The Cat and Fiddle Harvester in New Forest

Services slow, nice roast , the roast potatoes where a let down, great sweets

My friend and I went on a Thursday at lunchtime. The service was impeccable and the food was delicious. The prices are reasonable and the atmosphere was welcoming. Highly recommend.

An excellent choice as a lunch stop before a journey to the Midlands.

Very rarely leave reviews. Visited once over 10 years ago when it was a harvester. Remembered it a couple months ago and suggested to my partner to go for Sunday lunch here because it would be less busy than the Bournemouth harvester. Was originally miffed to find it was no longer a harvester but we ordered a roast dinner anyway! Omg!! Literally THE best roast I have ever had in a pub before. We were extremely impressed so when deciding where to eat out with our children last night, we opted for here again and we were not disappointed. My daughter voted her tomato pasta as a 10/10, my eldest son and partner loved their signature burger meals, I had the lamb with mash and gravy which was just amazing. The only slight let down was the margarita pizza my youngest son ordered as it was a little bland, nevertheless, he ate the lot. We also had halloumi fries and onion rings which were the best! The staff were extremely friendly both times, no long waits for food, kids kept occupied with colouring and the big meadow outside to run about on. Will 100% be back as this is quickly becoming one of our favourite places.

Enjoyable family meal here today. The roast options were good and enjoyed. Burgers were juicy and cooked just right. Family get togethers taking place were a sign of everyone appreciating the welcoming approach and service from the staff.

Had drinks only. Nice venue. Definitely one for the next trip.

First time in years we have been to the restaurant and it was a very good experience. The recent refurb has much improved the restaurant. The staff were excellent and we were greeted with a warm welcome from everyone. The service was also excellent. The food was well presented and very tasty we will definitely be going again.

Above indicates the change from a good venu for a drink to a restaurant. Sad sign of the times

Great 3 course meal here with my partner, our first visit. Strongly recommend the duo of lamb and the sticky sharing platter. Barbara and her team were so welcoming and we are looking forward to coming back to visit again.

Nice restaurant. Only had drinks so cannot comment on the food. Service was ok. Venue very trendy

Ate here yesterday at lunchtime with my wife. Good food, friendly and attentive staff, relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, we will definitely return.

Pie of the day was lovely. Service was a bit slow considering they weren't very busy.

Stop off here on a whim, camping just up the road we thought would be nice to have a nice meal. They asked if we had made a reservation which we didn’t so we thought we had bummed out, but thankfully they squeezed us in. Wow, what can I say, I had the Signature burger with bacon and brisket 🤤🤤🤤 wife had the halloumi skewers which she loved and mother in law had the pie of the day again very satisfied. Service also absolutely brilliant and cost was very reasonable for such quality food. Full belly’s all round.

Cozy pub with an expansive menu.

Enjoyed a two course meal with my husband today. We were looked after by Martha who was lovely. Nothing was too much trouble for her and she was very welcoming. Other staff we encountered were also lovely. Would recommend a visit.

Absolutely amazing! Food and service great!

Made to feel very welcome on arrival. Lovely staff, very attentive. Food was very flavoursome and plenty of it. Will definitely return again.

great food and amazing service from all the team, especially Caz! thank you very much for a wonderful evening!

Busy lunch service, bit of a wait due to staff issue, but the new manageress was working hard and all was good - overall decent experience and nice food.

Very good meal but let down by very slow service, an hour and a quarter for our main and it wasn't over busy, plus the waitress gave us the bill for the adjoining table ,not a good night.

Quiet atmosphere with careful decoration and good tasting food. The service was very slow, 40 minutes waiting for our service while we saw other tables being served.

Fantastic staff and great food will definitely be coming back again.

Fantastic place to eat. Good food lovely atmosphere. Only 1 issue, I am not keen on dogs being allowed in the restaurant.

Beautiful pub, amazing staff and lovely food, so nice we re-booked for our last night down here

My tastebuds jumped over the moon. The food was delicious - pork belly with mash, gravy and veg all cooked to perfection. After a day of wandering round Hampshire, this haven with a big car park, lovely building, great decor and wonderful staff was a welcome haven. Definitely a place to try, we hope to go there again.

My prawns still had their poo in them I told the waitress who spoke to chef. The chef said they come in whole that's why they are like it. I disagree the chef should of sliced slightly to remove to poo and then close them.

