The Bell Inn in New Forest

Afternoon tea very busy for staff

We stopped for lunch and had the best meal of our 4 day stay in the New Forest. The staff were very friendly and helpful and a fuss of our miniature schnauzer.

Went here for afternoon tea, wow all food was of excellent quality and quantity, the scones are by far the best I've tasted and sandwiches were super fresh with great fillings, had 2 boxes to take home as so much to eat, fantastic service from the gentleman working today also, great interior too, would thoroughly recommended

Sunday Lunch - average experience, service was slow, food was good. Would I recommend?... Not particularly...would I go again? .... Yes, but not in a rush.

went for an afternoon tea with my mum and server by phil, wonderful food and amazing service! really recommend. went for afternoon tea for two and had more than enough food, highly recommend - phil was incredible so lovely and even took our photo

Booked in for lunch, feel bad for chef with the one star, as the food could well be incredible, but was met with rudeness from staff. Really quite hostile service. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been there before, but maybe someone who looks like me has and been rude to them. Thankfully the friend I was meeting was late, so waited outside and we went to a lovely pub just over the road where we had the opposite experience. Would never go back, as if you’re out for a nice lunch why would you want to be treated rudely by people you’re expected to pay.

We had afternoon tea and the food was amazing. They were able to accommodate the need to have it as a takeaway which was thoroughly appreciated

Lovely rooms, good food and pleasant service 😀

We booked an afternoon high Tea which was absolutely superb, we we're seated close to a real fire. The staff were attentive and very professional in their work. We were so impressed with The Bell In we booked a two night stay after Christmas. Well done The Bell In.

Beautiful hotel, Friendly, polite and helpful staff. Very comfortable bed, clean and spacious rooms. I can’t wait to visit again.

The whole experience was great. The staff were awesome, helpful, friendly and kind folks.

Beautiful Inn, lovely staff and lush food!

Really nice pub with great food. Also Dog friendly 🐶

We really enjoyed our stay at this beautiful hotel. In particular, it is in a great location, every staff member we met was very warm, friendly, and accommodating, dinner at the restaurant was really delicious and our room was very spacious and clean. Highly recommend if you are looking for a relaxing getaway.

I had a lovely stay at the Bell Inn last week, the staff are excellent (a thank you in particular to Richard who was doing about three different jobs at the same time and kindly checked my tyres in the rain when I was having car issues), the food was great (the steak and chips are amazing) and the room was comfortable, I look forward to my next visit!

Decent food, but website photos are definitely deceiving. Elevated pub food really, so might as well go to Green Dragon opposite where prices are much cheaper. Bit disappointed with the food and service but the waiter was brilliant and generous.

The room was spacious enough and bed was comfortable. The room had a coffee machine, so hot water for tea had to be warmed up through that. The bathroom could have had a deeper clean, ie: edges of sink weren't wiped down thoroughly. The bar didn't have any real ales on (both options were off). The evening food was decent enough, but service was slow, albeit very polite. Breakfast was excellent, but there were no teaspoons! Great location and lovely countryside.

We came for dinner on a weekday. Unfortunately the venue is understaffed and missing some staff training. The 2 girls serving the restaurant were also doing the bar. Food was good but slow to arrive. The golf club next door emptied into the bar taking up the girls' time. Don't get me wrong, the girls were working hard but could not be in 2 places at the same time. They did not ask if we wanted another drink and I had to refill our jug of water by taking it to the bar. We also had trouble getting them over so we could pay the bill. Not planning to return there soon.

Delightful food, excellent service and pleasant surroundings.

We stayed here just for one night, but loved this place very much! This hotel staff was so friendly and polite, room was nice and tidy with big size and good quality towels😍 they also serve sophisticated dinner. Lamb with some Indian sauce was amazing! There is a room for improvement in a variety of ciders, especially dry, but it’s about most places in the UK))

Enjoyed a super Mothering Sunday lunch. The mums were given a free glass of Bubbly, and apresent of honey and beeswax lip balm, with a silk rose, from Furzedown Farm, Hythe. The staff were wonderful, and the ambiance was good. Food superb!

Absolutely lovely place to stay. Rooms are nice, well cleaned and serviced. En-suite bathrooms are brilliant - the baths are nice and big for longer people. The bar and restaurant are very cozy, friendly and the food is amazing.

