The Volunteer Inn in Mole Valley

Closed Permanently. I live nearby and sadly another idyllic venue closes. The Volunteer is tucked away forever now I’m told. Sold to a property developer who’s ideas are not to reopen or refurb as a pub.

It’s honesty is it charm. Good food at a good price. Very friendly service. All open plan so no privacy. No frills no but good honest food and drinks. Easy parking and easy to find.

With all the hot weather we recently had we decided to have a family meal out. Well that was a fantastic decision the food was fantastic can't recommend it enough. Freshly cooked pizza with onions to die for, the chicken ranch burger was huge.

We have stopped several times at this pub in the last year for a drink and lunch. We have always had good service and nice food. The location is lovely. It seems better value for money than some other local pubs.

We had a big lunch for family and friends at the Volunteer in late July 2022. We stopped at the pub as a lunch stop on a big circular walk. Daniel and Diane did a big feast for our guests and kept the drinks flowing. A beautiful spot for lunch or just as a rest stop on a walk.

A take away pizza took an hour and a quarter despite the fact the place was half empty. They automatically added 15% service charge on take away and drinks - which we only found out when we specifically requested a price break down. Then there was no apology when it was removed. Whilst the pizzas were quite good they were expensive and the whole experience left a bad taste in our mouths. We are local and we will not be going back.

No salads available from menu on a hot summers day. Chicken burger poor. Basically heated frozen food poor value for money would expect better quality for the price. Garden area needs maintenance doesn’t add charm adds a rough garden area with a load of weeds.

After a shocking stop a bit further up the road at another local pub in Holmbury St Mary's. We decided to try our luck here instead & thankfully it was the right choice. The staff were attentive nothing was too much trouble, they where quick & efficient. We waited no more than a minute to be served & the food was delicious, I ordered a burger with no bacon, it was stunning hot & delicious. It was great value for money, super food, speedy service & a lovely atmosphere. Just wished we had booked the next day for Father's day would have been an amazing place to come. This place is a million times better than other local pubs that should be avoided.

It was my surprise meal for Father's day. We had a fantastic time with all the family I could not have asked for more. I ordered the roast lamb shank and it was melt in the mouth. Portion size was good too. My only criticism was the dessert was a little expensive but that does not affect my overall experience. The rest of the family also enjoyed their food roast pork which they also enjoyed. Definitely will be coming back for more soon Service 10/10 Food 11/10 Value 9/10 Day with the family priceless

We sat in the garden and had great pub food served promptly by the delightful and friendly Jamie. The food was good, the chips superb, and really surprisingly good coffee. The view is beautiful. The garden is a bit ramshackle- lots of nettles and wild bits, but it’s all part of the unspoilt charm. The setting here is absolutely perfect. Some of the outdoor chairs and tables need a bit of a clean, and it’s a few steep steps up into the hillside garden area if you have mobility problems. There is plenty of ground level seating too. We will be back very soon, and are keen to try the 12” pizzas which look really delicious.

Went today to the pub been a couple of times before on various different days. They have recently painted the interior not to my taste personally it is very bright with a multitude of unique colours. No longer a nice looking country pub they have even painted the seats reminds me of playschool.... In future I think it's a garden pub for me. Now the service is good & the staff are mostly friendly especially at the weekend. Also the food quality can vary weekends it is always very good maybe they have a different chef then. The food during the week at times has not been the best of quality but for the most part we have always had a pleasant experience. It is a bit expensive compared to other local establishments but worth it at the weekends. I personally will only be back if it is a sunny weekend.

Lovely Pizza, but very poor service and other meals taken this lunchtime were very poor. Booked for a family members birthday- apparently the current owners been here for 3 years, hopefully they will be gone in the next three !

Turned up New Years day for lunch and had a lovely meal. Sat in comfort and didn't need to lift a finger. Drinks were brought to the table, with a smile, and food was served up speedily with care and attention. Will definitely return to this lovely country pub.