Came here today with my friend for a late Birthday roast dinner. A warm greeting and great service from all the staff. One of the best roasts we’ve ever had, everything was superb, especially the crackling. We will definitely return. Thanks Barbara for having a look at my photo book, if I get round to doing one of pubs visited in the area, the Cat & Fiddle will be in it

Excellent food and service will definitely be back with the family. Loved it. Beautiful area too, nice outside tables

First time got the timing wrong but Barbara was such a great host got a lovely table food great, wine was very good value for money service was excellent really enjoyed our evening

I came here with my friends, we ordered the charing platter, the wait for the food was a bit long bit I did not mind because the quality of food was outstanding. It was full of flavour, each dish pooping and had lovely touches. Presentation was lovely also,served hot and by a lovely waitress, helpful and polite. The atmosphere was lovely, and the establishment was clean and tidy. The washrooms tho blew my mins, so very clean, offering seated soaps and moisturiser, lovely touch. One would think yes, this is a five-star place. There is just one thing I would like to point out to the kitchen regarding the rocket salad, altho the dressing was nice I could clearly tast the salad wash, and this tells me they just opened the bag of rocket and did not was it before they dressed it. But other than that, what a lovely I shall come back to try some more food.

Fascinating back story about smugglers tunnel under the fireplace. Calamari was fine but probably from frozen. Pork and scratching meal was delicious.

Very good but puzzled that I booked on Harvester Web site and it is definitely NOT a Harvester. Food and service excellent and huge improvement on original. Loved Barbara's red shoes.

Great location, between the forest and the beach, lovely old thatched pub, really friendly staff, definitely be back

Lovely Sunday roast . Decent staff . Couldn't fault it .

Great food and staff. Really lovely atmosphere. We will be back!

An excellent Sunday roast with chef Aaron delivering a great service

Recently taken under management and freshly renovated … Delicious Beef Sunday Roast - Fabulous friendly staff - A must try for locals and people visiting the area alike. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A well furnished food pub. Good location on main road but with large garden area and covered outdoor area. Sundays not limited to Sunday lunches but with good menu with good vegetarian option. We had turkey and triple meat lunches served with a nice selection of vegetables. Usual roast veg, mixed green veg and a good amount of moist meat. Deserts offered were a good range with a mini desert and drink option. Coffee and mini brulee for me. My wife had a generous lemon tart with cream and blueberries. Only issue, if at all, was a lack of attentive staff. Although when they arrived they were good.

Nice family meal. Reasonably priced mains ( average £20) nice atmosphere.

Beautiful summers evening spent at the Cat and Fiddle sat on the terrace with the late evening sunshine beaming in.Food is always on point and everything I have tried I have not been disappointed.The Morrocan chicken skewer with pineapple salad was tasty and fresh and perfect for a barmy evening.Barbara is super friendly and made us feel very welcome.Def be back soon

Wow so impressed. Food is absolutely amazing. Service was really good. All so attentive and a great atmosphere. Will be back for a sunday roast very soon. Thank you ❤️

Lovely Sunday Roast with friends. 1 had lamb, 1 beef and the other pork. Huge portions, all perfectly cooked. Definitely recommend and would go back without hesitation.

On arrival, you are greeted with the stunning view of a gorgeous Thatched roof building, it's charm hooked me instantly.  I found the disabled parking easily and spotted a sweet sign saying Muddy boots and paws welcome.  There is seating outside and in.  Upon entering, I was greeted immediately by a Bar person who was preparing a round of drinks.  They smiled and said hello, another person took over that preparation and I was taken through to a table for lunch.  I hadn't pre-booked.  The table was in a wonderful airy room, bright, attractive and nicely spaced out.  There were other diners around, but we all had privacy to chat and it felt a very relaxed atmosphere.  The servers were friendly, helpful and just so lovely.  Nothing was too much trouble at all.  The food was fantastic, a huge selection to choose from, plenty for vegetarians too.  I was left with my drink in peace to peruse the menu at leisure.   Once I made my selection,  my food arrived piping hot and it was plated beautifully.  The portions are a really good size and full of amazing flavour.  I had a starter, main course and afters (they do a mini dessert with drink option, which was plenty).  I would love to go back again soon.  I cannot praise the Staff enough, every single one of them was just incredibly lovely, welcoming and smiled.  I am a very anxious person and I felt so comfortable and happy here.  Thank you all for making my visit to the lovely New Forest even more special.

