The Royal Oak in New Forest

New Forest ancient pubery at its most intimate location. Good food and real atmosphere are a given but go there after you've had a great walk in the Forest...

All the doggos! This is an incredibly popular spot within the new forest. Had lots of outside and inside areas. As it's so busy, there's quite a queue and wait for the yummy ploughmans, but it adds to the charm! These portions of cheese are HUGE! Loved how many dogs there were!

Customer service was awful, the owner thought that he could pick on us as we were younger. We bought drinks, but still didn’t qualify customer to him. He seemed to be very fixed on this issue. Do not go here if u are young.

We just had a drink in the garden. Lovely views. Lots of space. Beautiful little old charming pub which is so well located in the New Forest. Lots of donkeys roaming around outside.

The landlord is such a friendly chap!

Great unspoilt gem of pub down a quiet dead end lane within the heart of the New Forest. Feels a bit like the wild west. Excellent choice of well kept real ales straight from behind the bar.

A lovely little pub with various ploughman's lunch options and a good choice of ales. Nice after a little walk in the New Forest. No bookings. Keep it quiet though, we don't want the atmosphere ruined by too many people 🤫😉

Great place to walk to. Very busy and very limited menu but really lovely

My family and I arrived at the Royal Oak today after a long cycle ride desperate to refuel only to find it was shut (the pub closes on a Monday and Tuesday). A member of staff was just leaving when they noticed us and when we explained, they were only too happy to help us and provide a drink and snack. This was an incredibly kind gesture and can only make me think what a warm and friendly atmosphere the pub has when it's open. I can't wait to go back and enjoy spending longer there next time. This small act of kindness the staff showed us means I will always remember the pub and it will be the first place I frequent next time I'm back in the New Forest.

Friendly staff, good food, great beer. What more do you need.

We had the BEST time and experience at The Royal Oak. My husband and I arrived after a long walk at 3pm. We were welcomed by the lovely AGM and service staff. So lovely to speak to and with great food! We were very happy to be served at a very random time on a Thursday!

A great place for lunch. Simple menu and very reasonable. Basically lots of different ploughman's and all really tasty. No bookings taken so you might have to wait a bit at peak times. If its busy its well worth the wait. Will definitely be going back.

Best Ploughman’s we’ve had and wonderful setting

A perfect pub, one I've frequented over the years, by bike and car. Idyllic surroundings, good selection of local ales (Hopback etc), tapped straight from the casks, racked and chilled behind the bar – it does not get better. The ploughman's ingredients are again all locally sourced: the quiches (superb), cheeses, hams, trout (pate), pickles, you name it. Please never change this pub, it is perfection.

No meals ,small but place, but it was way to crowded with no meal option

It's a fantastic pub with fantastic food. Highly recommend the ploughman's. Lovely location to have a walk, before collapsing in front of the fire, with a pint and food.

Small and quaint pub. Opens at 11 food starts at 12. Lovely long fires 🔥. Can get busy and sign asks people to be open to share tables.

Avoid at all costs. Customer service was extremely rude.

Quite simply the best Ploughman’s Lunch set in a lovely old, friendly pub. We’ve been several times since we first discovered it in early 2023.

We were greeted by a very unwelcoming member of staff. After asking if we could have a table for 7 we were told with a scoff ‘if you can find one’. After then ordering 5 cups of tea we were rudely told off for ‘dirtying’ the saucer with our tea bags and had the milk and sugar thrown down in front of us. Was the most expensive cup of tea in the new forest and was NOT WORTH IT AT ALL. The owners of this establishment would do well to replace this rude barman. This is unfortunate as the rest of the staff were friendly and have been going here for years and was always pleased in the past.

Disappointed with cheeses ploughman’s. Cheese was lovely but two thin slices, but the bread was a hot doughy panini , rock hard Pat of butter, sliced large onion that had been pickled so far too vinegary unedible, small pot chutney, side salad bits from bag, half sliced apple and soft pickled carrot? Would prefer chunk of cheese real granary or farmhouse type bread, pickled onion etc traditional. Will stick to soup as previously.

What can I say that hasn’t already been said. I am from the states and saw it on Remarkable Places to Eat. I could eat a ploughmans every day of my life and be happy.

Tremendous pub situated in the New Forest. Amazing range of cask beers sold from the barrel. Multi - roomed two with roaring fires. Clearly it's very popular & I can see why! Pub also has seating outside & a food menu but would recommend checking when available. It's slightly off the beaten track so to speak but we'll worth seeking out.

We all enjoyed a delicious ploughman's. Lovely cosy pub, friendly and attentive staff in a beautiful setting.