Pleasant clean and friendly. Place,

Went Saturday for lunch with a party of 8. The service is really dreadful , not welcoming at all, and not attentive. I had to ask on numerous occasions for drinks, and I felt guilty asking . Its like the staff really couldn't wait to go home. The wine list is really poor and limited. I appreciate the country has a supply issue at the moment, but last time I went to majestic, there wasn't a problem. Food is OK, but really nothing special. Decor is lovely , but thats the only thing going for it.

8 of us on a golf break. Waiter was impatient taking our order and told us if we didn't get a move on we would be eating at McDonald's.Food OK but very pricey for what it is.Onto the bar, went to order a round at 10.50 to be told the bar closed at 11. Showed the barman the time, but he wouldn't budge.Rooms are lovely with large TV on the wall, no complaints here or at breakfast which was plentiful and prepared well.I understand the difficulties that the hospitality industry is facing in regards attracting staff, but please give them basic customer service training before letting them loose on paying customers.Won't be returning, there are a lot of friendlier places with smiling staff who know what they are doing offering the same or better standards of food and accommodation at a more competitive price.One last point, On 1st October, VAT in the hospitality industry increased from 5 to 12.5%. Not the 20% the Bell attempted to charge us.

Having been recommended to stay by friends before the hotel changed hands we were looking forward to receiving the same if not a better standard of food/service. Both evenings our meals were mediocre and cold.Breakfast was a shambles no tongs for the toast, pastries, or taking the weetabix from a jar!! Basic hygiene standards were lacking even without COVID. When asked for a coffee in the morning they had run out the night before. When asked if there was fruit we were offered an apple or orange from the fruit bowl and told there were no bananas. Every time we asked for anything the excuse was we have only just re-opened. There was also an issue with the hot water and on the second night we had none and after a round of golf it’s not something you want.On a positive lovely people in the golf shop very helpful and the Forest Course was something everyone should experience just amazing to play your favourite game and be amongst the nature of the new forest.

Not a massive menu but the food was cooked well and of good quality. Staff were great and attentive, especially Grace. Try the pork or salmon. Steak was OK but overpriced.

After a impromptu stay over in Bournemouth and the fact we have been here before we decided to make it our lunchtime stopp off on the way home, welcomed into the bar and soon had 2 lovely ciders whilst we waited fr our bar food. Clean and tidy and with a freindly atmosphere, great stop off just watch out for the local donkey`s who meet in the road

It’s took me a couple of days to decide what to write here… as my experience was both good and bad.Good: wonderful accommodation, my room was really nice, and rightly so as it cost a lot. It was booked for a special night for me and my wonderful partner on our way back from the Isle of Wight… so the room I can’t fault.However…Bad: It started not so great when the barman didn’t seem to know where the ginger ale was for my whiskey & ginger, only to drown my drink in ginger ale… should have let the customer add his own amount of mixer…. A rookie error right there.The booked evening meal was a shambles… not the food, the food was really nice… when it turned up. And that was the problem. We were on time for our table, sat down and it took 20 minutes before someone took our order for food and drink. Time ticked by, until my lady got up to ask about our drinks at least. I’d ordered a particularly expensive red wine… not out of bravado, but because I like Pinot noir, but at £15 a glass, you’d think they’d serve it pretty quickly! We got our drinks and then time ticked by again… a ribeye steak and duck doesn’t take forever…. But it took us to enquire a further two times to find out what was going on. Turns out the computer server went down… which as the waitress wrote down our order with pad and pen, didn’t wash with me. So ladies and gentlemen… 1 hour and 25 minutes later… our food arrived! My steak, fine… but my other half’s duck had turned into pork belly! To their credit they apologised, gave us a free drink each… though it would have been better for the manager to do the apologising rather than make the poor waitress do it. Bad management. We would have stayed for a pudding and perhaps a coffee had it all gone well. And perhaps even a whiskey, after. But we went to bed.In the morning breakfast was pretty badly managed too… I’m not even going to go into that. However at the reception, we found the whole mean had been erased from the final bill… which is why I agonised over leaving such a review. But it remains to be said… the very young manager did not deal with the situation well at all, keeping the customer updated on problems goes down much better than leaving them to stew!I have been involved with nightclubs for many years and our restaurant would never leave a customer waiting for over an hour without food or an explanation.I admit I am now not so sure I would return to this establishment, which saddens me as it promised so much more. And did kind of ruin a nice evening. But I did appreciate the outcome of not charging us for the dinner. Perhaps training the staff in customer care is needed.

