The Old Thatch | Freehouse Pub, Kitchen & Country Store in East Dorset

Halloween party and meal . Great food good service .

Really good outside space. Pizza was a little slow but can't really blame them as was very very busy.

Always 5 stars...highly recommended...the food is amazing and beautifully presented..the ambience is perfect..service is very good...definitely worth a visit.

On sunday i had a reunion of family and friends at the old thatch. It was a great experience for the 7 of us and kirsty who took care of us was fantastic.we all had roast dinners and i cannot fault the quality of the food.kirsty was especially good to our 87 yo uncle pete who has a wicked sence of humour and will break into song at any opertunity and hand out little gifts to everyone. So thanks kirsty for your service. Darren. New zealand😁

If like me you enjoy great food in a wonderful pub with a fantastic atmosphere then you will The Old Thatch a top choice. The food, the friendly staff and the whole experience is first class. Perfect for Sunday lunch too.

Met here for a family reunion. The service and food were both good and the atmosphere of the place was good. Will use it again. Good selection on the menu.

Booked a table and was told upon arrival that the table was outside under the circus tent. I had to keep my jacket on as, despite the heat lamps, it was quite chilly, even at lunch time. Drinks took a while to come, the food took forever. The roast potatoes were soft, the beef was bland. We were shown the dessert menu and then left alone until we flagged someone. The whole experience took around three hours. Staff were friendly but busy and not on the ball. Food was expensive compared to other places.

An amazing experience all round. Fantastic service by all members of staff! Outstanding food! & all in an beautiful old pub! Couldn't ask for more. Absolutely brilliant!!! If your thinking of going there...stop thinking & go!

Fantastic food and friendly service

We heard good reports about The Old Thatch, so met friends there for dinner. The food was reasonable, the service was poor (3 hours for a main and sweet). We won't be going back anytime soon as you can get better food and service for less money elsewhere.

Sunday lunch was amazing! Dog friendly, service and staff lovely.. thank you 😊

Amazing atmosphere, great service and fantastic food

Lovely Sunday roast. Had to eat in the marquee as indoors was fully booked. But the patio heaters warmed the area fine. Great food... plenty of veg to go with well cooked meats.

We attended for the first time for a family birthday. We had a table of 9, and my goodness what a surprise - amazing food, excellent service and an all-round fantastic evening was had. We will definitely be back.

A great experience with lovely staff especially Kaya, Who was very attentive, kind and helpful, pleasant and a great asset to your company sorry to see you go Recommend will recommend to all our friends great day thank you Mr. Morgan.

Wasn't impressed with value for money. £18 for fish and chips not a big fish and not many chips mushy peas spread across plate. Both the men were still hungry .

Great small lunch with three others. Lovely atmosphere, attentive staff & a delicious BLT sandwich with a half of Thatchers cider. Perfect for a wet day.

Quite an experience in one of the oldest pubs in the area, we went on a Sunday and as usual, we had Sunday Roast! It has 4 varieties, 3 meat options (beef, pork and lamb) and a vegan option. You can also order extra and incorporate the 3 types of meat. The beef is good, but the pork stood out and I recommend. It is accompanied by vegetables and very delicious sauces. We have to return in winter because the place has large fireplaces that surely create a very warm atmosphere.

The food was really good as was the cocktail I had. Staff were friendly. We dat outside which was a lovely area. Highly recommend

Good food, excellent service. The pie was as much pastry as filling, bt overall a good meal.

We've loved this place so much over the last few months - superb food & excellent service, but this evening the service was poor & the food average - I don't know what went wrong, but we won't be re-visiting in the near future. Such a shame as its just a short walk from home

Friendly and attentive staff, food was delicious.

Not a place I will be going back to, poor in all areas.

Wow what can I say, brilliant fast service. Beautifull food. Very clean. One of the best roast dinners I’ve ever had! Will defiantly be back soon

Nice food and good local beer. Outdoor covered eating area is complimented with great play area to keep the kids busy

Went for Sunday lunch, good-sized portions, and I like the gravy served in mini churns. Nice range of draught beer. Very popular, so book a table in advance. I'm not sure I'd call it award winning food and in a competitive Sunday lunch market, in my opinion, overpriced.

Went here for Sunday lunch as a party of six. We sat in the marquee. We were impressed with the service and food. I had the roast pork and roast lamb. There was roast beef as well. I had the Apple and berry crumble, which was delicious too. There is plenty of free parking. I would recommend this place for Sunday roast.

