please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Still a great pub. Has recently had a minor refurbishment. But the character is unchanged. There's generally around 7 ales on, served by gravity. Today the selection was Dunscar Bridge Wicket Keeper, Big River Big Red, Brown Cow Smithson Ale, Oakham JHB, Bird Brain Chocolate Penguin, Plain Ales Sheep Dip & Mighty Oak Two Hoots. There's usually also a couple of real ciders and a perry. Today was Mays Medium Sweet, Carey Organic Medium & Butford Farm Perry. The garden is nice in the summer and hosts beer festivals on bank holiday weekends. The lounge is very cosy in the winter with a log fire generally burning. The locals are a friendly bunch.
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great range of quality beers in a superb pub.
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Excellent village pub with a great range of unusual -but good- beers straight from the barrel. The Hipdipper was excellent. The only problem was that I could not sample them all as the only way to get here is by car.
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This is an excellant pub not far from M40 but is off the beaten track and takes some finding on first visit. They serve ales straight from the cask and have an exceptional range of beers from obscure breweries all year round and surpass themselves at the Beer Festivals held at bank holiday weekends. I have visited the pub on numerous occasions and would have rated it a 10 but for an experience on my last visit. As I stated earlier they have a wide range of little known beers which I enjoy trying although I have to admit they are not always to my taste. I have never previously asked to sample a beer before buying but on this occasion I did and this was refused on the grounds that it is against policy. As it happens, the beer I wanted to sample was not for myself but for a non beer drinker who likes some Belgian fruit beers. That day the pub was serving an English fruit beer and I had wondered if it might be to her taste. I had to buy a half, she hated it and I had to drink it although it wasn't to my taste at all. I think, when such unusual beers are offered that customers should be allowed a small sample to help them make up their mind. I regularly drink in Wetherspoon pubs where samples are always available and I usually find at beer festivals where I have worked that we can offer samples (although I know at least one CAMRA festival which also refuses).
neapo - 24 Aug 2011 20:29 |
If you like amber coloured malty beers then this is the pub to go, if you like anything light golden and hoppy then make sure you are in then secret gang. Recommendations are only given on the beers that need to be got rid of. Which is shame because some of light beers are excellent, but when they do come on they’re gone in minutes as the select few customers have been drinking them for a day privately .
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Having seen this pub received a local CAMRA award and that it sold ale directly from the barrel, the Ramble Then Lunch team decided to circumnavigate Hedgerley in a six mile walk and call into the White horse.
And everything we had read about it was true. There were more real ales available here than there have been coalition U-turns and we sampled a fair cross section of them, of which I think California Common came out top. One pint we tried had gone over a bit and the barman changed it without a quibble. Top man.
Food offering was unusual in that inside the pub there appears at first glance to be a delicatessen. This however is the food counter where you not only order the food but you can look at it before you buy. Portions not enormous but prices reasonable to match and let's be honest - if you're still hungry you have another pint.
We sat in the large sloping garden on a sunny day and watched a strange avian battle between a moorhen and three wood pigeons - or had we consumed too much ? A very pleasant waste of two hours.
Any downsides ? On our visit - one. When we arrived the young man serving behind the bar turned out to be a pretty surly individual with minimal customer service skills. He threatened to spoil the White Horse experience but half way through our visit he was replaced with a more mature individual who was much better. Kid Surly was dispatched to clear tables.
We may well return in about six months time to sample a no doubt excellent range of winter ales. In the meantime visit here if you can.
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I went there Friday night for the beer festival Bank Holiday weekend, great selection of ales and cider good atmosphere could not fault it, even the Barbecue was top notch cant wait to return.
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I was in at the Easter weekend and they had a cracking beer festival on. We found the staff very friendly and the locals very chatty. Bigger than it looks from the front; quality pub.
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Still quite cosy in here today, with the roaring log fire going. Beers on today were Peerless Red Rockin' Robin, Dark Star Critical Mass, Phoenix Humbug, Belvoir Holy Knight, Yard of Ale Santa's Yard, Rebellion IPA, Mighty Oak Noel Coward, Derveniton Standard Bearer and Elland Savannah. Ciders were Broadoak Old Bristolian and Cromwells Oliver's Sweetheart. The perry was from Swallowfield. If I had one criticism, I would say that 3 ciders/perries is one too many as they can often take up to 2 weeks to turn over. Beers turn over much more quickly (often in 24 hours). However, this is still an excellent country pub to visit and still in my top 3 in the UK.
