The Hatchet Inn in Test Valley

This was our annual family Christmas meal. The six of us meet up to enjoy a meal together before places get to busy, but enjoy great food. This was the third time of visiting The Hatchet at Christmas. The food and service was great as always. The only hiccup was using the third party booking system. We had booked and had confirmation email and a follow up email checking we still wanted the booking, but on arrival the booking hadn’t been forwarded to the pub. The staff were friendly and helpful to make up an emergency table for us. So I would recommend calling the pub to make your booking.

Lovely meal, good service and outstanding atmosphere would definitely be back, Sunday roast best eaten in a long time

Came here for a quick drink and bite to eat, had BBQ Chicken Wings and Pulled Pork topped Mac and Cheese which were lovely. Staff friendly, nice and clean and good service

Absolutely outstanding food! Probably the nicest meal I’ve ever eaten. One vegan, one veggie and one meat eater. Sadly the pub was quiet which it doesn’t deserve to be, but the staff were friendly, and the service was great,

Good menu done well. Food was great and reasonably priced. The two new chefs are doing a fantastic job.

On holiday, my sister, husband and ourselves choose The Hatchet Inn for a meal, the staff were super friendly, the chef Lee, his food is beyond excellent, we all had sea bream with a delicious lemon sauce, after Lee came out and chatted to us asking us what we would like with the sea bream and making suggestions. The starter of scallops according to my brother in law were delicious, previously told Lee that he wasn’t quite happy with the way he cooked them at home to be invited into the kitchen to watch his been cooked, how many chefs would do that? The prawn cocktail was also good. The main course of the sea bream was superb with new potatoes and salad. Best Eaton mess l have ever had, so creamy and lovely fresh strawberries sauce and plenty of strawberries. Whilst waiting we were treated to home made crisps The meal was so good we returned the next evening. My sister and husband declared the halibut the best, l had the lamb, salad and chips, the chips were chunky lovely and crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, my husband had the mushroom, Brie and cranberry Wellington, equally as delicious.

This is an excellent place to eat at incredible prices. The staff are excellent and welcoming especially Lee the chef who comes out and chats to you. He even showed my husband how to cook scallops perfectly. A no 1 place to eat if you are in the area,

So happy to be able to give a positive review to this lovely inn after my last review in February. We visited for lunch and I have to say the meals were really good, very tasty and well presented, the two specials were great a mackerel nicoise salad and bream with lemon, capers and new potatoes. Our friends had the sausage and mash that came with a lovely gravy and a filled jacket potato. So pleased things are back where they used to be food wise. The real ales on offer were as good as ever. Lovely to have a word with the chef after our meals, thank you.

Friendly and welcoming staff. Excellent value for money. Freshly cooked food. My partner said it was the best ribs he'd ever eaten. My chickpea burger was lovely. Would reccomend.

I hadn't visited The Hatchet for nearly 15 years, refreshingly it still looked at felt like a proper country pub. Our party of 4 received a warm friendly welcome from the staff, and invited to pick a table, it was lunchtime but sadly we were the only customers eating, a couple of locals had a drink and left. We ordered 2 mackerel, one pie, and sausage and mash,meals were served with the relevant potatoes, chips, small jackets or mash, the bowl of fresh mixed vegetables served with 2 of the meals was delicious, everything fresh, cooked to perfection. Everyone really enjoyed their various main course with its tasty sauce or excellent gravy. We were asked how the meal was, even the chef came to ask our opinion. I do not normally comment on food reviews but felt on this occasion, the staff and pub deserve a positive review. The chef told us he was new to the pub and was working hard to build business, opening more hours etc. Well, you certainly got the thumbs up from us. Well worth a visit,and great value for money. Good luck to you all. Cheers.