The best ploughmans in the New Forest by far. Huge portions. Local and high quality produce. Very nice garden in which to spend a summer afternoon.

What a great little pub, took the in-laws out to the new forest for a walk with the dogs & stopped here for refreshments. Open all afternoon on a Friday so turning up at 3:30 wasn’t a problem

We stayed at the shepherd's hut in the pub garden and had a terrific time. The pub has a good selection of old fashioned beers and a magnificent ploughman's lunch. It is simple food but so well done as the cheeses and the quiches were top quality. I don't know why more pubs don't do food like this. All the staff were friendly and interested in us. The hut was warm when we arrived as the log burner had already been lit. The bed was comfortable and we had a lovely peaceful nights sleep . We look forward to going back

Heaven. On Earth! If only they had Summer Lightning on always!! Oh they have!!!😋

There aren't many pubs as good as this around

Great country pub, think open fires, a warm atmosphere and genuine hospitality. I'm sad to read a recent review about grumpy staff; this was entirely the opposite of my experience. It's well staffed so there's never a wait, and all the interactions were lovely and open - felt like a wonderful team. I loved the limited menu, and they've honed what they do: soup and ploughmans is just about perfect after a long Saturday walk. Couldn't fault them and wish it was my local pub!

Limited menu - mainly a choice of Ploughman's that said it was excellent. Might just be a Sunday thing to accommodate the vast number of walkers in the area. Dogs welcome, large garden area some undercover. I thoroughly enjoyed my cheese Ploughman's the menu does say 'Cheddar like' local cheese it might not be to everyone's taste but it was mine. Some in the group had the sausage roll, pork pie or ham versions all were to the same high standard. Portions were very generous.

We stumbled on our dream pub, wish we were locals! The staff were so hospitable and friendly, simple menu but you don’t need variety of choice when the options on hand are 10/10!

Quaint looking traditional pub. But service was grumpy particularly at the bar. Food is very expensive and they are pretty much serving only ploughman's, soup and mac and cheese. Not great for a country pub, where most visitors are country walkers with dogs. There was not even a bowl of water for dogs like in other pubs.

This is a lovely traditional old pub in the middle of the New Forest. The beer is very good and poured direct from barrels behind the bar.

Had soup x4 and 4 soft drinks came to nearly £40. Service was very good.I

Friendly country pub. Still trapped in time.

After a very long unexpected walk , we found the Royal Oak, we were recommended to come here and wasn't disappointed. The Ploughman's was amazing and great value. Will be coming and recommending as well.

Had a super lunch at this lovely little pub. All very nice and great atmosphere. The ploughman’s was excellent as well as the quiche.

Love this pub. Good selection of beers, and they do a fantastic ploughman's.

First visit. Nice surroundings. Busy

Love this pub, you definitely should visit, I'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed.

A must if you're in the New Forest. Perfect pub garden vibe, super dog / horse friendly. Great selection of ales and the ploughman's is so good! My favourite place to visit on a sunny afternoon after a long walk!

Lovely Ploughman's lunch. Haven't found a better one elsewhere. Nice choice of Ale's too.

Excellent fish and chips ! Best I have had in years !

I would say what a great hidden pub in the new forest. But everyone seemed to know it was there apart from me. There is plenty of outdoor space. Food is limited to different options of Ploughman's, but it WAS GREAT. We will be back.

Lovely pub in New Forest. Dog friendly...missing a trick...dog sausage not available. Personally a bigger plate with less salad would have been more appetising but the food was good and fresh.Coleslaw and chutney very morish.

Go for a New Forest walk then finish with a ploughmans and a pint at the Royal Oak.........superb. thank you

Great Ploughmans and good beer. What's not to like.

Went here some months back and I still think about it. Lovely friendly staff, banging ploughmans, but the beer is what I’ll remember. Best pint of ale I’ve had in years. It’s hard to find traditional English ales of this quality and if you’re a beer fan, I’d travel specifically for it. Amazing 🍻

Easily the best ploughman's in the New Forest, fantastic food very reasonably priced and good selection of beers, wine and cider. Garden is spacious and adjoins a farm so animals for the kids to look at (from afar!) and some great walks to/from the pub. A firm favourite

A wonderful ploughman’s lunch - delicious homemade chutney, coleslaw and roasted root veg, accompanied a proper helping of ham and mature cheddar. Fresh loaves accompanied both plates - best in the New Forest.