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What a gem! On top of fantastic range of beers they also have a deli counter inside the pub - fantastic pie, cheese, pates and other goodies. We visited during the beer festival - the range on offer was very extensive. And you can watch red kites straight from the beer garden + excellent walks nearby.
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I have visited this gem twice this weekend for the mini Easter Beer Fest and it's been excellent. Cracking public bar and laid back saloon bar plus beer tent. Lots of real ales and real people and the sun nearly came out.
Sal a manda
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One of my most favourite pubs. Beautiful in summer with a big rambly beer garden. Really cosy in winter. Huge range of drinks - ask for a belgian beer and you get a ring binder full of options! Lots of real ale options and a couple of ciders. Great place.
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Great range of beers, you'll guarantee to find something new. Went on a Sunday, very busy, but sat outside in the lovely garden. This pub is hard to beat.
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Went to this pub on a Sunday, its fantastic.
Lots of beers, many unheard of, choosing at random and got a couple of duds (not duds just not to my taste). Good range of ciders, perrys, tap Belgians and bottled Belgians. Food was very good but stuck to chips pies and sandwiches so can't comment on the hot meals. No TV, no pool table, no slots, some kids but not inside and all well behaved.
Good mix of locals, beer buffs, hikers and day trippers.
Church bells and huge birds of prey.
Went back of an evening the next week - Morris Dancers which everyone was enjoying, some seriously and others in a more ironic way.
10/10 in every way.
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Fantastic rural pub with some amazing beers to try.
An example of how rural: at the end of my most recent visit I wanted to phone for a taxi home, the barman told me that the only mobile phone signal that would work was O2 and I had to stand in a particular place just across the road! He was right and luckily I'm on O2, though he did offer the use of the landline if I wasn't :-)
I've never tried the food here so I can't comment on it, but the beer is what people go there for anyway and it won't disappoint.
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Fine country pub. Great selection of 8 ales. Had pints of the oddly named, but very fine, Sister Seagull from Elland Brewery and one of Scrum Down. A number of other interesting beers mainly from micro breweries.
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best pub ever- this is what it is all about, whether for a quiet summertime evening/ day drink, winter warming ale, or full on beer fest. Great home food and summer BBqs.
lovely surrounding woodland walks.
Very friendly family run pub, with friendly local atmosphere. go there.
1010
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Little has changed since I reviewed this pub just over one year ago. It's actually Rod and Ray (not Ron and Ray) that provide much of the evening entertainment (watch out for the spitting python). Last night, there were 8 real ales - Greene King IPA, Marlow Rebellion, Black Hole Starry Night, Bartrams Rude Alf The Red Knows Rain Dear, Milk Street Bobbled, Weltons Headless Horseman, Derby Sleighed Again and Brown Cow A Winter's Tale. There are also 3 changing real ciders or perries - Double Vision, Moles Black Rat and Winkleigh Autumn Devon Scrumpy last night. Saxon cider is no longer stocked. There is also a regular draught Belgian beer (St Monon Ambree yesterday), as well as mulled wine and cider at this time of the year. I was glad to see the White Horse in the top 50 recently. But it seems to have dropped down a little over the past few days. My rating remains 10/10 - one of only 3 pubs I gave this score to (the others being the Ship & Mitre, Liverpool and the Square & Compass, Worth Matravers).
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This pub is as good as it gets. Great range of ales, all in top notch condition, most served straight from the barrel via the little bar hatch. The ales are constantly changing and they specialise in ales from local micro breweries. The garden is lovely in the summer, as is sitting out the front and watching the world go by. 10 mins off the M40. Its well worth a special trip to this pub - not many like this still around.
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This is what a pub should be .No pool tables no music blareing out. a gem Lots of lovely real ale.. The gardens are a pleasure to sit in,one drawback young children running around playing tag and hide and seek,should be left in a pen.
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A complete gem.
I paid my maiden call at this hostelry on 30th May, having cycled from Gerrards Cross station. What immediately impressed me was the near-heroe's welcome I received from locals drinking outside, as I locked my cycle and took a look around the outdoor drinking area.
A proper, no-nonsense PUB. No tv, fruit machines or jukebox. Pure conversation rules the roost here, and I ended up in conversation with several regular visitors to the WH, who were friendly, chilled and relaxed.
From a constantly changing range of eight beers (some on gravity) I enjoyed four including one from Rebellion, another from Wensleydale (formerly Lidstones) and one from Penpont in Cornwall.