We booked a table for 6 of us plus a dog for a birthday meal after visiting the same venue a year ago when camping locally. Although the management and chef had changed the pleasant welcome was the same. The pub is beautiful and the food was fantastic. 2 of us had ribs to die for, 2 had lamb steaks, one had salmon and one had sea bream. Great value for money. To top it off we had a member of the party who had a seriously sprained ankle and we couldn't get a taxi so the manager took 3 of us back to the site without accepting anything. What a great advert for the pub. Will definitely return 👍🤩

Posto particolare e caratteristico, piatti buoni e personale molto gentile. Se vi trovate da queste parti, può essere un ottima scusa per fermarsi

Just poor! The menu was pretty awful and did not resemble the reviews we'd read. What was on offer was pretty similar to a cheap pub chain. Every starter was something from a wholesalers freezer bag and the main menu was very similar. Our main courses comprised frozen breadcrumb sole, a similarly produced wholesalers frozen vegetarian pastry thing and the final choice from the pretty grim set of menu choices was a rack of ribs with a dreadful offering of mass produced coleslaw and undercooked chips. Wccomplishments compised soggy mixed veg or frozen peas. The door from the kitchen look left open with all the noise coming into our small overspill dining area added to the ambience. Just a poor experience that we will not revisit.

I don’t normally write reviews but felt I needed to praise The Hatchet for a great meal this evening - nothing is too much trouble for them - food was hot, and beautifully presented. The staff without exception were all extremely attentive and focused on making certain we had a lovely experience and succeeded on all fronts!

We have been regular visitors to this pub for years and sorry to say things have gone downhill recently. Only one real ale bitter available today apart from a dark winter ale which was not to our taste. The menu has been well and truly shortened, no baguettes or ciabattas, no omelettes and the main courses are more expensive. I realise prices have gone up, I only have to look at my weekly shopping bill to see this. But here prices have gone up but quality of meals has gone down. So sad we used to love this pub but it seems like no one cares any more about the quality of the food and real ales.

Prefer this pub to many on the area, great welcome, courteous staff, good beer and food. I'm a regular lunchtime visitor and the barman takes pride in the beers. Want a taster of guest beers before purchase, no problem. He is also is a bit of a joker ! I always leave with a smile on my face.

My wife and l use the hatchet inn a fair amount. It's been a few years since I have written a review for here but recently the pub has changed hands. It is now time to write one as the new owners have taken over...

Enjoyed a great New Years Eve at the Hatchet, Fantastic fast service, Buffet with everything and more, Entertainment that kept everyone dancing through the night,great fun on our doorstep.

What an amazing New Years Eve, fantastic atmosphere, cold Buffett had a brilliant choice and was lovely, really enjoyed the profiteroles. Entertainment was excellent with everyone up dancing. It was fancy dress and everyone made the effort, Thankyou for a great night

Visited Sunday lunchtime for a couple of drinks then again Tuesday for a lunch with family. Both visits were very nice, reasonably priced food and drinks and the staff and locals were very welcoming of us and our anxious dog. Excellent village pub that has...

Hugely impressed with our first visit to The Hatchet Inn on Friday night. Have driven past it a thousand times, but we finally popped in for a meal with friends and really glad we did. It's a busy, friendly and traditional pub, serving proper home...

What a lovely evening we had ! A very warm welcome from our waitresses for the evening Erin and Jessica. I ordered the prawn cocktail that was huge followed by shin of braised beef of the specials board and I have to say it was...

Staff very friendly. Would have given more if had more variety for vegetarians, when asked if I could have 2 egg instead of 3 egg omelette had to check if this was OK which I thought was odd - would have understood it being an...

stopped here with a group of friends for mid week lunch. Pub quiet but friendly staff and extensive menu. Popular was the fish pie. Reasonably priced and good portions. Range of coffees and beers. Clean toilets. Parking.

We went to The Hatchet Inn on Saturday evening for a meal and drinks with friends. The food was great and the staff were very helpful and friendly. We will definitely be going back soon 👍

We visited the Hatchet for an evening meal and the food was fantastic! Really lovely traditional British pub food and you could tell it was all homemade. It was hard to decide what to pick but we went with the chicken Kiev, which was first...

We ate here on Saturday night. Fantastic traditional pub serving excellent food! Great selection of beers and larger. Staff were polite, friendly and attentive. Didn’t go with this plan but then couldn’t resist having 3 courses!

Unspoilt olde worldie pub - great and good value for money food, friendly locals and welcoming staff. Will revisit as pubs like this are getting rarer.