Met a group of friends for pre Christmas get together. Travelling from S. London and around Sussex. Recommended by one of our group who had eaten there previously. Lovely setting but second rate food and poor service. Bar area looked warm and welcoming but our party was squashed in a corner of a cold back room which meant passing things backwards and forwards and no one could get out without everyone moving. Food was luke warm and got colder while waiting staff got cutlery and condiments rather than being prepared, despite booking in advance. Beef was particularly bad, over cooked and more suitable for shoe leather rather than eating. Maybe ok for a drink, snacks etc but very disappointing fir a Sunday lunch.

Revisited The Volunteer after many years and food was very disappointing - dry, burnt and inedible. Then had to argue with the manager to get it taken off the bill, despite her agreeing that they our food was ‘a little burnt’ and a little dry in places and that the chips were swimming in gravy. Eventually we didn’t pay for the one that was hardly touched, due to poor quality but we paid full price for the other, most of which was left. A different attitude from the manager could have saved the day but we definitely don’t recommend.

A lunch time visit with our walking group. The menu was a bit limited for a non-meat eater (understandable in these difficult days) but I decided to have the fish & chips, particularly as when I asked what kind of fish it was, I was...

Just had roast beef at the Volunteer... compared to what's on offer locally, absolutely disgraceful... asked if the beef was rare or rare-ish, was told yes... possibly the young waitress would have felt uncomfortable saying it was grey, tasteless and covered in weak, watery gravy...

Out with my daughter walking her dog we came across the Volunteer, we stopped off for a cup of tea and to use the facilities. Sunday menu looked really nice so we decided to comeback at the end of our walk. We weren’t disappointed the...

Pizzas where wicked served late on a Sunday, service from Caitlin and Daisy was top. Highly recommended!

Amazing service even if we kept them way past the time they probably should have closed. Served by Caitlin and Daisy

We popped in for lunch on the bank holiday Monday. The staff were super friendly and helpful as we had a buggy and two dog’s. They even took the pushchair and a high chair up into the garden for us. We had the chicken burger,...

Lovely friendly staff, very dog friendly and the lunch was delicious. My husband had steak and kidney pudding and I had brie flan with kale pastry. Will definitely return.

Long wait for food and promised refund after order mix up - no money was ever refunded. Dishonest. Manageress was unapologetic, aggressive and rude, despite it being their error. Avoid.

Popped in for a drink. Rang the bell to get in!!! Shunted into a back room. Extortionate wine. Used to love this place, it will be a long time before we go there again, felt as though we were an inconvenience

We used to stop off at The Volunteer many years ago when travelling to Worthing. There was very little choice for vegetarians in fact the menu was mainly burgers and pizza. We used to have the Camembert to share which was served with crudités and...

Meal was quite good if over priced - 2 tables arrived at the same time - one table got their food after 20 minutes the next table waited 2 hours - disorganised service, though the young waiting staff were great, friendly and worked hard but...

Roast dinner was quite mediocre, aunt Bessie did a good job, I’m afraid I did have higher expectations. However the location is fantastic, they are very lucky!! I would like to go back and try the burgers and give them a second chance, as I...

Very pretty garden and location with friendly and efficient young waiting staff. We had to wait AGES for our food though and when it came it was very disappointing - a small dry burger in a massive bun with a tiny amount of overcooked hard...

Went for a sunday lunch and was pleasantly surprised by this pub in the Surrey Hills. The main attractions are the location ( nestled away off the beaten track) and views from the hillside garden. The food was good value (though not the highest of...

My first visit live local so thought I would stay local after a very disappointing visit to another local pub. Was well worth it the garden is quite steep, I feel sorry for the staff having to walk up & down it all day must...

My partner and I have been to the Volunteer a few times, the food is always great, the staff are always friendly, helpful and welcoming. We went a long today with some friends and our kids, and the staff were even more helpful, welcoming and friendly than ever! They helped fetch a parasol for the table, and must have been up and down the garden dozens of times bringing food and drinks. They deserve a huge thank you for all their hard work, and the food was perfect

The pub looks lovely, inside the decoration is terrible and the food was poor. Our table had a plastic cactus on the window sill. Doh! The beef was fine, so why serve mushy roast potatoes and over-cooked carrots from the freezer. The cut corners were so obvious. This place could do so much better.

