New Forest Pubs
enjoy a drink with ponies, donkeys and even pigs!

Pubs in the New Forest can often offer so much more than just a pint and a meal.

At most of these pubs you will find delicious, often locally produced food.

This tasty food may be award winningcheeses, meats, fruits or vegetables.

They are all doing their best to support local growers and producers. Can you imagine sitting outside on a sunny day looking at New Forest ponies, donkeys and even cows, they'll be enjoying their grass whilst you enjoy your pub lunch or dinner.

At some of the pubs I'll recommend you may even see... New Forest pigs!

I'm only listing my favourite New Forest pub below because I've dedicated a whole page to dog friendly New Forest pubs because they are so popular

The first pub I really like to visit is The Royal Oak at Fritham.

Why?

• Fresh, local food - all freshly prepared
• Warm, friendly atmosphere
• Log fires
• Dog friendly
• Wellie and walking boot friendly - they expect you to arrive from
  a walk or ride
• Great high days and holidays menus - BBQ's in the large grassed grounds
• Close to Eyeworth Pond - a lovely day out for all the family

We usually turn up on foot, but, I think this is really great - you can arrive on horseback and tether up in a small enclosure. A friend of mine did this a few weeks ago.

Your horse can have a drink (water I hope!). If it's a cool day, you may even be able to borrow a rug.

Your horse can be safely off the track in the paddock, and you can have a lovely Ploughmans salad with a Case of Wiltshire's English gammon - I love this gammon it really is good quality food.

If you are cycling to the Royal Oak you can just have a coffee or tea if you don't fancy cycling on a full tummy - but when you see the food I think you'll change your mind.

Pauline and Neil McCulloch run the Royal Oak at Fritham.

Here's some info about their lunchtime menus, you can see just how much local produce they use:

• Cheeses (except Stilton) Lyburn Farm shop at Hamptworth
• Tunworth cheese - won the Gold at the World Cheese Awards 2007
• Quiches are home made using local free range eggs
• Pork pies, sausage rolls and sausages from Uptons of Basset
  rated one of the top 5 butchers in the country.
• Duck breasts, when available, are cured and smoked on site
• Fresh dressed crab (summer only) caught locally - and described by Pauline and Neil
  are available subject to the tides and the fisherman's hangover!
• Smoked mackerel fillets are from Premier Fish of Downton
• Gammons are supplied by Case of Wiltshire and are cooked and honey roasted on site
• Homemade pate and soups and broths
• Locally produced cask beer

Here are some sample menus:

• Traditional Ploughman's Lunch
  Lyburn cheeses
  Home cooked gammon
  Mixed gammon and cheese
  Homemade coarse pate
  Stilton cheese
  Smoked mackerel fillets
  Tunworth soft cheese with plum chutney
  All served with home baked bread, fresh salad and pickles



• Homemade quiches and pies
  Traditional English sausage
  Home cooked sausage roll
  Home cooked pork pie
  All served with coleslaw and fresh mixed salad



• Pork pie, sausage roll or sausage served with
  crisps, an apple, pickle or cider mustard
  



• Home made soup or Ham and barley broth
  served with home baked cheese bread
  

To contact Pauline or Neil

email: royaloak-fritham@btconnect.com

Tel: 023 8081 2606


Here are directions

For Sat Nav - postcode SO43 7HJ
OS Grid SU2314

Google map


A couple of years ago we were cycling along a great cycling track from Frogham. We got to the Royal Oak and my chain broke!

After a lovely meal and a pint we saw there was no way to mend the chain, and so my husband towed me back by me holding on to his jacket. I got a bit bored and my right hand was getting a bit stiff and so on the last mile along the Hampton Ridge I decided to go "aerodynamic". He didn't realise this and the next thing I knew I'd hit a large stone on the track and gone over the handlebars! I thought I'd broken my collarbone and probably was only saved by the thickness of my padded jacket - what a twit. I was in agony for weeks after and wont do that again.

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