it perhaps too dirty, rambling and generally grubby for their liking. Withot wishing to seem snobbish about the matter, I for one have sometimes found the clientele to be somewhat rough and ready.
However, if you are a lover of no-frills country pubs that run entirely on genuine enthusiasm and good local banter, then this could be for you. As a cask ale enthusiast you are guaranteed a joyous experience, with numerous ales being drawn from the casks. A large garden can provide a glorious summer experience, although inevitably it can get busy and ill-disciplined children can be an issue.
A bit of a "marmite" pub. But by and large, I like it.
|
Now reopened after alterations. The front bar seems to have remained relatively intact, with the addition of another, more spacious, bar. I think that the customers of old will still like the front bar, and others who prefer a more open feel will like the other bar. The one thing everyone should agree on is that the beer is still excellent. All in all still a good pub. Well worth going out of your way for a beer there.
|
Allows dogs - brilliant.Superb beer straight from the barrel. Absolute gem - 10/10.Well worth travelling for.Notice it's closing soon for alterations - don't dare ruin it. Still haven't got over what Hall & Woodhouse did to the Jolly Sailor at Bursledon 20 odd years ago
|
Came across this pub by accident while out riding. Large beer garden, old style barrels behind the bar, friendly and good beer.
blamm - 19 Apr 2006 14:10 |
I have to agree with the other reviewers. This pub is excellent. Good beer, good food, and they even welcome wet cyclists at Sunday lunchtime. It may be a long way from anywhere else, but once you've arrived here, there's no need to move on. I particularly liked the barrels behind the bar. Haven't seen that outside a beer festival in years.
|
One of the top ten pubs in europe!
hope you don't find it, it's too good
|
Excellent friendly pub, good range of real beers changed regularly, dog freindly, food usually available, welcomes walkers & cyclists, morris dancers, mummers at xmas etc. Large garden, own camping field with minimum facilities, archery club next door.
|
A great hampshire pub tucked away in the middle of nowhere. Feels like someones front room. Busy with middle class bikers on sundays, empty the rest of the time.
Guy - 15 May 2004 20:14 |
If you can find this pub you will only share that knowledge with your best friends. A real ale pub. The beer is served directly from the casks (no hand pumps. The food is filling, tasty and good value. The countryside is wonderful, the garden immense.An experience to savour.
PS It's particularly cosy in the winter.
chris salsbury - 18 Apr 2004 01:00 |