Nice lunch, room a bit dark but very pleasant.

Beautiful old fashioned pub with a lovely olde worlde atmosphere, good food, friendly staff and good selection of beers. Perfect

Pizza in the pub garden with fantastic live music!

Excellent authentic English pub. Food was very nicely presented. Nice fresh ingredients. Place became busier as folks came in for drinks and attentiveness to diners dropped off at that time. I'm sure this can easily be remedies by adding another team member at that time of day. Overall, well worth stopping in

A very nice pub inside and out, a calm laid back atmosphere, great food every time, and good service from the staff.

No rating on the food as I have not tried it. The pub is lovely inside and the staff are all very friendly and professional. I was there for the monthly folk club session which was enjoyed by all of us as musicians and proved to be a welconed surprise to the diners and drinkers. The selection of drinks is extensive with ales, beers, lagers, wines, 0% and soft drinks. I pass here regularly and it is full of families with children on dry days. Now i know the evenings are quieter I will be going back.

I had the venison sausages, which were great, and my wife had the mushroom parcel, which is her favourite!

The Sunday roast was very good, personnally the veg were a bit ' al dente' for my taste, but that is just MY taste, the service was excellent. I found inside was very dimly lit, for a June sunny day outside, more of a winter atmosphere

Wonderful Sunday lunch today, couldn’t fault it, staff were first class 👍👊👏🤩

Gorgeous pub with lots of atmosphere. We stopped for tea halfway on our trip on a Saturday in June. It opens at 11 am, it was not busy when we arrived though got much busier while we were there. Friendly staff took our order. The brownie was delicious. Loved browsing in the artisan shop just inside the entrance, there are lovely unique gifts if you need something for a birthday. Toilets were clean. There's a large outside area where kids can play while parents have their entertainment. Great place, will visit again if I'm in the area.

It was expensive for what it is, there were dogs in the restaurant and quite frankly it was a bit of putting seeing them sniffing each other's rear. It was busy and therefore noisy and cramped the food and the service was excellent

Really lovely atmosphere inside the pub. Great service from the moment we walked in the door. Very nice squid starter and fish and chips main. Large portion, couldn’t finish it all! Fresh tasting fish and lovely batter. Very good presentation.

Called in for a relaxing pint after a long week at work. Unfortunately ruined by at least 4 dogs barking at each other in the bar area. I love dogs but honestly the owners make my piss boil. Bring back the good old days of no dogs or kids in a pub.

Been to this pub 3 times and they were disappointed every time the staff just wanted to chat amongst themselves the cesar salad had lettuce fish and a boiled egg never had a cesar salad like that before weill never go again many more disappointment to many to say

Great selection of dishes, and food really tasty. Would visit again if in the area

Had a really lovely meal, food was amazing and service even better. Our waiter Georgia was very helpful and nothing was too trouble. Will definitely be coming back soon!

*Best Sunday roast we've had in years!* Visited earlier in the year for an impromptu Sunday roast and ordered the duo of meats - other pubs tend to give you smaller portions of meat when you order a duo, but not here! really generous and quality portion size with well cooked, quality veg. Visited again yesterday, but ordered the trio of meats - same outcome! plate was loaded with thick cuts of pork, beef and lamb with a huge Yorkshire pudding on top with a separate jug of really tasty gravy. Easily the best Sunday roast my wife and I have had in Dorset for years! - 5 star

The Old Thatch - Ferndown Sun 19th May 2024 1p. Table for 3 - Birthday Lunch Well done and thanks. Julian & Amanda

If your dog barks, or makes a noise, be sure not to take it to the old thatch! The owner is arrogant and rude and he attempted to exert his authority by displaying threatening behaviour and ordered me to put a muzzle on my dog purely because it barked. To top it all off we ordered food that never turned up! Previous food I have had there was greasy and not great at all. I will not be lining that man’s pocket with my money again.

Beautiful roast dinner. Meat perfectly cooked, lovely Yorkshire puddings and gf catered for!

Lovely setting, made to feel very welcome by the staff. Food was excellent, beer was good.

We were a large group of friends in for lunch, I hardly recognised the place! The food was great, lovely fire in the hearth, friendly staff and not too intrusive.

Always a lovely country pub atmosphere and friendly helpful staff and wonderful food

Wonderful Sunday lunch. Polly was a truly fantastic server. She knew everything about the food and beverages and was very friendly.

