The Trusty Servant in New Forest

Good technical stop on the route to eat and a good beer. Good atmosphere and service

Great service, good beer, dinner looked good the steak pie was awesome, one of the best ive ever had, Will definitely come back

Had an excellent evening meal here last week. While the food wasn’t Michelin quality, when added to the lively ambiance, super friendly staff, open fire and the feel of a genuine old-style community pub (a lot easier said than done) this is a winner. This part of the New Forest is blessed with decent pubs (like the New Forest Inn) but the Trusty Servant is up there with the best of them. Be careful with parking as it is easy to block a gate or driveway in the pitch darkness that descends on England by four in the afternoon at this time of year. Place is chilled.

My family recently spent a couple of days in the New Forest and fortunately took -up the recommendation of an old friend to spend some time at the Trusty Servant. So glad we did ,as the room was spot-on , the breakfasts and evening meals excellent, and the grazing ponies on the green opposite the pub a lovely New Forest treat !

Nice pub and nice menu. Booked a table but the booking was lost but luckily they had a spare table. I ordered the "big daddy" roast which was about £9 more than the standard ones. You get the same amount of meat just a bit of all 3. So £9 for an extra yorkie and chipolata. All of the meat was dry and didn't even eat it. When the waiter came and cleared the table we said about the meat being dry and not really edible. He just replied "oh, do you want a dessert menu?" Won't be going back. It's a shame because it seemed a nice pub

We had a nice evening family meal here. Decent food. Represented value for money for us.

We ordered a starter which came fine and was nice. Then had to wait 1.5 hours for our main. When we asked about it we were told they plating it up. 20 minutes later it came but was the wrong order. When we mentioned it after the meal they said ordering a starter had messed it up! No apology. The roast was basic. Not freshly made but seemed more like ready made (apart from the potatoes and Yorkshire). Quite basic disappointedly. We won’t be returning

Stayed overnight. Lovely room, dog friendly, staff were friendly and helpful. Fantastic veggie and vegan options at dinner and breakfast! Great coffee. Highly recommended.

Great food and comfortable accommodation

We have popped in here for lunch on two occasions. Both times we have not been disappointed with the service or food. The last time I had the special lunch menu with the Liver & Bacon plus Squid as a starter. All well served and cooked. It's not a large portion and just enough for lunch so not for big eaters. Service was good and desserts to choose from are good.

Visited yesterday, ordered baguette, stale and dry , disappointed as previously food has been really good .

It's was nice family meal, celebration of special birthday. It's was quite noisy near our table, kids running round which took edge of our experience. Food portions were generous indeed and nice choice of options specials.

A lovely pub, the food was very well proportioned and excellent service

Excellent service from staff in all aspects. Plentiful, hot and good quality food. Classic British country pub in decor and atmosphere.

Booked lunch yesterday for 2 people. Table not ready on arrival (booked restaurant online) so offered a table opposite entrance to garden next to service station, busy cold and draughty, declined it and was offered table in bar. Manager sat us down but failed to come back to take order. Sat watching lots of people come in who hadn't booked, go and get seats in garden and order food. We then asked a member of staff if we could order drinks, he took our drinks and food order, still no drinks 20 mins later. Gave up waiting and asked bar staff for drinks. Service was terrible and a 40 minute wait for food (told 20) when you have booked is not acceptable. I had pork medallions, mediocre and partner had smokey burger. Very sloppy and again below standard especially with prices charged. Would have expected much better all round. Advised how disappointed I was and he apologised and reduced bill by 25%. I stated twice I was not complaining to get the bill down and was happy to pay for the meal. Just wanted to let them know why I will never go back. It's a long time since I felt the need to complain but I felt robbed as my first visit was based on reviews which I now can't believe. Finally beware of decking outside bar in back garden as very rotten. Bit of a health and safety issue! Very little parking at pub, not easy to find a space in village.

