The Cartwheel Inn in New Forest

Exceptional hosting, rooms and food. Would definitely stay again

Such a great pub. We had our third meal at the Cartwheel with a fantastic Saturday Lunch. Delicious food, well cooked and presented with obvious attention to detail even with the children’s meals. A great wine list and selection of beers and soft drinks as well. Friendly service, dog offered water and treats, very welcoming. Would highly recommend.

Disappointing Service Despite a Beautiful Setting Returned to this pub after a bad experience a few years ago when it was closed for a staff break despite our reservation. We’d heard good things and decided to give it another chance. Unfortunately, the experience was still disappointing. On arrival, the female staff member behind the bar (presumably the manager) was rude. We had hoped to sit outside but were told this wasn’t possible due to a lack of staff, leaving us no choice but to sit inside. She said she’d bring menus and water to our table, but after waiting, we had to go back to the bar to ask again. Drinks took ages to arrive, and we had to chase our second round. When the food finally came, it was fine—nothing special—but the poor service overshadowed everything. It’s such a shame because the pub itself is lovely, but it’s let down by inattentive and unwelcoming service.

Everything is homemade and delicious. And you are made soooo welcome. It takes us an hour to get there, and it's worth every mile. I can't recommend it highly enough. Thank you to everyone at The Cartwheel. You're such a rarity these days.

Great staff, very accommodating and attentive for our party. Service with a smile and the food was delicious

Really wonderful, fresh, seasonal food, prepared with attention to detail and flavour. Rhubarb pavlova was a winner.

Very friendly staff after being let down by another restaurant we enquired if they had any spaces they were full but fitted us in the bar the food was excellent the staff super friendly definitely be back

Excellent Sunday lunch. Service was lovely, really warm and welcoming. The food was outstanding… the Scotch Eggs and the Prawn and Crayfish starters were amazing, delicious roasts with lovely meat and the puddings….. wow, We’ll be thinking about those for a while! Our two boys thoroughly enjoyed their burgers and the kids shelves with books and joke cards were a lovely touch. So many pubs to visit in the New Forest but this will be going to the top of our list for a revisit next time we are that way.

Always a nice pleasent place to visit

Very accommodating and helpful prior to our lunch as a walking group; on the day the foods were served quickly, well presented, hot with great taste. Attentive and friendly staff, a good experience all-round. The Inn is cosy, warm and well laid out, pleasant decor, clean and tidy,

Had dinner here. Quality of food and service superb. Very clean tidy and warm. A beautiful country pub.

Fabulous Christmas day lunch at the Cartwheel. Service was excellent and food was superb. Beautiful festive decor and great atmosphere. Loved it!

A beautiful country pub with a warm from all. Fantastic Christmas Day and Sunday lunch, thank you for a memorable few days and looking after Mia "The Dog". Can't wait to return and do B&B with you.

We spent New Years Eve (my birthday) here & it was great. The Cartwheel's Hogmanay celebration was fabulous - the food was delicious, the staff were very helpful & the hosts were great! Midnight with a toast on the house, bagpipes & Auld Lang Syne were just perfect 🥳🥂 Thank you for a great way to celebrate my birthday & see in the New Year 🥰

We went to The Cartwheel for their Christmas Day meal. The whole event from arrival to departure was an outstanding pleasure. The table service, led by Annette, was very professional, timely and friendly. As you would expect from Paul and the team doing the heavy lifting in the kitchen - all three courses were exquisite, with fulsome flavour and perfectly executed. Most definitely a memorable Christmas experience - and true value for money!

Popped in for ales, not food. Friendly and welcoming staff

Great food, lovely charachterful English country pub, friendly staff, all set within a nice country village.

Reviewing this as a pub/restaurant not as a hotel: we went here today and popped in before and after a long walk. Staff were amazing, super kind and helpful, and the food was fantastic- the best fish and chips we’ve ever had in a pub. We will be back for sure, I couldn’t recommend more highly!

Beautifully decorated and spotless pub/restaurant with very friendly staff giving excellent service. The only criticism was the meat in the pie was rather chewy and I felt it could have been cooked for longer. It didn't melt in the mouth. However, we would certainly visit again.

