please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Disappointing range of four beers that included Courage, Hobgolin and one from Cottage. I don't remember anything local being on. The Courage had a note saying it was he landlord's favourite which perhaps misses the point. This is really just an eatery.
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Located on a roundabout, it had a beer festival when I visited so there was about a dozen beers available but it included some very ordinary beers. The seating was bit cramped due the space taken up by the barrel racking but was reasonably comfortable. I can't comment on the choice at the bar since I was only there for one drink.
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Visited this place on Sunday night. It was very very quiet, and we counted 2 other guests outside who were just leaving, four more inside and two in the back garden. Exactly why it was this quiet became apparent when I ordered a round of drinks. I thought £4:60 a pint outside London was unheard of outside restaurants until that moment, but clearly not!
Locationally, sat in the middle of a busy roundabout is not the most relaxing of settings either, especially as the odd bout of road rage (2 in as many hours) led drivers to blare their horns at one another whilst shoulding obscenities.
On the plus side, the range of ales is pretty good - nice to see Doonbar and Ringwood offerings alongside those from the Hogs Back brewery.
On the whole, though, I would not recommend.
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A nice publican and a really great selection of ales. A strange location, but worth a detour.
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Great pub in a very bizarre position. One of the few places where you legally drive on the right - for about 5 yards to get off the roundabout.
Always had a huge choice of ales, and sitting outside in the sun watching the cars stream by is odd, but curiously enjoyable.
Hog's Back TEA is a particular favourite beverage here.
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Visited on Saturday night (haven't been here for a while) and it looks like it's had a makeover or it's under new management. Same great selection of ales (5 or 6 I think?) - Punch haven't got hold of this one yet fortunately. Had a very tasty drop of Hammerpot's Porter (�3.40) and stayed for a bite to eat too. A tad on the pricey side, but the beer and service made up for it.
Definitely going back, although hopefully driven next time!
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Altons Pride, Old Empire, Pride, Bass, Northumberland Bucking Fastard, Fllowers ipa. Bizarre location in the middle of the roundabout. Decent beers and attentive service. Not sure how you would walk here!
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Visited this place twice recently. It's a place I would certainly recommend for a couple of good beers (I had to take one of the guest beers back as it was a bit funky, but it was replaced without quibble) and the food is really good, if not a touch pricey.
The Ploughmans is tasty and fresh but a bit basic, certainly for the price. The shepherds pie is very good but the seafood linguini is fantastic.
It's a bit hectic sitting out the front as the cars / motorbikes by flying by, but the rear garden is very attractive and much quieter. The staff are keen, friendly and helpful.
Overall, good food, good beer and a good atmosphere. I'll be going back.
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Don't visit any more as they no longer serve Ringwood Old Thumper!
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Spent a sunny Saturday afternoon at this place. If you can get your head around being stuck on a roundabout this isn't really a bad place to visit and watch the cars go by (very fast!). Good selection of beers and lagers and the food was fine but it my opinion nothing special. Perhaps this was my fault as I should have ordered something more exciting than a burger!
The pub was very busy the afternoon I visited (a good thing for a pub in this day and age) so it did take a while to get served so be warned.
That aside, this pub is worth a visit if you are passing.
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hi billybongo , thanks your the comments about the food at the shepherd and flock ,i'm the head chef there and have been for the last 4yrs, i,m not going anywhere soon ,and i'm busy training up more chefs to cope with so many customers,we are pasisonate about the food we make and it's always nice to hear those sort of comments , when you are next in ask to see me .
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Excellent pub.
Nearly always a fantastic selection of well kept real ales. (occasionally go in and 4 of the 7 pumps are off, but very rare).
Current house beers are TEA, old peculiar and Altons pride, with 4 guest ales.
Friendly staff, and excellent beer gardens at font and back, with a nice heated smoking area. Food is top class too.