A firm favourite for take out Pizza! Super friendly fast service and really delicious propper pizza every time. Thin and crispy and stone bakes. The Nice n Spicy and the Gone Truffling are firm favourites but they are all sooo good!

Very impressed with the set up. Tables were suitably distanced and there was a plastic screen between us and the table behind. The food was fairly average but I'd rather have average good and feel safe.

We arrived for supper, four adults. I chose the prawn pasta. It was awful. It consisted, as far as I could tell, of four ingredients: overcooked penne pasta, 8 supermarket size king prawns, possibly some garlic oil and a lake of butter. Nothing else, no herbs, no fresh chilli, no shallots, nothing. I complained and they very kindly swapped it for scampi and chips. Unfortunately the scampi was just as bad. There was no discernible scampi, just machined uniform croquettes - very similar to potato croquettes. This food is clearly sourced at a very low cost intended to attract a very large markup. I wouldn’t take discerning diners here, it’s school dinners at their worst. The overall impression is that the management have dumbed down the menu and the person doing the cooking is neither accomplished nor motivated in the kitchen.

Enjoyed our dinner here last night. Pre-booked last week and had to queue outside to check in and be taken to our table due to Covid measures, behind people who were wishing to order drinks to have at tables outside. Not sure how this would work on a wet day but guess it would be quicker without people in the garden!Once inside they had spaced the tables very well and added extra screens plus floor markings which we were impressed with as it's quite small. We ordered 2 x chorizo in malbec and a calamari to share between the 4 of us and both dishes were excellent. Flavoursome chorizo dish with bread to soak up the juices and the most tender calamari.Mains were more mixed. A very nice cod chips and peas for me and my sister in law had an excellent flavoursome pizza which we all ended up tucking in to and also getting the remainder as a takeaway as so big. However my husband found his pasta with prawns in garlic and chilli bland, and my mum enjoyed her chilli with cheese and salad but putting it between 2 soft and cold wraps didn't add anything - it would have been better served with rice. The staff were good and our dog was particularly impressed by his personal service. He got his own water bowl at the table and was then presented with rather a lot of roast beef! He will be keen to return and we would be happy enough to follow but we would choose a couple of dishes differently.

Came across this lovely pub after going for a random drive through the beautiful Surrey countryside, had a lovely pint of Moretti and impressed with all the COVID measures they have in place. Decided to pop back the next day for Sunday lunch and wasn’t disappointed, food was fantastic, couldn’t fault it. I had the hot garlic prawns with chilli, although I couldn’t taste the chilli so a bit more wouldn’t have gone astray for me, but cooked perfectly and some nice bread to mop up the sauce, there was certainly no shortage of garlic! My wife had the Calamari which were lovely big thick rings, perfectly cooked so they melted in your mouth with a lovely light crisp crumb. For main, we both had the lamb shank, which again was perfectly cooked and just fell of the bone, roast potatoes for me and mash for the wife, spot on. Staff all very friendly as well, and a beautiful view from the garden, would certainly go back.

My guests’ comments were that the sea bass was ‘quite good’. Judging by what it looked like I think she was being polite. Lamb shank was ‘awful’. My pork roast was very poor. Soggy luke warm roast potatoes, soggy cold not crackly crackling, school food level veg. Relayed this to staff at payment but no offer was made to knock it off the bill. In the light of outstanding local competition we won’t return here even if starving! It has changed hands at least once if not more in last couple of years. It doesn’t deserve to survive like this which is sad as I have been here on and off for 40 years and the setting is delightful

We hadn’t meant to end up here, but stumbled across this pub on a long post-Christmas week walk. A very friendly welcome for all of us and the dog, some smashing fish and chips, and a selection of tasty beers. All served quickly and with a smile. What’s not to like?

We had cycled a fair few miles and we were a bit muddy but were met with such grace! Defo visit this place the food looked good and the service was top draw! Defo going to visit again! Thank you x

Not what you’d expect in contemporary Britain. A hark back to fried food and pizza. Uninspiring and ordinary.