Brilliant find - A country pub to die for. Staff are absolutely great; friendly, attentive and efficient. Chef is pretty special too; a well-balanced and fairly priced menu, which tastes good and is served with a smile.

Sensational - possibly one of the best pub lunches we have ever had. From the quality of the ingredients, the presentation, the friendly and attentive service. We could not fault it. Great beer too.

Excellent food and great service. Best to book as it does get very busy. Also dog friendly which was a massive bonus.

Excellent Sunday lunch....10 out of 10

Fab food, properly prepared and cooked by proper chef/kitchen staff, not reheated frozen stuff, reheated in a microwave. Really enjoyed the pie of the day

I rarely write reviews as they are subjective - an individual's feeling from their own frame of reference. Everyone experiences moments in different ways. However, on this occasion I can't keep quiet and I'm right! Annette and Paul have created an absolutely wonderful place to eat, stay and relax. Phenomenal food, a lovely room and incredible service by everyone we met, all set in the peaceful village of Whitsbury. A special stay and one that will stay in the memory for a very long time. Thank you x

What a pleasure to have a superb pub lunch! All 4 of us were delighted with our food. The steak and kidney pie was the best I have ever had in a pub. A small perfectly shaped pie filled with meat The gravy was in a separate sauce boat so nothing was swimming in liquid. Excellent chips . Everything hot. The sea food in tempura was also excellent and generous. Excellent value Charming service. This place is a find

Our first visit here but it will not be our last. Warm cosy interior with welcoming and obliging staff. The food was excellent - chicken and chorizo pie and venison and treacle tart. Not cheap but absolutely delicious.

This was the best place we have stayed in years. The food was amazing the bed was comfortable and the shower was great....and the staff are all very friendly and helpful thank you Paul and Annette for the best night. We will definitely be back soon 😁

Stopped in for lunch. Excellent food and great service. It's a little off the beaten track, but well worth the effort

Superb food and drink. Wonderful staff and the hosts are lovely. We stayed in The Gallops room overnight and it was all very comfortable and very clean. Breakfast was delicious. Thoroughly recommended!

A proper pub, friendly with a pleasant atmosphere.

Stayed in a local airBnB and so the whole family visited the pub. Not only did we have lovely friendly service for our drinks and questions... But they kindly looked after our dog which escaped and wandered in. All round, what a fab team! Would recommend and will be back 🙂

Lovely restaurant and food. Presentation and quality is great. Reasonable prices and lovely staff. Well worth dropping in and then taking a local walk. Great location

We were staying in Whitsbury for 2 weeks and had 5 meals there including a family get together. All outstanding. The food is excellent, the service superb, and our dog was made welcome. As has a lovely garden. Can't recommend enough, but always busy so best book ahead!

A lunch to celebrate a birthday, splendid food and service with a friendly welcome from the staff,

Dinner was lovely. Well cooked. Home grown. The room was clean and well equipped. Not large but it worked for us. Breakfast was the best!

Excellent food and service. Great Pub.

My wife and I decided to do a circular walk from Whitsbury to Rockbourne, ending with a pub lunch at the Cartwheel inn. We parked in the pub car park, seeking permission from the staff busy preparing food in the kitchen. After the 5.5 mile walk, we were ready for a good lunch. It was very pleasing that there was such a range of fish options on the menu - something that we both enjoy. The quality of the food was sublime and the dining experience was enhanced by the wonderful service we received from the young server who was extremely personable. We were told that the Cartwheel Inn now offered bed and breakfast accommodation - certainly a very appealing prospect when we are next in the area.

I don’t often write reviews, but the lunch I had yesterday wasn’t just the best pub meal I’d had in recent memory, but the best meal I’ve had anywhere recently. The bream fillet with clams in cream sauce was Michelin star quality, for just £19. The samphire and green oil were lovely touches, and the seasoning and cooking skill was astonishing. I live two hours away but will be back as it’s worth the journey.