Family birthday meal 🥰 Excellent food - we all rated it very highly (vegan - mushroom parcel; fish & chips; 2x beefburgers; chicken & mushroom pie). So full of flavour and for the pie, lovely veg as well. Very busy traditional pub with lots of attentive staff - thanks

Characterful restaurant. With good choice on menu. Service was very friendly and attentive. We must have been served by every member of staff. Food was delivered very quickly. We were able to have great conversation as noise levels were very good. Most of my party were delighted with the food. Exception was one fussy eater. My 7 year old Granddaughter loved the kids menu . Only slight quibble was that the entrance was not entirely obvious and it was dark so we wandered round the back. My Mother finds walking difficult so this was a little inconvenient. Overall we had a great time. The final bill for 5 adults and one child was £200. Only two of us drank alcohol but I felt this was very reasonable. Service included but I gave a £20 tip. Would recommend.

I thought this was a great pub with fantastic staff, polite and friendly. A fantastic play area for the children and a well organised and oiled machine throughout. Highly recommended it.

can't fault it at all. even given a table when we didn't book. filled to the brim. food is outstanding, highly recommended

Lovely oldy worldy pub. Quite a small bar area if you just want a drink but plenty of seating if you want to eat.

Good food Good drinks and a nice play area for the kids

Lovely food and service, if you are vegetarian the mushroom dish is delicious - highly recommend

I would like to have given a 5 but this is very expensive. The food tasted good and the only issue was the kids meal fish goujons were mostly batter, very little fish. The waitress didn't seem to know the menu very well. Watch out for the service charge on your bill. Nice looking pub, trying to be gourmet / bistro ISH, Would I go back? No.

Fantastic food and service. Highly recommended.

Lovely atmosphere, helpful people.

It's been a while since I called in here, when to be honest it used to feel tired and soulless, but following a change of management, and obviously some decent investment, The Old Thatch is now in a very different league. With excellent service, very good food, tasty local ales, this has to be one of the best pubs in the Ferndown district. Family friendly, dog friendly, a spacious car park and a pleasant garden area, it even has a shop selling the best of local produce. Recommended.

Excellent Sunday roast beautiful. Highly recommend Bonus to sit under the tent with our well behaved dog

This is a great meeting place which serves as a half way point for myself and a friend. Good size car park. Nice looking pub with lots of tables, but doesnt feel noisy if you want a catch up on lots of news. Good food with an extensive but not overwhelming menu catering for all food preferences and tolerances, good service which is attentive, but not over-bearing. I did have a small issue which was dealt with efficiently and with no fuss. We'll done to the old Thatch

Just had a meal this afternoon, the food was absolutely incredible, and our lovely waitress Rachel was so accommodating, looked after us so well, will definitely be returning!

Nicest food I've had out in a long time, excellent service, generous portions and beautifully presented food. Highly recommend!

Fancy place with avarage food, the sides with the burger was smallest I have ever eaten.

Fish pie had no fish in it and was dry and overcooked. Not good value for money and then they add a service charge. They charged an extra 2.50 for a slice of cheese on a burger.

Lovely find; characterful old place with good food and wine, quick service and a nice table by a sunny window! We will be back.

Great food - Tamsin our server was awesome too 😍

We all ordered Fish and chips @£17,50. The fish was well overcooked. Once you got through the batter the portion of fish was small. Disappointed

Beautiful venue. Friendly staff and great product range!

Great food, great service. And I love the local shop they have in there, selling candles, soap, etc. Definitely worth a visit

A little disappointed after reading many good reviews I was quite excited to book our family meal for my birthday, but unfortunately a lot of our vegetables were dry as well as the meats which was a real anti climax, and after mentioning this to a member of staff she came and made my wife feel a little belittled, as we complained the once about the meat being very grissly, but on second chance wasn't much better, so we thought it pointless complaining again, so just didn't eat it! It's a shame this was the case as we probably won't be recommending it to many of our friends and I doubt we will return. As for the layout, we were tripping over tables to venture through the pub! But only a small families opinion, perhaps try for yourselves as after all it does have a lot of good feedback.we spent a good £200 to be so dissapointed by bad food. Happy birthday to me.

I'm ancient, I've been going to The Old Thatch for over 40 years, still good but not as good as last time. Considering we were booked in for 12.15, and the world and his wife that came in after us got served first, don't rest on your laurels, you've won awards, keep up the standards!!!.

Good play area 4 the children and generally a nice place to go didn't eat so can't comment on food but it looked good 😋

Lovely food , had the chefs special, Fish Pie and it was delicious. Great atmosphere and enjoyed sitting by the fire.