This place would have got 0 if I could rate it so. Firstly, we ordered a decaf coffee and decaf tea. Out came an instant decaf coffee. The alarm bells should have been ringing then. We ordered two small breakfasts. The photo says it all. A sausage that I imagine was frostbitten when cooked - I couldn't even cut it as it was so overcooked and I could have hammered a nail in with it. It was like it been cooked 3 days ago and reheated. The bacon, you could tell, was once delicious if it hadn't sat on a hot plate for a number of hours. The 'heinz' beans had no sauce and were as dry as old boots and the eggs???? Well, if you like vinegar flavoured eggs, you're on to a winner. I am a fattie and never send food back normally. Today was the first time. I asked for some toast instead and was brought x2 burnt slices of toast - I can only imagine it was toast already cooked for the b&b customers that had been brushed with oil and heated on a griddle. I kept chewing and chewing and couldn't swallow it that well. I had the taste of burnt toast for 2hrs after. Bearing in mind all of the above was for an 8.30am breakfast booking when you'd imagine everything was fresh and delicious. I'm sorry to leave such an awful review, but people need to know the truth.

Lovely village pub restaurant with spacious outdoors and delicious food. Vegan and vegetarian options are available. The mushroom lasagne was to die for.

Nice old country pub. Menu and food were excellent, friendly staff. Large garden with plenty of seating, plus a large area for kids to run around in. No play park though. There is parking, but It could be a problem in the summer. We visited on a lovely warm Wednesday in September and had lunch in the garden. There is an outside entertainment area.

Nice old country pub. Menu and food were excellent, friendly staff. Large garden with plenty of seating, plus a large area for kids to run around in. No play park though. There is parking, but It could be a problem in the summer. We visited on a lovely warm Wednesday in September and had lunch in the garden. There is an outside entertainment area.

Food was excellent but the service was not upto the normal standard which was disappointing

Food was excellent but the service was not upto the normal standard which was disappointing

Simply wonderful rooms for staying, and the kitchen creates excellent breakfast after a great night sleep. The dinners we had, on Sunday a roast, were excellent, too. We already booked another stay with them, and are counting the days until we have our vacation.

Staff are very attentive and friendly. Best Sunday roast (apart from the wife's)

Stayed for a night. Room was large and whilst comfortable the fit out was a bit sparse M. The pub is really well located just off the main road through the New Forest and my room over looked the village green. The staff were helpful and friendly. The pub car park is small but there is plenty of parking in the village. My evening meal was very good and it was nice to have a more extensive menu supplementing the usual pub fayre. Robles for me was breakfast which wasn’t served until 8:30 which is not helpful when staying on business. Also whilst the cooked breakfast was good the buffet was virtually non existent - orange juice and a small selection of cereal.

Food was so delicious, portions very generous, Ferg and the rest of the team were absolutely amazing. The trust servant history and sign outside were very interesting.

We used to come here quite a lot but sadly the decline in quality means today’s visit will be our last. Our previous experience was disappointing and we thought it may have been a one off - but no. The chilli prawns served with the sea bass were obviously frozen and rubbery- and doused in cold sweet chilli sauce, I was expecting real chillis! Chips were overcooked and the chicken in the firecracker burger was dry yet the batter was blackened at the edges. The service was patchy, the server admitted to have forgotten us. Two hours for two courses, thankfully we weren’t in a hurry.Other dimers were having to chase up their meals too. It was quite busy but not rammed. Such a lovely location but not what it was.

Thought we try again but staff were same as previous visit. Not bothered at all, more interested in looking at their phones and chatting amongst themselves. The duty manageress was clearly working today and not one member of staff enquired how our meal was, which was awful, tbh my ploughman's was ok, bit difficult to go wrong with that, but the gammon egg and chips which also is extremely simple was awful!, eggs fit only for the bin, no chef would dish them up in their right mind, gammon so overcooked. But the peas were ok!!.. very few chips. We eat frequently at the partnerships of this pub but clearly staff need looking at. Would not visit again!..

Great pub lunch, catered for children very well.