Only (minor) complaint would be the toilet cubicle in the gents is very very small. You have to pretty much climb on the toilet to be able to shut the door!
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Visiting friends in Farnham stopped off on the way past and was impressed, the beer was on top form ( Ringwood or who ever owns it now) food looked good but we did not eat,wish this place was closer to home.Will call when next in area. 8/10
anonymous - 26 Nov 2009 19:55 |
Excellent ale on offer yesterday - the Old Thumper was superb! Decent prices for drinks too from a supposedly expensive pub!!
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This is the second time that I've been to this pub, the first when stopping off during a bike ride, and this time, just stopping off for Sunday lunch.
Well, the first time was good, but today was simply excellent. I can't say much about the beer (didn't have any), but the food was unbelievably good.
I can see people below complaining about the prices, but are these the people who expect a Sunday carvery for �3.50? The prices seem perfectly normal for a Surrey pub, but what was extraordinary about this pub was the quality of the cooking. We didn't bother with the Sunday roast at �10, but went 'A La Carte', or rather straight off the blackboard, and a wise choice it was too. The Confit of Duck with black pudding and savoy cabbage was out of this world. The quality of the food and the presentation was streets ahead of any restaurant in Guildford, yet this is just a pub! Clearly, the owner and the chef are pulling in the right direction, and if you want seriously good food and pub prices then this pub is a must.
I am an excellent cook myself, and as a result, very critical of poor food served to me, but this pub's chef is on the ball; I just hope he/she doesn't move elsewhere, because this is going to become a regular stop off from now on for us.
10 out of 10 (rarely given by me)
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The beer here is lovely. Always an excellent selection and always in tip top condition.
To join the food debate I would suggest that the vegetarian food selection is very poor so we won't dine here although the pricing appears reasonable. My other half would love to eat his way through the menu . . . .
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Why do people think that the food is expensive? How much is too much for a decent main meal?? Considering everything is fresh and home made i'd say its very competitive.
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Beer is certainly not up to the quality it used to be. Maybe that is why the Cask Marque has gone. Not so long ago this was a pub worth going out of your way for, but alas no longer.
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Why does the pub no longer hold the Cask Marque?
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Went in last week and balked at the food prices - left without ordering. A shame as the beers are great and the food has been good when I've eaten there previously. Too expensive for me now though so will go elsewhere for food.
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Second pub visited after our Hogsback Brewery trip on 2/2/08. Spotlessly clean and well laid out with a good choice of beer. Had been warned that this is the stockbroker belt so it was going to be expensive but still had to do a double take on the menu prices. Beer very good and as we found out later an average price for the area. All in all a very good pub but a bit on the pricey side.
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Has to be the best pub for miles around.Beer and food on top form, especially Ringwood Best and Ringwood Old Thumper. The shepherds'pie and crayfish and leek crumble were to die for. For the first time ever had to sit in the restaurant area as a large party were eating. IMHO this restaurant area, normally a white elephant would be much better developed as part of the bar, say with alcoves etc. All in all a great evening!
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My new favourite pub. An excellent selection of beers, with food to match - I particularly recommend the shepherd's pie, which fits perfectly with the sheep theme that runs through the whole establishment from the sheep table markers (Zelda is our favourite) to the toilet doors (Rams and Ewes). Deserts are great, if a little on the large side (and it's not often that's the only thing I have to complain about with deserts...)
Also, it's in the middle of a roundabout. How can that be bad?
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Fantastic pub, friendly staff and good food. There are always a wide selection of many different real ales on that constantly change from month to month.
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Great little pub. Good beer, good food. Go there on a nice day and sit outside and watch the traffic go by.
By the way, this pub was here way before there was a roudabout.
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A decent pub with good selection of beer/lager/cider -South African Savannah is particularly good, the only pub I know that sells it. Food above average and staff always seem friendly, very rarely have to wait to be served. Good mixture of punters, a few chavs do find their way in (probably due to taking the wrong turning off of the roundabout) but they tend to be less obnoxious than most.