Welcoming to us and our dog. Lovely food. Would come again. Thank you.

Been here three times over the past few weeks and the first two visits were great. Lovely place. Staff great and food really nice. We visited Wednesday lunchtime. The guy behind the bar was lovely and very welcoming - as was our waitress. Everything was fine until we came to pay. A young lad was dealing with this. We had a free dessert on the reward app , but he didn’t seem to understand this and kept trying to tell us ‘no you don’t get that today ‘. Instead of asking for help, he just walked off saying ‘I will leave you to sort that out!’ Never returned. We had to go up to the console to pay, where we showed the reward due to us on the app. The young lad didn’t apologise when in fact we were due £11 off our bill. We always tip. Always. This time, unfortunately, because of our experience and his attitude, we did not tip. It has put us off wanting to return, which is a shame as it is one of our local pubs. Maybe better customer service training is required. It’s not that the guy didn’t know the correct reward system on the app - it was how he handled it - poorly.

The welcome was very good, the table service was attentive but not intrusive. The soup could have been hotter, but was nice.

A gorgeous pub and the food was to die for. My wife and I had lunch there with our one year old. The staff were extremely accomodating of our needs with the little one and always greeted us with a smile. We had a chance to sit down with the joyous Land Lady Barbara and loved it when she told us some of the pubs rich history. Only a fleeting visit but would definitely go out of our way to go back again.

We had a lovely meal and the staff were very helpful

Another lovely evening meal at Cat & Fiddle...staff very supportive of my Gluten Free requirements ....

Excellent food, a little slow ,but worth it.

Had amazing meal great staff as well thank you all

Excellent pub meal, fantastic vegan options! Service was good and we enjoyed our meal.

Such a shame as this pub is beautiful but everything let this place down. No welcome when we arrived despite place being almost empty Service took ages. Food was extremely poor. Bacon was freezing cold and very salty. Asked to swap tomatoes for extra toast & given scraps. When food came waiter said he would come back with butter and forgot. All in all very poor for price would not return.

Very nice pub great service excellent food friendly staff very clean

This place is Soooo good. Yummy food. Lovely atmosphere. It’s beside a petrol station but you don’t notice it cause you’re just enjoying where you are.

We had an amazing dining experience at the Cat and Fiddle. It is such a beautiful place, steeped in history and a real hidden gem. My partner and I really enjoyed the buttermilk chicken burger and the chicken skewer with a feta salad and tortilla. The chicken was seasoned to perfection. Thanks to the friendly team and the lovely manager Barbara who gave us a history card giving great insight into the history of this wonderful place. Can't wait to go back when we are next in the area.

Lovely food, new manager Barbara is welcoming and approachable, venue is beautiful, very clean with fresh flowers on the tables, nice touch Delicious food, so good we had dessert, not bad prices and good wine list, try the sea bass worth it

Food was good however the puddings were very expensive at £9, the service was poor. Sat for ages to order our drinks and then again for food, took them ages to clear our plates.. atmosphere was very quiet. Not sure I would go again.

Amazing pub and restaurant can't fault it absolutely spotless clean and service and food

Went in a couple of weeks ago, only 2 people working front of house (1 was a manger who seemed to be actively avoiding customers). Our starters and mains had a very long wait (nearly an hour between courses) despite there being only 3 tables in. When the mains arrived 3 out of the 4 orders had mistakes, my pork belly was burnt and had a powdery texture.

Such a lovely place! Great food and Barbara was exceptionally helpful and welcoming. Will definitely be returning again soon. Thank you for a lovely afternoon

Great food and service, very enjoyable meal

Lovely place, I didn't like what I'd chosen, but that's mostly because it wasn't what I expected it to be from the menu, so it's just a matter of personal tate, really. You dont get much fir your money. Service was a bit slow but again not an issue as we weren't in a rush. We were seated by the door, which was annoying with people constantly coming in and out, and every time the door opened, you received a cold breeze. I asked between courses if we could move, and they kindly found us a warmer nicer spot to sit. I thought it was very expensive for what it was.

Outstanding food and service, even got the opportunity to stay the night in the car park in our motorhomes just outside the pub. We were served by Liv, Charlotte, Oli and Lewis with meals cooked by Matt and Aaron. Fantastic visit and amazing atmosphere. Recommend this to anyone wanting a overnight stay and good food

Overpriced meals but tasty. Good atmosphere delayed service.