Disgusting … I ordered a burger meal and the burger came out still bleeding. Waitress didn’t even seem bothered by it just said she will take it to the kitchen to be cooked some more. At nearly £60 for 2 drinks and 2 burger meals you’d of thought I would have had a fresh meal. Delinquent children, place needs shutting down.

This place is very up and down, and today's visit was a disappointment. Creamy mushrooms on toast hurray made the bread soggy and had way too much lemon. Poached egg was hard. Main close gravy was watery. Asked for local beers and they tried to sell me something from Exmoor. Nothing local.

Lovely village pub in the heart of the new forest, lovely garden and lovely food

Lovely atmosphere, great service and very impressed with the extensive menu options and food quality .

If you’re visiting the New Forest and looking for a good place to dine for the evening then look no further. A really lovely place to enjoy a relaxing drink and maybe have a bite to eat. We spent a wonderful few hours here; the food was excellent, reasonably priced and the staff were very accommodating. Set in the picturesque village of Minstead, I’m sure you’ll have a pleasant drive getting here and back (mind the horses!). As it can get a little busy, parking the car might be a bit tight (in the carpark). Probably why so many people decide to park on the road.

We thoroughly enjoyed a very nice meal here. Good service and a reasonable menu selection. A small carpark is attached, and wheelchair accessibility is good. There is a nice garden to the rear. Good beer selection. The pub is dog friendly.

Perfect location and great pub. Staff were really friendly and welcoming. Food was fantastic and the drinks selection for non drinkers and drinkers alike was great. Lovely garden area to enjoy in the good weather and dog friendly too.

Great location, great service, great food. The garden in particular is a great location when the weather is good. We'll definitely come back again.

Went for Sunday Roast Easy to book Friendly helpful staff Food portion nice size asked for extra gravy wasnt a problem Worth a visit

Dont eat here. More on that later. Good beers, lovely summer garden, wild horses are around. Thats it - now - why do these places serve rubbish food? I sent mine back, and didnt want a replacement. £30 for a tesco-metro grade 'steak' - i asked for medium bloody - it came out grey all over, with that rubbish slab of cheap-cut fat on the side. They clearly use cheap suppliers, and the 'chef' clearly honed his skills shovelling coal into a steam engine in 1924. A wasted opportunity to be a good gastropub, instead its an utterly lazy dont-give-stuff-heater-upper pub. For a beer- go. To eat - forget it.

The place is very nice, the staff very friendly and the food is good...I recommend this place if you are visiting Lyndhurst in New Forest.

This is a real jewel! Service is excellent,food choice is amazing and high quality. Plenty of seeting options for whether you want romantic or larger family x Had a perfectly wonderful Sunday. Thank you

We had a fantastic day on 6/7/24 celebrating my daughters wedding with family and friends who couldn’t attend the actual wedding in Australia in April. The barn is a great venue and I can’t thank the staff enough for all their help with decorating, the scrumptious buffet and all the service throughout the day. Special thanks to Jack who made sure all ran like clockwork accommodating the England semi final. Highly recommend this for a venue where you can put your own theme but also have full support Thankyou

Contentment. That's probably the best way to describe how I felt after a night at The Trusty Servant Inn. I drove into Minstead, past a village green with New Forest horses grazing free and easy, and parked up in the small area behind the pub. The staff were welcoming, the clientele seemed to be affluent Europeans experiencing England's charms. My evening meal was inventive and delicious and my room was spacious with an en-suite shower room and large, comfortable bed. I had a vegetarian "Full Forest" breakfast and, again, it was perfect with attentive, but unobtrusive, service. It's a "recommend" from me!

Super country pub in New Forest with ace food and ales!!!

Friendly and relaxing country pub with great food. We walked across the forest to the pub from Ocknell campsite which is 3 miles away.

Lovely secluded pub, does nice basic food of burgers, pizzas & hearty pub classics. Massive beer garden as well. Well priced food and friendly staff.

Rather expensive, pleasant staff, rear lawn was strewn with dog mess.