Well worth booking as it’s a busy little pub, landlord and landlady really fun, nice people. If you are looking for and I say this with a very positive view, a slightly old fashioned pub with simply great food then this is it, absolutely fantastic...

We booked into Hill Farm campsite, near Romsey, for a few days break. Having put up our tent, I asked thd great Google for nearby eateries, and the best reviewed place was The Hatchet. When we arrived we were asked if we had booked. The...

A small rural pub with lots of character. Tables are small and you are sat close to the next table but it’s exactly what you would expect from a traditional pub. Not sure what to expect when we arrived but everyone was friendly & happy...

We had a great evening here with good food, good beer and a friendly atmosphere. This is a down-to-earth country pub with lots of character and the food was really good (and lots of it). It won't suit everybody as there are no frills, but...

We visited for the first time last week. The staff were welcoming and helpful. Very friendly locals as well which was a bonus. Portions were generous to say the least, but also well prepared & presented. We did not leave hungry! The decor was not...

Terrible evening meal. Booked a table for 3 and were put onto a table for 4 but very very close to next table that had a large dog sitting in the very small gap between the 2 tables. It’s not that I don’t like animals...

Staying locally the pub/restaurant was recommended to me so I paid it a visit in the early evening. If you are not a local, the atmosphere towards you is a tad frosty. I didn't consider the inside of the pub to be particularly appealing and...

We visited earlier during lockdown and dined outside in chalet (very cosy) so visited again sat inside this time and it was delightful everything youd expect from a pub. Good selection of of food ,large portions of tasty food. Friendly staff and landlady without being...

Excellent recommendation from our campsite up the road. We met up with family and had a superb pub meal. Good value and great service. The table was ready for us on arrival with high chair as requested. The bar staff were polite and we had...

A great little find. Delightful staff and service to match. Food adored by all, we can’t wait to return.

My wife and I chose to eat at this well-reviewed pub whilst staying in Romsey. It was easy to find but, as a previous reviewer noted, the parking was poorly lit and rather chaotic. It was a 2-4-1 steak night and the tables were fully...

Great food and service the staff where so friendly and nice and the food was all home made and fresh also the prices where so fair

We had lobster thermidor as a special treat .Delicious.The sauce was lovely .It is our local pub.It was cooked perfectly by Lin the chef.I’m going to try crab next time

Read the reviews, and so pleased we visited for the first time today. The meal was excellent, delicious home cooked pies, and a great starter of crayfish tails with a lime dressing. A great pub, friendly staff, and will definitely return again.

Had dinner here the other day, staff really friendly, food was superb and plenty of it, didnt need anything else after. The only downside was the parking, the locals seem just park their cars anywhere making it difficult to get in and out. But that's...

Great pub with perfect home cooked food choices. Definitely re-visit if in the area again. If you go for the steak and kidney pie make sure you have a good appetite. You won't be needing desert after this lot.

Just enjoyed a delicious lunch for 4 here! All home cooked and sooo tasty for veggies and meat eaters alike. The cheesecake was wonderful and service was excellent too. Will definitely return! Thank you😀

We house sit in the area and always use the Hatchet when we are here. Obviously everything has changed because of Covid. But the Hatchet food was up to its excellent standard the only reason it did not score Excellent was the fact they did...

Very much enjoyed the meal. The staff were nice and friendly , the service was very good. The food was well cooked, salad was excellent

Had an evening meal here and was very happy with the welcome, service, food & prices. Traditional offerings rather than exciting.

Had the steak and kidney pie, wife had macaroni cheese. Plates were very hot and my mash was creamy, I have just recovered from illness,so didn't have the veg. My wife had garlic bread. Everything was cooked to perfection, so much so, that my choice...

We arrived to a less than warm welcome, it seemed more like an inconvenience and that continued throughout the visit. I haven’t smelt a pub smell of stale ale for years! We were to eat outside and there were a lot of people smoking which...

This was a family escape after the Covid 'thing'. Our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter were with us for a three night stay at The Hatchet Inn. Between the five of us we had a good selection of the menu over three nights and there was...

We ordered a meal to be delivered to Hill Farm campsite in Sherfield English and to be honest, wasn’t expecting much. Wow! How wrong we were!! The food was delivered on time and piping hot! The quality was way beyond what you would expect from...