Wonderful food, polite and friendly staff

4 of us went after an earlier attempt scuppered by Covid, and fortuitously went in glorious weather, and we lunched in the garden. The food was delicious, service friendly, and coupled with a visit to a nearby minor stately home made a perfect day out. One member of our party said if she was the sort of person who photographed her food she would have taken a picture, but she got stuck in to eating it instead.

I have been here a few times during 2024 and the food and service have been excellent and outstanding and this place is possibly the best place to eat in or around Fordingbridge. I dont recommend the Sunday Lunch Roast Dinner as its below avaerage on quality and portion size compared to the rest of the menu, however the normal menu is available on Sunday too. The food is Outstanding and the staff make a huge effort in their customer service skills, always smiling, happy and professional. The chef needs a special mention too as he is clearly the backbone to the food quality and presentation. The establishment is clean and tidy and the location is within a nice setting.

High quality food and excellent service. Can bring your dog. Great walks nearby. Lovely garden too.

Amazing food, the staff were wonderful and it's very dog friendly - what more could you ask for?!

5 stars all the way , fish was cooked to perfection. It's worth every penny.

Having read reviews on TripAdvisor, my daughter & I decided to try the Cartwheel. The waitress who served us was lovely, polite & helpful. The food took rather a long time, but it was worth the wait. My daughter ordered a sirloin steak & pepper sauce with baby potatoes instead of chips. My beef pie with mashed potato & gravy was fabulous. Both dishes came with seasonal vegetables that were roasted & delicious. We enjoyed the meal but amazed at how expensive eating out has become at most restaurants in the South of England.

What an amazing experience! Friendly, attentive staff, beautiful surroundings and the food!!!!! We had the monkfish and the belly pork and they were both exquisite 👌 Dog friendly pub in the most scenic part of the New Forest.... A must do! 😍

What a fantastic pub! The food was absolutely delicious and the service was very welcoming. I'd recommend the pie of the day, fish and chips and pork belly. Shame we were so full we couldn't eat a dessert. Also dog friendly. Hopefully be back soon.

A quality gastro pub. Pork belly with celeriac was excellent. Thanks.

This is a great pub, the ambience relaxed and the staff are very attentive. We had the roast and it was one of the best I’ve had. They have a good selection of beers as well. Will definitely go again if in the area.

We had a wonderful meal. The food was out of this world and I would definitely recommit to others. The pub itself is charming, with traditional decor, friendly and informative staff and a lively atmosphere.

Never would have found this without MAPS. Well worth the effort!

The atmosphere was buzzing, the food was exceptional both in taste and presentation, and the staff were incredibly helpful. They even put up decorations for my birthday, which was a complete surprise, as well as making my dessert pretty special, too!

Absolutely amazing food, staff were so lovely, friendly and very doggie friendly too . Would definitely go back and recommend.

Always good and we keep coming back

The most perfect village pub ... atmosphere amazing ... the food was sublime .. the staff were very professional and the land lady the most on the ball I've met in years .. take a bow Annette and hopefully be back soon when back in the area

Visited with our family for an early Easter meal it was absolutely amazing could not fault anything all the staff were so polite and my grandson said the roast was better than his mummies! I have to say that it really was the best pub meal we have ever had…Thank you to all the lovely staff who made such a fuss of our grandchildren even putting in mini Easter eggs in their pudding. We will be back.

Fantastic pub/restaurant with wonderfully delicious food. Best Sunday roast I’ve ever had in a pub! Actually, we’ve never had a duff meal there. Just excellent.

Danielle made my family feel ever so welcomed and special. Nothing was too much effort, food was prompt and to a very high standard. If every pub could be benchmarked to this then the UK would be a better place. Danielle had a great temprement, well presented, an eloquent voice and was professional in her service. Thank you.

Yet again a lovely time spent in your pub! We have been many times and sorry to say not yet left a review. Always a fantastic freshly cooked meal washed down with excellent local ales. The lamb was gorgeous and all the meals we had were just perfect. Always looking forward to the next one! Service was great - everyone so welcoming and helpful. Thank you for a lovely afternoon.