Stopped here after walking the dog for a quick half . Was greeted in the garden by a lovely young girl who told us where to get drinks and order food Also told us where to get water for dog .so polite and efficient didn't get her name tho 😞

Lovely pub. Excellent choice of Ales

Love this place but pick a week day if possible can be busy at the weekend. Walks nearby

A small pub with a large garden, and that only serves ploughman's lunch but with a good range of alternatives. Outstanding cask ales behind the bar. Excellent ploughman's. Went twice in a week.

Fantastic ploughman's lunches in a wonderful location. Great service and good beer.

We were on a circular dog walk and were tempted to call in for lunch but but the idea of just a ploughmans put us off a bit. However, we decided to call in for a drink anyway. The pub and the garden were very busy and there was a great selection of real ales that were in cracking condition. Seeing all the people eating got too much and we duly ordered a pork pie and a ham ploughmans. Both were fantastic, the homemade pork pie was delicious and definitely excellent value for money. If a pub can survive on just selling plougnmans then you can be assured they are doing it very well…..I will definitely be back.

Each time I'm in the area I come here. Still the best ploughman's in the area. I had the veggie quiche ploughman's. Fabulous. As always a great selection of beer and cider.

Lovely location and pub. Do get a sense that what they do (ploughman's) and how they do things is it, period! Used to ordering food and drink at the same time; we found a table outside, went to the food ordering hatch, politely asked if I could order drinks as well and got a sarcastic look over the shoulder and was told no, they have no facilities for drinks there and I needed to go to the bar to order drinks separately. Friendly waitress service to the table and helpful at the bar, thank you. Ploughman's was good value, tasty and filling, plates could be bigger to get everything on properly. **The review above was left last year. We returned again yesterday, followed the process and proceeded to have a lovely time. The ploughman's must be the best of the best, I can't imagine how the quality and quantity could be improved, it was delicious and washed down by a tasty beer (lots of great beers to choose from)

Hearty delicious ploughman's was just what we needed.

We like to stop here on the way to Swanage and normally have a crab salad and my wife likes the smoked trout. Unfortunately neither of these where available so settled for a cheddar ploughman’s. There was simply to much of the same type of cheese, on the menu there wasn’t a choice of 3 smaller servings of cheese. The people on the next table had Bree and and the other person had Stilton both could not finish the large lump of cheese just to much. I hope they can look at this review constructively

Popped in for a quick drink while out on a family bike ride. Nice staff behind the bar. Lovely place to spend half hour relaxing.

Absolutely the pub to visit if you're in the new forest, beers are great ,the real ale is amazing, the food is beautiful plus the service was amazing.

Friendly knowledgeable staff, great pint of beer 🍺 👍

Great venue for a pub ploughman's after a walk!

Its so small, it only really works on nice days when you can sit outside. Food was not served all day, but a nice hog roast took its place late afternoon.

Most impressed with the spacious garden area and the ploughman's lunches were good value as well. We had cheddar and Gammon but we all agreed that it was on a plate far to small to see what you were getting. It was only after eating a lot of the salad that i found the Cole Slaw; there was no room to move things to get at anything else. That was with the bread roll off of the plate as well. Good value but crammed onto a small plate.

Excellent real ale pub with good od ploughman's lunches.

This pub is in the middle of nowhere so if you turn up for lunch they know you’re going to eat as there’s nowhere else close by. In my opinion this makes them seem rather ‘entitled’. They only do ploughman’s at £12.50 which is expensive compared to other ploughman lunches. I had the feta and sweet potato quiche. I don’t know if it was home- made or bought but it was bland and I couldn’t taste the feta. The half a loaf was nice but the stuff served with the quiche was just bits of weird faff- no lettuce, tomatoes or cucumber ( as is shown in the photo) but some pickled onion rings, bits of beetroot, a few rocket leaves, some roasted carrots, small bit of sliced apple. Very disappointing and not good value for money. We won’t be eating here again- there’s some much nicer places if you go within about a 4 mile radius.

They only serve a variety of very good ploughman's.

Beautiful country pub in beautiful surrounding, lovely amount of outside seating.

Lovely little pub. Ploughman's is the only option here, but they are excellent. Lots of local beers aswell as ciders. Great place will definitely return.

Visited this lovely little put for lunch after a morning walk in the forest nearby. We all had the ploughman's and they were all delicious. The gammon was so tender and tasty and very good sized portions, excellent value for money. Lovely large garden to enjoy and a really great atmosphere. I look forward to visiting again.

An unspoilt New Forest pub with a good sized garden, serving great food

Lovely country pubs, staff and food are great, very dog friendly

Lovely village pub at the end of our walk. We had Ploughmen’s lunches that were just lovely, as were the ice creams! Nice local beers too, recommended. Very dog friendly.