The pub was a pleasant walk from the campsite that we were staying at. We went one day just for drinks and the next for Sunday lunch. The food (Roast pork some rolls as a take away was very good and reasonably priced. This being...

Our first visit pleasantly surprised at how well they coped with the current restrictions. We ate in a cabin (with heater) The food was reasonably priced, well cooked and plentiful The staff were attentive without being overbearing. We will definately return, A great find

Like Wendy on previous review we took our 97 year mother for Sunday Lunch today having booked a wooden log cabin with heater for 12.00. I must say we have a delicious meal, lovely and warm with the help of the individual heater and friendly...

We took my 83 year old mum out for lunch here and it was fabulous. The food was really good and the staff friendly and helpful. We were able to eat outside with shelter from the weather and without my mum getting too cold as...

We visited the Hatchet a week or so after the easing of lockdown and before indoor dining was permitted. We’ve eaten here before in pre-Covid times. The main higlights for me were; the creative way the inn had used its outdoor space to create open...

Outstanding pub food delivered to your door! This brilliant pub is helping keep morale high during lock down by continuing to prepare its fantastic food and making it available by takeaway, collection or delivery. 4 of us had the pie, 1 scampi and 1 ribs...

Called in for lunch today and was very pleasantly surprised by the quality and price of the food. I had the chicken and ham pie with a lovely sauce, all very well presented with salad and new pots (plenty of choice). Would definitely recommend and...

Wanted a last minute meal before lock down, so we chose the Hatchet because we missed the atmosphere of this excellent pub. Always good food and ale served here.

We enjoyed the Hatchet which was recommended to us by our airb&b hosts when we visited Romsey. Although the pub was a 15 minute drive from our apartment we actually re-visited it 4 nights out of the 5 that were available to us. This was...

Given the promise of nice weekend weather in mid-September, we booked a table and took a cross country stroll to The Hatchet for lunch and a couple of pints.They've set the pub up as well as possible to cater for Covid, including some neat little open-fronted 'sheds' out front for those who want to sit outside - was just sad to hear some neighbours don't appreciate this temporary response to the pandemic!Nice pub grub and a good selection of ales - perfect start to a relaxing weekend.

Lovely evening spent here. The extra measures in place meant we felt safe in these strange times.The homemade food was delicious and enjoyed by our party of 6. The staff were friendly and attentive. Would recommend the fish soup and homemade steak & kidney pie

Sunday lunch was recommended by the camp site we we stayed at. 4 of us had lamb and trimmings which was delicious. It was so good we all went back for 2 for 1 steak night which was I must say even better!!

Went with my husband to the Hatchet Inn for a lunchtime mealGood direction entering the pub and excellent social distancing, screens between tables with hand sanitizer on every table For customers. The outside area now has log cabins for eating which seemed very popular Entering the pub our name and contact number was taken for track and trace.All staff were face masks at all times, very impressed.The staff are very friendly and go out of there way to help offering alternatives to the menu, the food is served quickly and off a good standard.Have been to the Hatchet several times before lockdown and feel the staff have made it safe for customers since reopening to have a good meal in a safe environment

We have eaten here many times and not had one bad meal wether in dining or takeaway. After eating at a Marco Pierre white restaurant yesterday we feel the Hatchett inn should congratulate themselves and their chef as the Hatchetts food was well superior. Well done and thankyou Liz and her team.

We had lunch at The Hatchet on Monday and it was absolutely fantastic! Great pub food, pies, homemade fish and chips and the homemade puddings are just brilliant. Very friendly staff, great to see Covid safety restrictions in place, good selection of beers - well worth a visit or two!