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I can highly recommend this pub, me and my girlfriend have had evening meals there several times and i've also had sunday roast dinners for 8 people there.
All of the food is fresh and home-made and very well presented.
The menu includes many of the pub favourites which you would expect along with more interesting dishes.
The dessert menu was impressive and i was assured it was all home-made.
Prices are competitive with a main meal costing between �8 and �15.
The range of ale availiable is impressive with many local beers. There is a good selection of wine to suit most peoples pocket and some interesting imports, such as savanna, a south african cider.
All in all very enjoyable.
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This pub is great. You get good hearty food and they do a good range of ales (well, according to my male friends anyway!).
Nice garden at the rear to sit outside in sunny weather, can tend to get a bit smokey inside.
I think its just novel to have a pub in the middle of a roundabout!
Jo984 - 28 Sep 2006 15:21 |
If you like hair in your food this is the place for you.
3 out of ten because the beer is good.......
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Fantastic food everytime and I love the little sheep for table numbers, quirky yet a talking point at the table. Not a real Ale rinker but there does seem alot to offer, in 4 visits I have not had a bad one!
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Went here last night. Tried "Grave Digger", on as part of the CAMRA Mild May campaign. Very good indeed. A surprising find in the middle of a roundabout, but well worth it. Food looked nice as well, so I'll be going back to try it out.
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Odd place, good range of Real Ale, but the interior is a bit weird, I expected a CAMRA version of Elvis to pop out from behind the bar...
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Very good real ale pub. Also had an exceptional German chef who sadly recently left. Haven't tried the new chef's output so will shelve further judegement until tasted.
The beer is the star though. An exceptional, ever changing range of ales and bottled beers. One of the best ale pubs in the area. The refit's not bad. The old place was a little...er...dirty and very smokey! Seems to be exceptionally popular.
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Last in our crawl of Farnham and, we thought, the jewel in the crown of our little "imbibificatory" (as old Bushy would say) tour of Farnham.
Quite a walk out too, worth it though - we were expecting great things.
BUT - Oh no!!!
They've gone and "gastro'd" the Shepherd and Flock. It's a crime against humanity!!
Unfortunately now the interior seems small and crowded as the vast majority of the pub is a restaurant. Didn't seem to be anyone in the restaurant.
They had a range of 5 Christmas beers and HBB's Tea, which was nice enough.
Unfortunately the Chistmas ales don't really appeal when you are trying to "do" a few pubs on your day off, and get home alive - as they are all about 39% ABV ankle breaking tackle. So maybe having 5 of 'em and only one normal beer, was perhaps an unfortunate decision.
However that would undoubtedly appeal to the foodies who'll sit there with a half a pint of the christmas beer of their choice for 2 hours, whilst consuming their Ostrich Ankle Soup with crispy alligator croutons; whilst anyone who has just dared to go in for a pint and a fag will have to huddle up at the other end of the pub.
Ah well such is progress, and who am I to resist that?
Funeral is next week.
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great pub for food and beer, what else do you need! particulary nice in summer.
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Wide choice of ales changing frequently, food hasn`t been as good as previous visits, but a pub is for beer not food
anonymous - 7 Aug 2005 22:41 |
Great beer, worth a visit for that alone (why else go to a pub?). Good food.
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Well known real ale pub with 8 real ales, recently given a big refurb.
Food excellent, well worth a visit.
brian thomson - 3 Feb 2005 19:58 |
Yes! the bar manager (Glen) cornish and great looks after the beer like he looks after his women,yes a great real ale pud and Stehpen the owner is not a bad guy either I would recommend this pub
Tom - 14 Apr 2004 20:27 |
Lots of real ales, with changing guest ales. Good atmosphere, fantastic food, and friendly staff. Fabulous place.
G Dowling - 8 Aug 2003 11:08 |