A nice country pub, with good food and good service. Table service makes it feel more like a restaurant than a pub, to be honest. Sadly, it's not the cheapest, and parking is very limited.

I really fancied a burger from a country pub and we found this place online. I for my burger and chose the smokey American. I was slightly disappointed there was more bun than burger but it was still a good portion. It was served with fries and salad. It is very homely and in a lovely area. There is nit plenty of parking and we parked in the other side of the street. The staff were friendly and the food came out in a reasonable time.

Friendly very professional service. Will definitely go back again

Food was OK but I ordered the "Big Daddy" roast (£28) and there was less meat than the standard roast. Been before and the food was good, but won't return for another overpriced roast.

Great place good food friendly staff and great accommodation

We went here to celebrate my wife’s special birthday with the whole family but the kitchen ruined the evening. Five meals were not available, and the advertised gluten free meals turned out not to be gluten free ….. The waiting staff were lovely and full of apologies for our experience, taking off the gluten free meal and a round of drinks from our bill, but sadly this special evening was spoilt for us.

The food was excellent, i had fish pie and the staff were amazing thank you

Wonderful country pub with friendly helpful staff, delicious food, and lovely extensive outdoor area.

The Trusty Servant was very busy when we visited with a wedding reception in the garden and England vs Switzerland on television, but despite this we had helpful and friendly service and soon got our meals

Didnt have Ploughman's. Lovely staff tho.

Lovely pub ... but you must book a table as it is very popular! Great service and delicious food. And then a short walk to the most interesting church I think I have ever visited. And Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is buried in the churchyard, so what's not to like?

The Trusty Servant clearly does not want customers who have any sort of mobility problem or disability because despite it being 2024 they have no ramp to help get up the steep steps which also have no handrail just for an added challenge. There is rear access via the garden but to get through the rather knackered gate you have to push past a tree because the garden tables are placed with no consideration that anybody who is not fully able bodied might want to get in or out. Then there are further steps with no ramp at the back door. If you do manage to get in and have a drink and/or something to eat better hope you have a strong bladder because guess what the toilet is down yet more steps and there is no accessible toilet at all. We asked the waiter about this when were leaving and he told us that staff do tell disabled people that there is no access to a toilet when they arrive. This is wrong on so many levels. Firstly, nobody told us and I am visibly disabled. Secondly are staff able to tell who is disabled in a way that means they need an accessible loo? We don’t all wear a badge you know. Third is this how customers with disabilities (if they ever get inside of course) want to be spoken to? About their toilet needs? The Trusty Servant might need to consider that should a disabled customer trip and fall on there steps it could cost them more in compensation than to join the 21st century a d recognise that disabled people go to pubs too and we actually spend money the same as everybody else.

Cozy place and really nice to sit outside in the big garden ☀️

Quick service and food came really quickly. Lovely pub and nice big garden. Both ordered a roast and Unfortunately the veg was al’dente to say the least.

Lovely pub with excellent menu choices, friendly and helpful staff. Was recommended and I can see why.

Food was amazing. Great choice or ciders and ales too. Update for 2023. Food still excellent. Update for June 2024. Still amazing food with lots of choice. Highly recommend

Very nice room with over green and stocks. Quiet village also lovely to hear when the ponies were walking through. Nice circular walk in area via the Church with Arthur Conan Doyles grave. Community shop next to Inn sells lots of good foods and drinks. Evening Food in Inn was nice. Huge breakfast to start the day. Good selection of drinks and buzzing atmosphere for a Tuesday night in the countryside! Plenty of parking and huge beer garden.

Best lamb shank I have ever seen eaten. Will definitely be back. 😋😋

Great food and a wonderful hidden garden at the back. Enjoyed a lunchtime stopover here on our way to our accommodation. Great food choices

Excellent, professional, helpful staff, wonderful food, extremely clean, disability aware

I would highly recommend coming to The Trusty Servant Inn for food. The food is very good and big portions, staff very nice and polite. They checked to see if food was nice and asked if there's anything else we want.I don't understand why people have badly reviewed this place. I know different people have different tastes etc but can't say it's not a good place. We will definitely come back and tell people about the pub / restaurant.