Good pub grub, a proper pub with pub food. You cannot compare this pub with others in the area, as this is a true proper pub, not a pub trying to be a restaurant nor is it a chain. We had fab service, COVID covered very well, sitting in the garden with our grandson loving the tractors going by. Thank you team, we had a great time

My family and I were camping nearby and we were recommended this pub for dinner, we had other dinner plans all week but finally made it for Sunday lunch on our last day. How very disappointing we didn't find it sooner, as I think I would have wanted to eat there every day.The food is amazing, classic pub fayre all homemade and beautifully presented.My husband has the roast lamb, at £9.95 what a bargain. I had the chicken pie, which was huge and our son had a children's meal of sausage, mash and gravy, with a free ice cream, which was so tasty and clearly not the usual cheapest roughest ice cream to dish out to kids, this made £4.95 almost cheaper than making it at home! It was great to see that the kids menu didn't just consist of nuggets and chips, but offered homemade cottage pie and even mini toad in the hole. All the staff were friendly, attentive and seemed to be completely on board with the cleaning and social distancing. The whole pub has clear guidance for track and trace, one way systems and face covering worn by all staff.Its lovely to see that a small local pub can do so well, and have made cracking efforts to keep calm and carry on serving! Thank you for having us, hopefully we can get back soon, stay safe Hatchett!

Delicious pub grub and cosy interior. Service was efficient but not particularly friendly. Very reasonable price for generous portions. Lots of options on reduced menu and good selection of kids meals. Would definitely return.

Went here during a week camping with friends. They are part of the governments eat out for 50% less scheme Mondays to Wednesdays during August. Steak and ale pie was massive and sausage and mash was divine. Puddings were delicious too. Followed all social distancing rules and all covid guide lines with sanitisers and seating arrangements.Lovely staff and excellent service.

Four meals, extra salad and 2 puddings for £39!! Excellent- steaming hot, veg perfect- just as if eating in Well done to Liz and her team

We have used the home delivery service regularly during lockdown. The food is excellent and amazing value. On 3rd June, for my wife's birthday and with two weeks' notice, the Hatchet produced and delivered a fantastic dinner; lobster thermidor for my wife, and rack of lamb for me. The photo of the lobster speaks for itself. Thank you so much Liz and Lyn

Had two steak dinners delivered, the food arrived hot and perfectly cooked. It was a real treat and very reasonably priced excellent value and we will certainly be repeating the experience.

Picked up x3 steak dinners. There was so much we nearly needed two cars! Absolutely fantastic food! Thank you!

The Hatchet did such a lovely take away service on Thursday.....food was at its normally excellent standard. My steak was cooked perfectly, with all the trimmings.....I waited with another person at a safe distance from eachother while enjoying a complimentary soft drink. Made for a bit of normality in this very hard time.Personally i cannot recommend a higher service or quality of food from any pub in the area.

The Hatchet is our local pub .Liz will always accomadate us even at busy times which is nearly always.The food is always good cooked by chef Lin .I would recommend it to all my family and friends

Went with a cycling group for a light lunch on a cold wet day. The Hatchet was very welcoming and had a wide variety of tempting offerings. The light lunch option quickly turned to more substantial warming food for many of us. The pub was fairly busy with lunch trade. Nevertheless it coped well, and welcomely quickly, with our wide choices - from soup and a sandwich to cod & chips, curries and other traditional pub fare. Much of it was home cooked and there was very little left on the plates. The pub had provided excellent service for us and as we left to face more wind and rain we congratulated our ride leader on her choice of lunch venue

As regular visitors, we are familiar with the first class food and amazing value for money offered. On St. Valentine's evening, The Hatchet Inn surpassed itself with the decor, ambiance, food and service.The whole experience was nothing short of astonishing.

Fantastc food ! Great service ; nothing too much trouble ! Highly recommend!! 5 ***** we have never had a bad meal ! Food always freshly prepared !! Friendly Atmosphere 😁😁💕

Visited for the first time, which happened to be 2-4-1 steak night. It was amazing. Steaks cooked well and a quality piece of meat, no gristle here! Service was super friendly, really made you feel welcome. Thank you

Despite being really busy, our Roast was delicious, good sized portions and lovely flavour. Staff were lovely and made eye contact when walking past and no bother when asked for something. Good atmosphere.

We have been to this friendly pub many times, and it did not disappoint a day ago - and never has done!

Well we popped in to the Hatchet just to see how the pub is now having not been there for a while. We were not disappointed, a searching eye spotted me through the busy bar, I asked for drinks and If we were able to have lunch today . We were from that moment served a smile and that we were one of the locals . I had the steak and kidney pie , my wife a gluten free fish dish . Lovely, no frills just home cooked food. We left knowing that we will return. The simple things are sometimes all we asked. Great. Thank You.