Was looking for somewhere lcal to eat. The Cartwheel is not a place you stumble upon as it in the middle af the countryside. So glad I found it . The place was busy, but not too packed that you felt crammed in. Lovely building, lovely atmosphere. The Staff were helpful, attentive and cheerful.All I can say about the food was it was absolutely fantastic ,! Tasty , hot well presented and served relatively quickly. Great choice on the menu .I will recommend it to all my friends.

We had the most amazing experience at The Cartwheel. The food was amazing and the service was first class. We were served by Danielle and she was exceptional. She was polite, attentive and nothing was too much trouble. I would 100% recommend!

Yet again a fantastic lunch at this wonderful pub. It really does serve the best Sunday roasts, and fish & chips. Service very good too. A big thank you to talented chef and all the staff at this lovely pub!

Even though we had never been to the Cartwheel Inn before we had wanted a place to meet up for Friday lunch. Our criteria were that it should be near enough half way between Wimborne and Southampton (actually it is nearer Wimborne ) and it had to have a menu which included a good choice of fish dishes. We could not have chosen better. As it happened we all chose a different fish dish from the comprehensive (by no means exclusively fish) menu and we each agreed that it was one of the best meals we had eaten in some years of regular get-togethers in Hampshire and Dorset. The meals were cooked to perfection with truly wonderful flavours and each portion was exactly right for each of us. The service was excellent and our hostess was very welcoming and friendly. The prices were appropriate and reasonable. We look forward to our next visit by which time the local roads might have dried out a bit! Wholeheartedly recommended.

We love coming here. It's the best in the area.

Absolutely delicious food - especially good for fish lovers - but some great choices. As a party of 4, celebrating a special birthday, we were all delighted with our choices as well as the friendly welcome and birthday ‘extras’.

We were blown away by the delicious fish we had for dinner here. We had the fillet of bream with tiger prawns, the roasted hake with mussels & crayfish, and the fish & chips. I would heartily recommend the bream and the hake (I didn't get a look in on the fish & chips but it was another clean plate at the end!). This was our second visit, with quite a gap in between. We'll be making sure we come back again soon, with the nice ambience and the friendly staff making for a great evening.

Lovely Valentines meal. The Cartwheel is consistently 4 stars....great service and quality food. Our "go to" local, highly recommended.

Excellent valentines meal at a very reasonable price. Service and atmosphere was very good.

First visit and what a great little pub. Food was excellent along with the service and local beers. Well worth the drive to it and we will definitely be visiting again.

Here in the New Forest for a few days and following the excellent reviews we can add another five stars. Lovely place, fabulous friendly attentive professional staff and wonderful food. Steak & black pudding pie for me whilst my good lady went with the hake. Perfect in every way. No doubt we'll be coming here again when in the area.

A great New Year’s eve at the Cartwheel. The staff were great and the atmosphere was just what we wanted to celebrate New Year. The meal was spot on and we will definitely be going back with the family.

We had an amazing family celebration meal. The staff were absolutely amazing friendly helpful and the food was the best we have had in 2023 and we have been to many restaurants in England and lots in London. I must tell say The Cartwheel Inn excelled in every way. Working in a restaurant myself I know how much effort it takes to run a successful restaurant with delicious food and the choice of menu and ambiance here was superb. 5 star

Great second visit with the same excellent service and great food. will definitely be going again soon.

Booked a Festive Evening for birthday family dinner. The food was delicious , the service very friendly. The fun & quiz were very entertaining and the musician sang us through the evening with good banter & laughter. Great evening out - thank you. We will be back!

What a great place to eat! The food was excellent, I had the festive menu with partridge to start and venison as a main and it was 5 star. The staff had time to chat and with the log burner glowing I could have stayed all afternoon.

We booked to have food here on a Saturday night and it was brilliant. There were 4 of us with a baby and dog in tow, and we were made to feel so welcome. The food was fantastic! Starters, mains, deserts, cocktails and wine were all so delicious and came out in a very timely manner. In short, wonderful pub run by excellent people!