We have been patrons of The bell Inn for many years and think that following our lunch today we have been very spoilt in the past. No one in reception with a smile to greet you. One person behind the bar. After a short wait he asked what we would like. Told him we had booked a table for lunch. He told us to go through to the restaurant. We were not asked if we would like a drink before going through. Shown to our table by very pleasant waitress; no name badge on show, and she didn’t introduce herself to us. Given paper menus, not a lot of choice. Once ordered, menus were taken off us and replaced on the pile by the entrance. During our time there these menus were used time and again. Non compliance with Covid regulations for the hospitality sector. Food was served on cold plates, Beef was really good but let down by barely warm veg and cauliflower cheese was off the menu. No replacement offered other that to be told we would get extra veg that was available. Ordered a Gordons Gin & Tonic.. no Gordons Gin available!Such a shame as we have had many very good meals here in the past. Lots of improvements need to be made to entice us back… Sorry..

My Wife & I decided to take a short notice break mid-week a couple of weeks ago and came across the Bell Inn on the internet. What a find that was. Great location to get away from home and just stretch your legs. Very comfortable hotel & Restaurant which has just opened with a new owner. Even with the turmoil of C19 the staff could not do enough to help us and did so with politeness and a smile. One person to highlight was Mike the Bar Manager, who made it a very enjoyable stay and took the time in his very busy day to make us feel welcome and ensure we had all we needed. Also a mention has to go to the Chef for one of the best Breakfasts’ we have had in a very long time. We will definitely be back there, as we promised the staff we would bring the dog next time. Mark & Julia Berryman, Exeter.

Just reopened last weekend, spent the weekend there. Staff very friendly, the rooms nicely decorated and the food was fabulous. Really lovely weekend and a great base to explore the New Forest

This fabulous place reopened two days ago and today was their first Sunday lunch service. The staff were fantastic and the food was absolutely divine. Thank you so much, I only wish we could give you more than 5 stars!

The hotel reopen on the 6th August with new owners. We have been lucky enough to have stayed here and been one of the first guests. The hotels had considerable work completed it is now of a good standard. The food and staff are excellent, friendly professional and welcoming. We would really recommended this Inn. Try it you will not be disappointed Colin and Janet

Could not fault this at all. Came here for my 50th birthday weekend courtesy of my wonderful fiance. Food was delicious, room was comfortable and the location was perfect. Hope to return

We recently stayed here for 2 nights following my birthday. The hotel is lovely. Full of rustic charm with a gorgeous log fire in the bar. There are lots of places to sit and chill out and the rooms are comfortable and clean. We had dinner one evening in the restaurant and it was amazing. Very well presented and delicious. More like fine dining. The staff are very friendly and the service is very good. It is also a dog friendly hotel for anyone looking for a place to stay who has a dog. It is not far from the M27 so easy to find and there is an excellent pub across the road called the Green Dragon which does fantastic food as well. All in all a great place to stay in the New Forest. We would certainly consider returning.

We came here for lunch with friends yesterday and had a fantastic meal. 2 of us started with the tempura prawns and you could certainly taste the chiili in the sweet chilli jam! We then both had burgers and they were excellent. They were cooked to perfection. One of our friends had the chicken liver parfait followed by steak whilst the other had the chicken and chorizo crocquettes followed by the sea bream. They both said that their meals were excellent. The staff were friendly and more than happy to let us take our time over the meal. We'll certainly be back.

A great place in the New Forest but very convenient to the M27 Junction at Cadnam. A nice peaceful place to stay and right next to Bradshaw Golf Club for those who like to play! With friends we enjoyed a nice lunch in the restaurant with very reasonable prices & a good menu choice. Before eating we enjoyed a drink in the bar area next to the warming open fire.

Spotlessly clean,good food ,professional staff but lack of atmosphere let it down. A bit chilly in public areas.