Didn't eat, so can't advise, but the staff were great, beer was good & the surrounding countryside is beautiful.

9 of us went for a meal for my 60th. The staff were friendly food was lovely, would go again if I lived more local xx

My husband took me out for a Sunday lunch to the Trusty Servant in the New Forest. The building itself fits in with the ‘oldie worldly’ style. I love these character properties and I wasn’t let down. It was a sunny day so we decided to eat in the back garden. We were given a menu and informed pay as you go and order at the bar. We both had a delicious fruit cider, I ordered the pork and my husband ordered the beef. As you can see by the picture the portion sizes does not fail you! everything was hot, vegetables were perfectly crunchy and the meat slices were thick and plenty of it. I gave them 4 stars as the Yorkshire pudding was a tad too crispy for me personally and the outside benches are quite low which after a short while I found uncomfortable. Staff seemed polite but I was sitting outside all the time so didn’t really interact with anyone. We will definitely go back to the trusty Servant and try something else from this menu and will sit inside so we can have a more full on experience.

Lovely tasting food and a great garden

Wonderful place in the New Forest. Very friendly & helpful staff. Good food & beer. Worth a repeat visit or two.

Nice pub. Excellent food. Will go again.

Beautiful little spot in the New Forest. Big menu, great food and service

Lovely Pub off the beaten track with friendly welcome and fab food

Six meals four at five stars two at two stars the fishpie was disappointing small size cheese topplng was sparse and not browned of,side dish of under cooked peas not at all suitable.

very nice food but lots were not available from the menu which was a shame. We were not there late so I was surprised how many they didnt have

Good food, shame that they didn't have many items on the menu.

Very rarely disappointed with the tasty food on offer in this Forest Pub. Great selection on the specials board. Came in minus the dog’s this time and had a very flavour full dish of beef in smashing bbq sauce with red cabbage and parmesan chips. Yum! Wife was underwhelmed by a soup! ( more fool her for her choice). We will be back.

Excellent atmosphere, good food with generous portions

Came here as a group of 10 for lunch to celebrate my Dad's birthday. They were very busy when we arrived, but were seated promptly. The food arrived in a timely fashion, hot and plentiful. The roast dinners were huge! They sorted Dad's cake for us and made sure we had everything we needed. The only downside is that when they did the check-back when we started, they did it too soon in my opinion

Lovely rustic pub in a beautiful location. Wonderful food, great service and just a great place to come. Also a lovely hotel with very modern rooms

Good food and drinks, very pleasant staff

Fabulous pub in the heart of the New Forest. Well worth a visit! Great food & beer!

Fantastic pub.with great service and food. After a long walk in the forest it is lovely to have a pint of good ale and a truly lovely meal.

Good food, reasonable prices, lovely area.

Nice country pub with relaxed ambience. My wife and I had starters and mains all of which were very good. Service was polite rather than engaging. Overall we enjoyed our evening here very much.

This pub is only 10 minutes off the motorway but is a world removed from the hustle and bustle. Situated opposite the Village Green, home to a wandering herd of donkeys, this pub has everything you would want from a stay in the New Forest. The rooms are clean and comfortable and the food is excellent. We ate here on both nights of our stay, enjoying Sunday Roasts on one night and a choice of the daily specials another. Beers were first class also. Each morning , we started the right way with an impressive breakfast; freshly cooked to order and top quality. An ideal stay. Thanks to all for making it so.

Poor meals and poor service is how we would describe our visit. It’s a pub we’ve often visited when in the New Forest however this experience definitely did not compare to any other. We had two meals and two drinks, which after our complaint and 20% being taken off the bill still cost £35 for a burger, fries and ham, egg and chips and two small cokes. The burger was tasteless and from the attached photo was very poor in quality and quantity. The ham,egg and chips was terrible. The eggs placed on the ham were wet with oil and this soaked onto the ham. I ate egg and chips. “Probably the friendliest pub in the New Forest” is how it’s described. Not our experience. Asked the waitress for the bill and she chose to never return and needed to ask another waiter. Told us he’d taken money from bill but we needed to ask what amount? Such a shame but the whole experience was forgettable. We’ve always loved the food here but won’t be returning until it’s standards improve. We did complain on the online form which was sent to us but had no response.