Booked here purely from reviews here. It works! Lovely place. Welcoming staff. It was v busy Friday Xmas lunchtime yet service was spot on & food quick. Venison main was v good & my partner asked for his more medium which they did do. Excellent...

We had the most amazingly delicious Christmas lunch today! The partridge starter was Wow! The Turkey and veg were so scrummy and delicious! And the gingerbread trifle was absolutely to die for!! We eat out a lot and this is definitely going to be our new favourite place to eat.. so warm and friendly and a cozy atmosphere too! You won’t be disappointed 💕

Great Sunday roast lunch. Lamb was a good choice.

A wonderful country gastro pub. Bit off the beaten track but well worth the effort. Friendly staff, excellent food, nice atmosphere and welcomes well behaved dogs too. Nice garden for summer visits. A hidden gem

What a hidden gem! Everything from start to finish was amazing. The land lady is just fantastic, her attention to detail is exemplary and I could not praise her enough. The food was incredible, I only went in for a light bite with my husband...

Lovely country pub. Excellent food and service. Food came out quickly and our waitress was very personable

Lovely country pub with a good sized garden. Very personable waitress. Food good choice and quick service after ordering. Thoroughly recommended

Really excellent meal, worth the trip to visit. Venison was lovely, couldn't fault anything.

The pub was only open for a private event, but they let us in for a drink. Lovely garden.

Fabulous Sunday Lunch , great roast and lovely selection of vegetables Staff were welcoming, polite and friendly. Would highly recommend

As a medium sized walking group we were looked after superbly in every respect by Paul and the Team. Even the up front organisation could not be bettered. At least 7/8 different choices of meals - which overall gained lots of praise. A special mention...

What a super lunch! I had the venison and it was delicious - perfectly cooked, loved the roasted beetroot and the dauphinoise. My wife had the Confit Duck which was also excellent - as I stole quite a few tastes!! The treacle tart was particularly...

Lovely food, relaxed atmosphere a hidden away local gem. Will definitely visit again soon. Love it.

Just had dinner there with my wife. We were very impressed with the menu with really imaginative food including several fish and sea food options. My wife is vegetarian and there were no problems finding some dishes she fancied. When our food arrived we were even more impressed! Completely excellent with generous portion sizes. I chose roasted monkfish with cauliflower pakora, served with cauliflower puree, broccoli and saffron potatoes. The fish was beautifully cooked and with a generous portion. My wife had a starter as a main of mushrooms on toasted beetroot bread served in a garlic and cream sauce. This was spectacularly good. Service was friendly, attentive and given that the food is cooked to order, relatively quick. The decor is country pub style but very nicely done.

I have had many meals at this beautiful pub and this time was no exception My pie which was chicken and mushroom was utterly delicious,slightly crunchy vegetable and smooth mashed potato and a side of onion rings My friend had salmon with prawns and was...

Fantastic country pub , friendly, cosy with great service

What a little gem. The quintessential English pub serving real ales, fine wine and delicious food. Delightful garden and a great stop off for us en route to Portsmouth for the ferry. Top marks - superb.

Good food and beers nice inside and garden. Friendly helpful staff.

The quintessential English pub, well kept real ales, great wine selection, exceptional food cooked by the chef proprietor Paul whilst front of house his hosted by charming wife Annette. Beautiful garden, large car park and fir us a great location and only a minor detour...

Went here today for an off the cuff Sunday lunch with the family. The pub ambience was lovely, the setting very beautiful. We ordered Sunday lunch, the burger and a child's cheesy pasta with garlic bread. The Sunday lunch was a triumph, the vegetables cooked...

Really, really good food. Best prawns and dessert I’ve had for a long while and the staff were very helpful and kind to our dog.

This pub has changed a lot, and for the better. We were so impressed with the choice and quality of the food. The service was excellent too. There is a wide menu, with the usual traditional food, but also many quirky dishes, a lot of...

We've visited a few times now, and would visit more often if we lived nearer. The food here is consistently terrific, and it's easy to enjoy it in the very nice calm atmosphere to the pub generally. Lovely fish dishes in particular. Highly recommended :~}