The Bell is in a great location close to the end of the M27 (exit Cadnam). Inside it is unusual and a bit quirky, with comfy sofas side by side with tables for eating at arranged in different areas, along with an open fire. The food was excellent and we'll presented, although my fish left me a little hungry. The layout must make it hard to watch what is going on at tables, and they seemed short of staff as we had to prompt them for service on more than one occasion.

Beautiful food but surly attitude and appalling slow and disinterested service ruined surprise lunch. This had been booked for a couple of months. The place was not busy. Disorganised staff gave impression they didn't really care at all. Steaks X three did not come as ordered but we're nevertheless delicious. In fact the service seriously let try he chef and food down. All of us commented the food was cold on arrival at the table. No staff came to check everything was ok. After half an hour of waiting for plated to be cleared and dessert menus to be offered a member of the party had to go and ask if the table good be cleared. It was not done with good grace.So sadly very disappointed. The place is stunning, the food is great but the service spoils it completely. Would have been delighted to return as it is very local to us but will not - so sad

Excellent food, comfortable rooms, relaxing atmosphere. Worth repeat visits, this is a multiple repeat visit!

Excellent menus excellent food at very good prices, great selection of dishes using locally sourced ingredients. Excellent service.

Good location for a golf holiday. 2 golf courses and a pretty decent hotel with good food. Recommended.

The Bell Inn had been highly recommended by friends and I was looking forward to a lovely restaurant meal. I was not disappointed. It was a cold Sunday evening but what a warm welcome. A lovely dining room, friendly atmosphere, great menu and excellent food and wine. Scott looked after us perfectly and was such a charming person. I look forward to a return visit.

This is our first visit and had such a lovely meal. We ate the tempura prawns, crab and falafel for starters, followed by the hake, lamb and roast beef all perfectly cooked and served with nice mix of vegetables, then the brioche and panda cotta for desert. Service was spot on, haven’t had a Sunday lunch as good as this for ages and will definitely go again!

A family lunch with the long lost cousins. Good ambience. The restaurant was very quiet on a Monday lunchtime. Just our table of six and four other diners. The food was excellent but nobody went for adventurous eating. One burger, one fish and chips and four steaks. I would have thought that with the place practically empty that the service could have been a bit sharper. What more can I say? Cost with drinks was £180. Reasonable value for money. We all agreed to go back there in March.

Stayed and dined many times. Rooms and restaurant all excellent. I recommend the Bell Inn highly.

The great taste of a good Sunday lunch , with a variety of other dishes to help the palate achieve that value for money feeling . Good Service and good local product

I was really impressed with the Bell. They were so welcoming to my dog - genuinely dog friendly and not just dog tolerant. And my nut allergy was not a problem: other restaurants could definitely learn a thing or two here!

Wonderful. Cosy. Great staff. And it is dog friendly - our dog had her own biscuits and dog bed provided for her. I'd love to eat this food every day - if only I had their chef! 5 *

Myself and 3 golfing friends spent a lovely two nights at the Bell Inn, the staff were extremely helpful and very pleasant in the dining room and the reception, our rooms were kept spotlessly clean by the housekeeping staff. The food was exceptional, the buffet breakfast and the evening meal were superb. We visit the Bell most October’s for our annual golf trip and find everyone so very polite and nice from the pro shop to the hotel. We will be back next October.

excellent food and service, classic dishes breakfast excellent too - though not a huge selection of non cooked busy on a saturday, so make sure you book

absolutely try the DUKKAH spiced chicken ..the flavours are superb!!!!

After driving past The Bell every day going to work, I finally stopped there a few months ago, and have been back several times since. It is a lovely spot for a pot of tea in the garden, a sandwich at lunch , cocktail on a Friday evening, or Sunday lunch. I have never been disappointed with the quality, the courteous and helpful service, or the ambience. Stop there and see for yourself!

We stopped here today on the off-chance for a nice Sunday Lunch. We were accommodated brilliantly by the very friendly team. The menu looked great, we really enjoyed our lunch. Very good portion sizes, food fresh, and delicious. Puddings to die for. Pistachio parfait & Chocolate

We had lunch here, four adults, and two very lively toddlers. The food was very good, as was the service. Would recommend.