For a returning visit eight of us, including two young children, had a booking for 7 pm on Saturday 26 October. Two of us arrived at 6.30 to an already busy bar with locals drinking at the bar and numerous diners already well into their meals. We enjoyed a perfect pint in the bar and at 6.45 we were informed our table would be available within a few minutes, an early party having just departed.

We were shopping in Southampton late last Saturday afternoon and although we had planned to eat out didn’t fancy any of the shopping centre eateries. I saw this place was on our way home so phoned for a table for 2 at 6.50 and we arrived at 7.15pm. The place was busy with locals having a drink and several parties of early diners but we were served drinks and seated at a cosy corner table and had an excellent meal. I ordered the pork medallions which was a special and it was delicious - not at all tough as pork can be if not cooked properly. We had a bit of a wait but given they were busy and clearly the food was freshly cooked (accompanying veg arrived piping hot and cooked perfectly) it was reasonable. The bill was £30 for 2 drinks and 2 mains. This place is a straight forward village pub serving great food without having had a decor makeover - it has a traditional pub feel and it’s fine just as it is. We will be going back with the dog and children!

We took a party of 14 for steak night last Thursday. We had booked! The meals all arrived at the same time, beautifully cooked to everyones request. Lots of food, we were all full up. A lovely welcoming Pub.

Our first visit and it actually pleased all involved,not bad. Food was good, and large helpings,though the service was a little slow.

Voilà un endroit extra pour découvrir l'ambiance d'un pub anglais. Avec des personnes sympa et une nourriture fait maison extra! Top top, à decouvrir

Me and the missus went here because of reading TA review. the place was awesome. food was brilliant and the staff were excellent and friendly. only gripe is maybe the car park is a bit small. awesome experience and would definitely go here again!!!

We found this place by chance on our way back from Salisbury. The food was good (we chose the traditional pies) and we had enough with one dish. This place was full of local people and we were the only tourists. I would recommend this inn.

This pub is a real gem. Quite a traditional country inn. The staff are really friendly. Food was good, well prepared and cooked with attention to detail (an improvement from a few years ago when the food seemed a bit mass produced). The beer was fine with a selection of hand pump real ales, at least a couple of ciders and largers.

If you want standard pub grub that you would just normally eat at home but bigger portions. The glasses (see pic) actually smelled of all the previous lips that had passed over them and felt like they had a good millimetre of 'extra' around the rim when putting to the lips. Not bad really, just please, give the glasses a good clean.

Another warm welcome, an extensive menu, a great meal, friendly service and excellent value. The best chips in town. We'll be back soon.

We arrived at the Hatchet, Sherfield English, greeted by the landlady, Liz. Shown to our table, had a great meal, lovely steaks, excellent homemade desert. Very good value, great service, would recommend and will be going back soon.

Amazing evening meal in rustic traditional family run pub nice garden. Space to park friendly locals service was friendly and prompt and food was great value and the home made Fajitas went down well Liz runs a great pub and would definitely come here again when we’re back in this area.

The food served, the service and the drinks are consistently first class, and always astonishing value for money. We visit from time time. Last Wednesday 24th July was exceptional however. We ordered a specific menu. They were only too pleased to provide it, and to a high standard. The staff are efficient and friendly; nothing is too much trouble. The pub is always busy and has terrific ambience

We paid a lovely relaxed visit yesterday evening for a family treat on our camping break nearby. I remembered the great food and friendly atmosphere from last year so our one meal out was already decided to be here again. Great choice on the menu, almost spoilt for choice but the steak was too tempting. Food didn’t disappoint and my steak in particular was perfectly cooked to my request, lovely fresh salad and chips. Can’t vouch for the rest of the family but plates were clean at the end of the meal, so that can only be good!

Great customer service. Went out of their way to make us feel welcome. Landlady is amazing very friendly! Would recommend to anyone!

We went on Thursday which is steak night, 8 of us had steaks and all were cooked very well, the staff could not do enough for us, highly recommend this pub for the quality of food. Also as a massive plus they have a great family play area.