Just excellent. Superb Sunday roast.

Absolutely love this place! The staff were so accommodating when we wanted to have lunch when they were obviously very busy. They have beautiful rooms too if you want a quality stay in the New Forest.

This is now my favourite new forest inn. Staff are good and the menu is extensive.

First time in this pub with a large group of ten. Pre-ordered food and it came out together and piping hot. I had the feather blade of beef which was so tasty and fell apart. I was very jealous of the magnificent slice of well packed beef and kidney pie my dad had. Everyone was very happy, portions were good size and the prices reasonable. Lovely and roomy inside and has an outside seating area. Will definitely be visiting again.

Easter Sunday roast was fantastic Great pub food/ drinks - nice atmosphere - family oriented fir our late afternoon booking Very friendly staff reasonable prices 5 cleared plates and irresistible puddings!

Really great little pub! Have the beef!

Lovely food and the staff were fantastic very welcoming, helpful and provided great service a credit to the pub. Thank you

Trusty Inn is a lovely inn with a very attentive staff and I had a very good stay. Fantastic / quick access to great walks. A few points I'd like to raise - I stayed in Room 4, which is the "box room"... Bed - very comfortable, I even looked for the the pillows online!! The bedframe is much larger than the mattress, maybe get a smaller frame and get more space in the room, which is very crammed already. Room - well equipped, there is a wardrobe and a small table for coffee and teas and bedside tables, even a hair dryer. The space is big enough for a single traveller for a couple of days however I'd recommend not bringing any dogs. The space between the door and the bed is VERY small and my fury companion ended up just jumping on the bed when opening the door, soiling the bedlinen. It is very small opening, maybe just 20cm so if travelling with a larger dog, please choose a bigger room. Also I ended up storing the larger bags in the toilet to give more space in the bedroom, not ideal.. and I did still stumble over various belongings, and I am petite.. Noise - I was lucky to have consciousness guests but the noise from the corridor is loud, which could be improved by putting some rugs in the corridor or installing some insulation around the doors . Also that may help with the mud being transferred to the room and the bed. I ended up sleeping with sand transferred from the floor even though I had some spare socks. Light - light sleepers, please bring your eye mask , there are no blackout curtains and the light from the corridor is blinding, on all night, not sure for whom, and I ended up putting a towel on the floor to keep some of the light out. Parking - yes, it's free, and there is parking but it may be anywhere in the village. When the pub gets busy the pub's allocated spaces won't be exclusively available to the residents. I ended up parking not at the property after the rush hour. Housekeeping - could you provide tags for guests for not needing/wanting housekeeping please? I was surprised that it wasn't an option, especially when you advertised ecological laundry process. My own towels were taken away for laundry... possibly a training issue.. Final thanks - I should have asked for the name, my bad.. but I'd like to mention the man who was on duty on the morning of Monday 25 March. During my stay, he was always attentive and "on it" and on, which seemed like every day.. However he did remember my previous order, which gave that extra small touch. and little things go far.. I don't think I'll stay with you again, just because of the availability/ your ability to cater for single travellers. All the best.

We traveled down for a funeral and stopped overnight the day before. Jack was amazing turning his hand to everything and never appearing stressed even when busy! We had a very warm welcome and the food was good! Our room was clean and perfectly adequate but it could have done with better lighting! We did find the wine expensive but we will definitely go back.

Great food and great service. A beautiful village pub that is perfect

Parking was easy, room and en-suite were spotless with big fluffy towels. We had dinner and breakfast. There was good choice and they were both delicious. Staff were welcoming and friendly - would definitely recommend