I recently visited this beautiful pub restaurant, saw very disappointed with the portion size of the cod. I noticed that others that had ordered the same cane out in different sizes. My portion seem to be on the small size, especially when you could see that it had been cut down. I have never been some where that cuts the cod down into smaller plaices. The size was about 4” by 1.5”. That to me is a chicken size of fish with an adult price.

We chose The Bell as a convenient place to meet up for morning coffee and meeting.

An hours wait for the starter is unacceptable even on a busy bank holiday weekend. One the food arrived it was excellent. Conveniently located only 5 minutes from Junction 1 of the M27 in the village of Bramshaw next to the Bramshaw Golf Course.

We only popped in for a drink and not for food. Staff seemed friendly but the service was slow. Nice beer garden with some activities to entertain the kids (and adults). Some of the tables had parasols.

A very enjoyable lunch in a pleasant environment. An interesting menu with all the food we had being well prepared and presented. Friendly staff.

Food is excellent, service is good and great surroundings. Had Sunday roast and have to say the beef was incredible, but the rest was also right up there with the best I've had. Loads of parking and to be honest a great sunday experience. Certainly going to come back.

Ate at The Bell earlier this week. The food was superb and the service was polite, pleasant and timely. The menu, although not vast, offered a wonderful range of dishes, all of which sounded superb and the two we ordered were both excellent. In particular, it was fantastic to see a choice of vegetarian meals that are not the 'usual' fare of British restaurants - the sweet potato laksa was very tasty. The home made chips are also worth mentioning - the are big, fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside; perfect! The desserts were also notable for being a bit different and beautifully presented - the pistachio parfait and Sicilian lemon were both utterly delicious. The only thing that slightly spoiled an otherwise lovely evening was a group of old men on a nearby table who were coarse and loud, but sadly, this can happen anywhere.

They were very accommodating with a large party for afternoon tea

Lovely food and surroundings with staff to match!

We visited here on Saturday initially just for a quick coffee and then we looked at the menu and decided to book for lunch.

Two exellent golf courses attached to the hotel, the forest course very different than the parkland course. The hotel food is excellent very good quality and reasonable for our package. Hotel staff were very nice and helpful accommodation clean and well maintained.

Nothing bad about it and the staff are very helpful and pleasant

Great staff, great food, fantastic garden

We had lunch with drinks at The Bell Inn and sat outside. The setting is really nice and the whole hotel, restaurant and bar is one the tidiest and cleanest places I have ever visited. The food was reasonably priced, well presented and very enjoyable. The staff were also really friendly and helpful. Highly recommended.

Stopped off on the way home for a bit of lunch on a whim. Very happy we did. Really nice "rolls", which would be better described as small lunches. Excellent sour dough bread, good filling, good skinny fries, salad only ok as there was a lot of dressing on it ... Would be better if places have you a jug so you could add the amount you want.

Have visited previously with a golf group and returned last weekend to enjoy again the great food and the lovely ambiance. The food is top quality as usual although was expecting a dressed crab instead of a pot with my salad and the staff are very helpful as we wanted a quiet table for our family gathering so they put us into the other dining room without complaints. Due to the fab weather we sat outside in the garden for pre-meal drinks and then returned for cheese and biscuits with our post-meal coffees. Not cheap but its classy! Very relaxed place to spend 3 hours!!

I've just spent a couple of nights here with my dog and other friends with dogs, this is a genuinely dog friendly hotel. Every meal we booked a table in the bar where we could sit with our furry friends. The food was delicious and the staff polite and friendly, I particularly remember Ellie on reception who helped with a broken toilet seat and a pillow, and Lucia in the restaurant. There is a nice big garden at the back where the dogs can play and you can sit with a drink or food. Good vegetarian options. Only downside was I found the mattress a bit lumpy.

Staff and service was super - very very dog friendly with lovely garden; golf course next door though sadly doesn’t allow dogs - dinner menu was delicious and breakfast was equally as good

Oh my, what a wonderful evening we had, the service and food was amazing, Simon I think you have amazing guys in

Went here for a family lunch on Father's Day; this was booked by my student son so not quite sure what to expect! As it turned out, a superb meal, in lovely, friendly surroundings; staff all very welcoming and attentive. We will definitely be back.