No more to say really - slow service, 4 different meals, all awful. The best was wholly uninspiring, the worst made my friend ill

Outstandingly friendly and cheerful staff, a place to linger in and enjoy. The menu was varied and the food was excellent. We had a wonderful time all around.

How lovely , what a very nice pleasant place to come across , re finding its feet the staff were so lovely and polite and friendly. Hall & Woodhouse have got another promising pub in the making . Fursty Ferett was in good order , menu looking good only had deserts this time which were lovely . as we had already eaten . Worth a visit again i feel . Good place to cycle too .

My friend said that his Sea Bream was excellent,my '5 hr Pork belly' was overdone and dry, my friend finished it for me.

We arrived as scruffy hikers and were made to feel very welcome by the young owners. Their coffee is really lovely.

Booked for Sunday lunch and had a good welcome including our little dog. Staff all very friendly and we ordered olives to start then one roast beef & two pork belly. Beef excellent, good flavour and plenty of it, pork also very good . Roast potatoes & vegetables ok, personally I like more cheese with my cauliflower, but could improve a bit with presentation. A bottle of house Merlot just a tad expensive but really rather good. Finished with expresso cake and coffee. (And the dog got a few scraps of beef!). Overall good lunch in a friendly and homely atmosphere.

After a really good experience last summer we booked a table for 4 for Sunday lunch. On arrival we were a bit surprised that the outside seating area which used to look lovely and pretty with flowers looked a bit unkempt and unloved but didnt think too much about it and took a table indoors. The staff were very friendly but the food was truly awful - For starters we had the Camembert which was overcooked so much it was effectively a bowl of liquid cheese and some tasteless Lamb koftas served with some pitta bread so crisp and hard it was impossible to open it to fill it so we resorted to snapping bits off to eat as flatbreads. This dish was also trendily served on a piece of slate about 3 inches wide which made it impossible to eat withoutout spilling all over the table. The mains were worse, one going for a dry bit of fish and some dry oven chips and the rest opting for the thin slices of tasteless lamb covered in an overpowering onion gravy accompanied by some bland cauliflower and cabbage which had been cooked to a soggy mess. Needless to say we werent brave enough to stay for desert. - staggered that anyone would serve food this bad and expect people to come back

Since our last visit, this pub have been added to a small group 'Time Well Spent' which has a number of pubs in the area. First impression was not very good as all the flower baskets had last year's dead flowers; we almost drove away! in fact the building is attractive and in good repair. We were initially the only guests so we ordered a main course and I chose a fillet of bream with a very interesting covering of diced vegetables and mt wife chose fish and chips. We were surprised how good it was.Service was a little slow and my wife's peas arrived just as she was finishing. however we were in no hurry and the was only one waitress in the bar.

Had lunch with a friend two weeks ago, we ordered fish and chips and a macaroni cheese. This did not look like macaroni cheese it resembled a milky white bowl of slop, after one revolting mouthful I took it back. This was clearly tinned macaroni without any hint of cheese whatsoever, honestly the worst pub food I’ve ever had. This fish and chips were over cooked and I could believe that they were cooked much earlier and reheated. I would never go there agai. Great shame as I am local.

Went for meal with family Food was perfect and the beer Badger made my husbands day. Staff polite and helpful and it was a joy to see so many people enjoying this lovely Country Pub.

Stopped here for a drink part way through our family walk. Not too busy when we arrived but it was quite early. Lovely pint of Badger for my self to keep me going for the rest of my walk. Also a lovely garden to drink it in. Will pop back and try the food another time.

Don’t normally do reviews, but this pub was excellent. Will definitely be back. Great food and service and great selection of food and drink. I would ignore other reviews that clearly expect Michelin Stars for peanuts. There was even a quiz on that we were made to feel welcome to take part n. Bravo

Fantastic food, fantastic service. Great value for money and a great quiz to finish!! Lovely country pub. All round great place

Went to The Volunteer for the first time for a Sunday roast with my wife and three year old. Despite a small faff trying to order (was stood at the bar for 10 minutes), I decided to stick with it as we were hungry from walking Leith Hill... Long story short, we didn't get our food until a good 50 minutes later, and I felt that when I raised the issue of the delay, there was little in the way of empathy and customer service (one waitress was about to argue with me that the kitchen had been very busy, until I pointed out that two families that came in after us had all eaten their lunch). The landlord made efforts to placate us (50% off the bill), but even after the heavy discount I felt the quality of the food (beef like boot-leather, shop-bought soggy yorkshire puddings), didn't even justify the discounted cost.