Amazing food and drink. Highly recommended.

Excellent food, welcoming staff, great environment. Any time there's ever been a blip (such as no prosecco) they've always upgraded to something better or happily switched food without comment. Love this place.

We just popped in for a couple of drinks. Beautiful old pub with a log fire. The staff were great and the atmosphere lovely. We'll definitely be back for a meal.

Love this place. So cosy, welcoming, staff always kind and accommodating. Food is consistently great. Roast dinner on a Sunday is the best around!!! It is on the pricey side, however, it’s worth every single penny because we are never disappointed! Also dog friendly 🤍

Fantastic food and good drinks in a lovely atmospheric old building. Staff are always friendly and helpful. The outside area is great for kids and families, with a play park and outside bar and pizza wagon. Music nights outside are fun.

We have just celebrated my Mother’s 80th birthday. The food, service & atmosphere were all amazing. There were 20 of us and we had an area all to ourselves. All the food was delicious and the staff were very attentive and helpful. Thank you for making our celebration a success.

Excellent service and food. Staff lovely. The only thing negative I would say is that it was very smoky from the open fire, we came away stinking of smoke. They just need to clear their chimney

First clients of the day,lovely friendly greeting,rip roaring fire and a couple of super coffees. Perfect hosts and no signs of a hangover from new years eve.🎉!!! How do they do it. Cheers folks. Best Pub in Dorset. Iain and Sue

We were fortunate to book a table at The Old Thatch for new year's eve. We had come down from Norfolk for the occasion. I can not fault anything. The service of the staff was nothing but brilliant despite it being an extremely busy night for them. The chef and crew in the kitchen simply nailed it with military precision. All the starters, mains and desserts appeared like clockwork and all piping hot. The kitchen crew are to be commended on their incredibly hard work behind the scenes which is never rarely recognised. The starter of belly pork was sublime and the main course of perfectly served medium rare fillet steak was nothing but outstanding. The best fillet steak I have every had (and I don't say that lightly...!) The desserts were to die for as was the cheese board. I can not thank the bar staff, waitresses and kitchen chefs enough for ensuring we had a magical evening in your wonderful establishment. A perfect example of how well polished team work and communication works to the benefit of the paying customer. A huge thanks to everyone involved for making it a most rememberable new year's eve. We'll definitely be back....👍

Had a very lovely Christmas Sunday roast on Christmas Eve. Staff friendly and helpful, even though they were really busy. Will be visiting again in the future

We had a superb meal, served by lovely friendly staff. The food was excellent, restaurant quality food. The staff were polite and very efficient, the food was served in a timely manner. At our request we delayed the dessert which did not disappoint. Lovely experience which we hope to repeat again soon.

Lovely atmosphere, just the place to have a drink at Christmas

Thanks to John for lovely service and a wonderful meal. Pork wrapped in ham and Fish of the day x2. All cooked to perfection.

The soup was delicious, and the pie was very good.

Another lovely event held at this most welcoming of pubs. Melt in the mouth mice pies with delicious mulled wine for our Yoga class Christmas social. Warm and cosy by the fire for a perfectly hygge morning! Thank you Katie and the team for your Christmas spirit!

This is an idyllic pub, that infuses a traditional feel with modern design for it's decoration. The food here was fantastic, I had a chicken and mushroom pie that was spot on! The vegetables that came with it were perfectly cooked and left me very impressed. Those dining with me also had the vegetarian.mushroom option which they enjoyed equally as much. We each had desert and drink. The deserts looked.and tasted great and they had a nice selection of local beers available. Our waitress was friendly, accommodating and attentive. I cannot fault our visit to this pub/restaurant and will certainly be returning.

Great food and very friendly staff.

Very busy for a Wednesday night, good thing we booked, great atmosphere and all enjoyed their food choices 😀 helpful staff on hand to answer any questions.

Fantastic meal with brilliant table service from all the staff especially John. They also had a live band playing outside. Many thanks! Will be returning soon.

Thanks to John and the rest of the Old Thatch team who accommodated 18 of us for our ((BOUNCE)) Wimborne Christmas party! The food was delicious, huge portions and beautifully presented with just the right amount of time between courses. Also a band on so a great night all round!

A great find, live music in a wonderfull garden setting

A really cosy restaurant serving great food. Friendly attentive staff. Nice little shop attached.

Lovely meal, fave local pub for its atmosphere.