Stopped here for a meal on our last night in the area and we weren’t disappointed. Great meal and service, even though they were extremely busy. Shout out for Barbara who couldn’t do enough for us.

A beautiful pub/ restaurant in a very nice area. I have been there twice and I liked the service and the atmosphere. It was a bit quiet on both occasions. However, it was early in the afternoon. I haven't tried their food, so I can't comment on that.

Honestly not just a stunning place to sit and eat and have a drink, but also amazing food. We are here on holiday and honestly wished we had eaten here every night. And at such a good price as well. Thank you for the roast, we will be back again.

Great vegetarian options for all the family and they let dogs in too!

Excellent food and very friendly welcome from the new manager - Barbara and her staff. We took our little dog with us and dined inside at a lovely table. Food was excellent- we had the sea bass and pork - both meals beautifully cooked, piping hot and generous portions. Had been wanting to try it for ages and will definitely be back!

Could not fault anything, food was excellent, staff happy and polite, atmosphere was lovely and the environment was perfect. Will definitely be back.

Very nice sunday roast, had the triple meat, and a live band on

What an amazing experience! I found the food to be perfectly cooked, and the batter on the fish was deliciously crumbly.

Under new management..it's the first time I've been back since the refurbishment! I couldn't find any fault with our meal or service and even met the new manageress who has some exciting ideas up her sleeve! Well recommended!!

Visited for a birthday dinner, food was fantastic, service was friendly and attentive from Kyle. Thank you to the team

What a beautiful country pub! We stopped there for a spot of lunch! Food was very good, and the Service was great! Barbara the Manger was very Accommodating! Would definitely be back soon. Patricia and Patrick 👍

We went here yesterday. Newly refurbished and stunning. Although extremely busy for food we ordered and Harry who had stood in that day did an amazing job. The food was brilliantly presented. Tasty and quite quick to arrive. We can’t wait to come back. Thank you xxx

Went Sat 18th may 24. Very slow service waited 2 hours for our starter. Ordered chicken bacon & Avocado salad, had no avocado or dressing...chicken was overcooked and dry. Very diassapointed.

Had a fantastic meal here the other night. The service was fantastic and the food tasted great. We look forward to returning soon!

Had my lunch there on Wednesday so we'll looked after service and staff second to none, food was excellent 👌

I’ve been to this place now, probably 8 to 10 times and after the last visit I will not be going again When they first opened after a refurbishment, the place had atmosphere was busy food was good and everything was fine as time has gone and the place has got worse and worse the last two occasions being dreadful Service is unbelievably slow it took 1 1/2 hours before our main course was even served to the table. Our entire visit for starters mains and dessert was over three hours almost embarrassing. The food is poor the fish has got smaller and greasy. One of the portions only had half a fish but we were still charged for full meal. The food is not hot. It is lukewarm and to be honest very tasteless. I have complained about this before and we did get a complimentary meal. This was good but since returning for a paid meal, they have slid back to their old ways. If management is reading this, you need a very big shake up because as I drive past the car park has minimal cars and next to no visitors you need to improve rapidly or this site will just haemorrhage money

Went in for a group brunch, although they were expecting us not the most efficient service. Food was pretty good although seemed like it had been waiting and was not piping hot. Ingredients such as bacon and sausage were quality. Cappuccino didn’t have a good foam. I would go again

Lovely food and well worth a paying a few extra £’s for. Coffee and small desert a great option - crumble and custard was yummy. Barbara - the new manager - lovely and very welcoming. We will be visiting again!

We popped in just for some coffee and hot chocolate. We know nothing about food but coffee, ambiance, cleanliness, music, toilets, just spotless. That makes me think that the kitchen is the same way, so consequently the food. Well done, great place.

Very disappointed with the price of a small glass of diluted orange juice and a small glass of lime and soda water. I could have bought 3 bottles of high juice for a tiny bit of orange juice. Food was ok but expensive for what we had. Service was good. Call in on 27th April 2024.

The food was very nice, the waiter was very friendly shame we needed to wait 40mins for the food to arrive when the restaurant wasn't busy.