Festivals are held, usually around the late May bank holiday weekend (and at other times - check with pub) and beer turnover is reported at well over one hundred nine-gallon casks in the course of such events.
This pub must be visited, and it is one of those rare occasions where I will unreservedly award the full 10/10.
One of the best pubs in the UK.
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The best pub I know in SE England. A cracking country pub with an excellent range of real ales, mostly from Northern micros. There's 3 changing real ciders also (although 1 is from Saxon). Look out for Dot (the owner) supping here ice-filled drink near the fire, and for Ron and Ray who regularly compete with one another in breaking wind contests! Excellent and regular beer festivals, a great unspoiled country pub interior and fabulous atmosphere. No music, no TV, hardly any mobile phone reception (great news) and a friendly, relaxed environment to spend a few hours working your way through the blackboard. 10/10 from a fussy customer.
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Popped in here a few weeks ago after a nice walk round the countryside with my wife. Sat in the large beer garden, cracking little pub this. I had some food and it was decent pub grub. Well worth a visit.
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Another visit - A good little Freehouse that can get some really interesting beers. Cannot get these in your local pub owned by pub co - chain antiseptic multi-nationals.Treasure it.
Vive the difference.
cheers
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A very interesting place, with a super selection of ales. Food is also good. I've now visited a few times and the staff have always been friendly and knowledgable about the beers.
Cracking place to sit outside, front or back, on a sunny day and sample a few of the ales.
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As most others have said, The White Horse has a great selection of beers. The thing I like best is the fact that it's one of the only pubs I know that has a nice Belgian stong beer on tap. However, they only have one at a time (per month), and sometimes it's one of those fruit beers...which I don't like. As far as their other beer, I have had one or two that might have been reaching their age limit, but I suppose that's expected when you try to keep so many beers...many of which are largely unknown. The place is great when the weather is nice...to sit either in front, or the back garden. Never ate there, so can't comment on that. Worth a visit.
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Excellent pub - great choice of real ales and guest beers, and a lovely atmosphere. Food is excellent and well. A perfect place to end up in after a walk in the countryside around pretty Hedgerley village.
Well worth a visit.
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Beer from Microbrewers will always be expensive to procure. Small-scale production means larger cost overheads. Simple economic theory.
I personally applaud their active promotion of microbreweries. It gives small businesses an exposure that they won't get in tied houses. Most breweries started off as micros many moons ago. There'll always be a few beers that aren't that great served up, but there'll be some crackers. Sober's Six Sixes is a particularly memorable beer I had in the WH last year.
If you want a Dark Star/Hopback/Grand Union/Sharps there are plenty of places that serve them!!
Except Grand Union, which is now defunct, bar a few barrels sitting in cellars waiting to be tapped...
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What a lovely traditional pub and used to be the best pub in England, BUT the choice of beer on my last few visits (Saturdays 12th, 19th, 26th January)has been awful - Micro breweries so small they taste like they are brewed in garden sheds. Oh for a Dark Star/Hopback/Grand Union/Sharpes etc. Why is the beer so expensive here ? I drink in pubs in London where most beers of similar gravity come out 20-30 pence cheaper. I think in future I'll leave this once good pub to the real ale tickers in their anoraks. Very dissappointing.
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Imagine a picture postcard English village pub - this is it! Idyllic setting, excellent beer (range, variety and quality), good food. Legendary beer festivals. Probably my favourite pub, sha,me it's so far from Leeds.
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Now this is what I call an PUB!!!
Beer well kept, very good and varied choice of ales. A sociable and well informed Landlord (certainly knows his brews). No fancy fonts, all drawn from the barrel.
It is friendly, cosy, and clean, the idyllic English Pub, what a pity that most others have turned into plastic palaces more worthy of a McDonald's sign outside!
I urge you to pay this haven a visit as soon as you can
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Fantastic and deservedly popular country pub, top beers, good garden, beer festivals.
Can't undertsand why this place is showing such a low rating at the moment. If you love beer, you'll love this pub.
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Simply the best for real ale, with informed bar staff who instinctively know who's next! Food a bit iffy but who cares with this superb team of enthusiasts.
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"Go there for the superbly kept and varied beer, the hot fires on a cold winter's evening and the feeling of an old pub run in the way that pubs are supposed to be run..."
Yup, I think that's a fair assessment...
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This pub has been voted SWM CAMRA pub of the year has done on many occassions. The beer range is superb and the landlord knows his ale. There are also two ciders and a belgian beer on draft.