Celebrated my birthday last night with family and was not disappointed. The food, varying from home cooked fish and chips to pork chops, lamb and crab salad was the best meal out we have had in a while. The service, ambience and over all experience was absolutely first class.

Visited this restaurant to celebrate Fathers Day. Warm welcome to this beautiful building. Had been advised that it was a fixed menu, as it was Father’s Day. This wasn’t too much of an issue. The food was well presented, and really well cooked. Staff were friendly and helpful.

Visited the Bell today for my Goddaughter’s hen do. We had the cream tea with Pimms/Prosecco. Was a lovely afternoon. The waitress looking after us was very attentive and nothing was too much trouble. We were in the lounge area and no one came in to hurry us along. The food was delicious. I would recommend visiting.

The restaurant has a lovely ambiance, and service was very good. Food was nice but not as good as I had been told.

Tasty food served promptly with friendly and efficient staff; bar service excellent Rhubarb crumble topping was different and excellent

I came to the bell for my friends wedding and what an amazing day we had from start to finish mark the Gm started to look after us and then Simon the food and beverage manager took over he was unbelievably serving Prosecco Canapies making sure everything was going ok his staff were amazing nothing was to much trouble they all went out of their way to make the day go so smooth . We are thinking to have ate wedding their .

Met family for a lunch,didn't book but we're shown a table.Lovely food and service excellent.coffee served with milk in a jug and sugar.Disabled spaces and a ramp to the main door.Accessble toilet and other toilets clean and lovely soap and lotions.Helpful receptionist.

With a good and varied menu and selection of nice wines by the glass, we were set for a

We stayed at the Bell Inn and found the restaurant superb. A lovely balanced menu with very well cooked food. The staff were friendly, professional and conscientious. We will return soon 😁

Excellent location. Top bar and beer garden. Expensive but it the New Forest.

It was fresh, scones were warm but it was lacklustre and I fail to see how it has achieved better reviews. Unless going on a Sunday meant service and food was compromised on a busy afternoon.

Lovely walk in The Forest and then back to the Bell for roast, one of the best I have had excellent beef only issue being a dry Yorkshire could have been gravy filled, all six of us had chicken, beef or lamb roast no one was disappointed. Staff really helpful and attentive. Brilliant afternoon.

The restaurant has been refurbished since my last visit and has been very tastefully done. The menu is new and the staff were very attentive. We were there for Saturday lunch and found the food to be well cooked, well presented and good value for money.

We booked an evening meal at the Bell as we had previously stayed here last year and thoroughly enjoyed our stay - especially the food. It's always a risk to return somewhere as so often, things aren't as good second time round. But I am pleased to say that the meal was just as good and the service was excellent. Friendly and efficient staff, an excellent menu with excellent quality dishes served in a warm and comfortable environment. Excellent and well done to all the team at The Bell. We look forward to returning.

Excellent Sunday lunch today, very recommended.

I married my beautiful bride here yesterday! The Bell is such a beautiful intimate place and the staff are lovely. Nothing was too much trouble and so much thought and attention to detail was paid! The food was outstanding too!!

Been here several times since my last review in October, and each time it has never failed to impress. The food is delicious, with a menu that does change with the seasons. If the scotch egg is on the menu then it is a must, but saying that all the starters I have tasted are beautifully presented and incredibly tasty. If your going for a drive through the forest pop in and have lunch because you won’t be disappointed.

Good interesting food. Must visit sometime outside the really busy periods & be a little less stretched and pressured....

15 of our family met here for lunch on the Saturday before Christmas. The staff, as always, were very welcoming and helpful. Our pre-orders were printed on name cards so we all knew what we were having. We all very much enjoyed our meals and the food was very good. We felt very looked after by the staff and will definitely return.

Lovely location, service, experience!

I came here this week for lunch with two girlfriends. It’s normally a lovely venue at Christmas but was more than half empty and had no Christmas atmosphere. It was very disappointing. Food was exceptional in flavour but rather sparse. My initial thought when the plate was put in front of me was “ oh I should of had a starter”

Wonderful 4 star hotel in the New Forest. This is the second time we've stayed here my works Christmas party. Good food, clean and modern bedrooms. All very good indeed. Staff were polite and courteous. Breakfast was buffet style and plentiful. I would thoroughly recommend.

Came here for a family celebration after a fair bit of research.