Our first visit and we will be back again. We enjoyed the friendly and efficient service by Kyle and the food was very good. Thank you

We went for a birthday celebration meal and really enjoyed our meal. Service was great-Kyle very helpful and extremely friendly and polite. Wonderful job done on the refurbishment and I would throughly recommend eating here.

We came here for a pub stopover in our Moho and what a treat. Beautiful setting indoor and out, amazing food and great service. A lovely dog walk still giving it a 5 out of 5 despite a main road. Lots of parking and nice and flat for overnight stay. Definately recommend .

Long time since I've been here and was not disappointed. Came in for lunch on the hunch. Front of house service was cutting edge- akin to some of the better City restaurants I've been in that I never had time to review. Professional, courteous and welcoming. Martha and Kyle made this a positive, memorable visit. Food was quick and totally delicious (2 of us) and the variety on offer was dizzying. Despite distance will definitely be back for more. Only gave 4 stars for atmosphere because of the two vocal and clearly unhappy (generally, I think) customers seated behind us. There apparently weren't enough bubbles in the soda water and then one said 'bread...we asked for bread!' Fortunately the other pointed out that it was there on the plate. If these two older females review, don't pay heed to anything negative. This truly is a forest gem not to miss if you're this way on the A35.

Although we hadn't booked we got a table for 3 on a Sunday afternoon. Service was excellent and the food was out of this world

The waiters were lovely and did their best but there were problems in the kitchen and the waiting times were totally unacceptable. We arrived at 12.20 for a 12..30 booking. We didn't get away until after 3.00 and only 1 had a starter. They were so embarrassed and apologetic that they didn't charge us for our deserts and coffee. Such a shame, the front of house were lovely but none of us will risk going there again

Definitely worth coming, food was amazing! All staff were incredibly friendly. The place was really clean and had a calm atmosphere! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone in the area or passing through as we were. :)

Visited the Cat and Fiddle on 01.04.24 (my birthday) for a nice afternoon lunch. Paid for our drinks and meal only to find staff had not taken off a £10.00 loyalty voucher. I picked up that the deduction had not been made after paying. I spoke to the manager who said they would need to refund the original transaction and charge me again. This was fine as I expected the money back within 3-4 days as she said. It has been 9 days now and after 4 chases I am starting to get very angry and frustrated. This is terrible service and management do not seem bothered in sorting my issue. I called them on Monday and spoke to Ryan who promised me a manager would call Tuesday. Its now Wednesday afternoon and after more calls today I am none the wiser. Please urgently sort this… Appalling

Had a lovely Sunday meal here with family yesterday. Liv our server was friendly and attentive. Food was really good, tasty and good portions. Thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience

It may be newly refurbished, but unless they do something about the speed of service and lack of staff it is never going to get repeated custom despite the food being good.

Firstly the food was nice and the staff serving us were lovely. Can’t fault the location or decor either etc. What is making us mark this as one star is the completely uneducated member of staff (chef) that we had to deal with. My young daughter has coeliac disease and when asking if certain foods were gluten free, he was guessing and said he thinks so or maybe. Totally incompetent in dealing with someone with an intolerance or allergy. I’d be extremely wary of eating here if you have an allergy, intolerance of are coeliac. It’s clear the chef is not educated enough in this department and more needs to be done by management to ensure that staff are aware of these if cooking food.

The restaurant was lovely, staff very attentive and food was delicious, we will definitely be going again.

I regularly eat at vintage inns and the décor is one of the best. The place was pretty empty and service was exceptionally slow. For starter I had squid and you can tell it sat on the pass for a fair while as the squid was bearly warm inside the very thick batter and the plate was boiling hot. After starters were finished it took a long time to have the plates cleared and we were there an hour and 45 mins before before receiving our mains. I have provided a generous 3 stars for food as 2 people in our group really enjoyed their mains. I had the ribeye steak and for £26 I wouldn't expect to be served something that tasted like the cheap 20oz off cuts you get served at a hungry horse for less than a tenner, lucky I ordered beef dripping sauce (which was lovely) to mask the taste. There was no way we were waiting any longer to even be asked if we wanted to see the dessert menu as we didn't see anyone again for another 20 mins after having plates cleared, we ended up having to get up and find someone near the bar to ask for the bill. I won't let it ruin my overall positive experience of vintage inns but I won't bother going here for a meal again any time in the near future.

Attractive and comfortable surrondings, good food and lovely staff.