The clientel is a mixture of locals and beer lovers alike. Coversation is not spoilt by a juke box or a games machine. This is how a country pub should be.
Many different types of people go to the beer festivals and that makes it much more fun. My friends and fellow drinkers are neither Estate Agents, overweight clerical assistants, yuppies or faux farmers, however, we know a good pub when we see one!!
If you want Fullers, Shepherd Neame and other such boring brands, then go somewhere else. Go here if you want to try well kept different beers from small, new and unknown brewers.
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good unless you dain to venture into the locals bar wearing a turban. Shame ignorance is still rife... just want a quiet pint.
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One of the best for real ales with a huge selection which varies daily. Forget the food which is not great but just go for the beer. The staff are friendly and the clientel mixed. The beer festivals get very busy but are definitely worth visiting. Bring a non-drinking driver though.
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What a funny place?! The Barman couldn't tell me anything about the Beer that was available, so I rather feel that there was not a lot of point in employing him in the first place!! Not a good experience.
Alain - 30 Dec 2006 18:09 |
The beer is varied and usually pretty good, although quite overpriced. Half the time you get the feeling you're drinking the same old stuff but with a catchy ~ stupid name that you'll never encounter again in your life.
The clientel is a sorry mix between yuppies and people having adulterous liasons in the lounge area through to green welly wearing yuppies and faux farmers from low cost local housing dominating one of the three tables in the tiny public bar, waffling on about the old times (mostly droning on about fiddling the tax man, old blues music and ancient English motorcycles). Fine if you get off on those things, very dull if you don't.
The food is dire beyond description. Stay away from it at all costs or pay heavily for the crap salads, dreadful scotch eggs and indifferent occasional hot dishes. The worst that English cooking can possibly provide, salmonella disguised as nourishment.
The beer festivals are swamped by estate agents called Nigel and bedraggled overweight clerical assistants from Ealing. Well worth avoiding.
Go there for the superbly kept and varied beer, the hot fires on a cold winter's evening and the feeling of an old pub run in the way that pubs are supposed to be run.
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Visited yesterday on the way back from a disappointing trip to Birmingham. This made up for it even if it did cost a fortune in cab fares. Would give it a 10 but it's such a pain to get to. Anybody who likes their real ales or traditional pubs should give this place a visit, just find a tee-total driver.
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Wow! This place is immense!
Can't really add anything new to whats been said below...quality beer, friendly staff, lovely atmosphere...A perfect 10 every time!
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An absolute must if you're a real ale drinker. Always a big selection and it has such a charm about the place. The drawbacks are the size - it's tiny - and the fact it is in the middle of nowhere so someone has to drive.
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What luck, this is my local! Winner of the CAMRA best pub award five years in a row, the White Horse was excluded from voting to give someone else a go! The main beer festival is held on the 2nd bank holiday in May (130 ales, perrys, ciders) but most bank holidays will have a smaller version (about 30 different ales.
The the ales on offer change extremely frequently but old favourites will keep popping up.
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This is one of the few gems left in the world. A good old fashioned pub, flag-stones in the public bar and a proper fireplace. 7 real ales and 2 ciders. Good food too. Worth trying to find.
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What a pub!! two minutes from J2 of the M40 and well worth the detour. A small flagstone bar with inglenook seat, the lounge is not much bigger, and plenty of garden seating. This pub had 6 real ales on gravity when I visited, mostly from tiny breweries. The hot food is good and extremely cheap for the are, and the cold buffet/deli is to die for.
All of this plus pleasnt young bar staff who actually know what they are doing gets the pub a 10 vote.
Jimbo Smith - 4 Sep 2004 09:01 |
8 Real ales from the cask every day, quality food, no kids, gaming machines or musak. Friendly staff. What more can you want
Jonathan - 19 Aug 2004 13:55 |
One of the best pubs I've had the pleasure of visiting. Real ales, real ciders, nice garden, beautiful surroundings (in the middle of nowhere, and takes a little finding first time) - popular beer festivals held once a year - there really is nothing bad that can be said about this pub. All drinkers must give this place a visit once in their lives!
Alan - 7 Jul 2004 16:30 |
Beer Festival at The White Horse Friday 28th May - Monday 31st May. Over 130 real ales!
anonymous - 19 May 2004 21:44 |
A brilliant real ale pub. Local CAMRA branch pub of the year for the last 5 years running, I believe.
spudge - 25 Apr 2004 01:24 |
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