Who knew a ploughman's could be done in so many different ways. We ordered the pork pie, butternut squash and feta quiche, nettle cheddar and mackerel ploughman's. They all came with homemade Coleslaw, salad,roasted vegetables and pickled red onions and 2 with a sourdough baguette. Delicious 😋

Been here many times. Always love the high quality and simple food. Think must have been a change of management since our last visit. Found the bar staff less than friendly and the addition of cold roasted vegetables to ploughman's salad was just a bit odd. Delicious pork pie and cheeses as always otherwise though.

Didn't eat, but had a beautiful pint of Bowman's local bitter.

The best ploughman's I've had, with a very generous quantity. We enjoyed the gammon & cheese and mackerel ploughman's. Most of the seating is outside, so come prepared for potential wind.

Wonderful food, friendly staff and a relaxing atmosphere in the middle of the new forest.

Slightly disappointed by the quality of the Ploughman's, wasn't enough variety on the plate. There was a distinct lack of atmosphere in the pub with few people in for lunch, didn't make it particularly welcoming. Good people & service however.

Limited menu but they have it just right.

I can't believe we hadn't tried this pub before. Although only a small inside eating area there is a beautiful large garden with plenty of seating and the views are stunning. The beer straight from the barrel was clear and the food was delicious. Very generous portions, I definitely would recommend the feta and sweet potato quiche.

Lunch here with friends. Lovely day sat at table in large garden with great views over new forest. Inside pub is quite small. Great beers, delicious variety of ploughman’s - can recommend the quiche and garlic nettle cheese. Well worth the journey.

Food is limited but very good. When it comes to beer the best pint I've had in a long time. Very friendly staff fantastic position. Loved it.

Lovely pub, with big garden and in pleasent location on the edge of the New forest. Good selection of ales and beers. Theirs also a good selection of a ploughman's at fairly good value. This is a good starting point for some great walks

Nice pub in a nice location in the New forest. Great walks nearby. The pub is popular and can get busy. Nice selection of drinks. The food here is a terrific ploughman's that also caters for vegans and vegetarians.

A great time was spent in the garden of the Royal Oak, as 20 of our TR Group had an impromptu get together. Food was excellent, great value for money and lovely staff. Highly recommend.

The best Ploughman's Lunch ever...🙂. Really enjoyed our visit. Great selection of beers. Thanks 🙂

Had the delight of a heatwave on Fathers day. A walk in forest and ploughman’s in the pub garden. It was busy without feeling cramped. Lots of space between tables, everyone was in good spirits, helped I imagine by the weather. The food was delicious, plentiful and very reasonably priced. The ice cream parlour was opened and dessert got all. Highly recommended. We shall be returning.

Looking a bit tired with the thatch in serious need of attention. Now has 2 big marquees between the pub and the outside toilets forming a cold, soulless area. Garden is a bit run down with bare grass patches in quite a few areas and the view across distant fields restricted by the marquees. Summer Lightning was not brilliant but at least the ploughman's was good although the locally sources, baked rolls have been replaced with part baked rolls which were doughy inside.

Idyllic pub. Stopped to use the really good facilities. Visiting a neighbouring open garden Fritham Lodge. Will definitely visit the Royal Oak again for a drink and food. Looked incredible & everybody so friendly!

I've always loved this pub, but we visited yesterday (19/06/2023) after many years and thought it was better than ever. Can't understand why more pubs don't do a menu that's based exclusively around Ploughmans - it works so well! I had the cheese and gammon Ploughmans. Beautiful thick quality slabs of gammon, and a massive chunk of semi hard cheese, a soft fluffy warm roll so I could make a sandwich out of it. So simple, but absolutely perfect. Very pleasantly surprised at the price of a round of drinks too!

They seem to specialise in ploughman's lunches with a good variety. The service was excellent even at a busy time.

Incredible value ploughman's lunch for £12.50. Both delicious and very large portions. Lovely countryside views from the huge garden.

Lovely place, large outdoor area. Very good selection of real ales. Good choice of ploughman's and taste amazing. Can get very busy

Lovely ploughman's - great atmosphere

Great little pub they seem to do only ploughman’s but they are fantastic I had the homemade pork pie and my wife had mackerel will definitely go again when we are in the forest

Quality ploughman's lunch which is there speciality and rightly so 😋. Quality ingredients goes into there ploughman's, great cheddar cheese and honey glazed ham with well prepared salad, coleslaw and chutney. Visited midweek in early June and found the pub well frequented and for good reason. We ate in the ample outside as the pub itself is not large inside. Staff were very helpful and friendly all with a ready smile 😃. I can imagine parking could become a problem at certain times.!