Went in at 12.30 on easter Monday and there were a few people there and some reserved tables. It was a lovely day so was going to sit outside. We were told that we could not order food until after 2pm as the kitchen had to be prepared for the people who had reserved but were not there yet! Disgraceful and short sighted.

Despite having 5 lovely lunches there, this time the menu was the worse is ever been. It's was easter Sunday and it's there Sunday roast menu! 1 beef roast. .. other dished a vegetarian burger, veg salad (!) 2 fish dishes and a pork belly. A very poor selection for a Sunday. Everyone sitting outside was commenting on menu, some walked off... the roast beef was tough with no more than brown water for gravey. . Asked for chips and originally said they couldn't do chips! Decided to have nothing but they ended up being able to offer chips with pork belly.who ever did this meal needs sacking.. fatty pork belly, chips in a brown water effort for gravey. It was one of the worse meals we have eaten for a long time.

I visited here last Saturday with my partner and his mother. We wanted to treat her to a nice meal out and we were not disappointed. The staff were all very friendly and welcoming and although the pub was quite busy, it did not take long to get served and our food came quickly. The portions were generous and the food was delicious. We all felt very full up afterwards. This is a charming little pub and we are definitely planning to visit again soon.

Went for a drive on Monday to meet some friends in Leatherhead to make some arrangements for an up and coming holiday, whilst driving out we came across The volunteer, what's not to like about a traditional pub like this, anyway it was a little late with both my wife and I needing a bite we decided to pop in. I must admit it was a little busy which is always a good sign, I asked if we could have a table expecting the worse only for the waitress to say" no problem" but its going to be half an hour, this being the case a drink later we were seated and both enjoyed a lovely Chilli, I must admit both of us like it hot and asked the waitress if this could be arranged, Boom , could not have asked for more and what a lovely end to a trip from Essex. On what was a busy day in this pub it was nice to feel looked after, we will be back with our friends.

We visited on Bank Holiday Monday for lunch, as we have on many previous occasions, but must say were left quite disappointed.

Arrived at this quintessential, lovely looking country pub,?s to find they were not serving food because the idiot manager had booked a party - on a bank holiday Monday . So hundreds of cyclists/ motorists / ramblers, etc found themselves arriving at this restaurant unable to eat anything. Loo jejt

Enjoyed a great walk with friends and family over Denbies Hillside and thought we would pop into The Volunteer for some drinks and something to eat.

We have visited this pub many times when walking the Surrey Hills and it's always been a nice experience. Why did I give it only three stars when it has potential to be five. Well it's in a superb location the terrace garden is peaceful with lovely view. It needs more sun parasols as it is south facing. The menu was good and our friends had some really good burgers. But we had Sea Bass and was a tad pricey for the portion, some side salad and slice of lemon would have been better. The chilli con carne was very mild and again a little small. Our two other friends both had a curry which they said was not spicy at all and tasteless. With a little upgrade to the food detail this could be a great pub. I will try again as we still love the location. So hopefully thus review is going to help the pub to get even better. Let's face it pubs need all the help they can get.

We stopped by The Volunteer having just had a long walk in the Surrey Hills. It's a pub I've known since childhood when my dad played at the local cricket club. I didn't realise it has changed hands since my last visit some 18 months ago. We've visited this pub several times over the years and this visit was by far the best in recent memory.

A group of 8 of us visted for a work lunch. The pub is situated in a beautiful location and inside has some really lovely homely touches. I Had the sea bream with mash potato and vegetables and i have to say it was amazing. Everyone enjoyed there food and complemented the chef after. Unfortunately we had to get back to work so were unable to sample the serious sounding puddings. I will definatley be returning here with my family especially as it's dog friendly too with a lovely big garden.

Have been coming here since the new owners came in.

A lovely pub for a Sunday evening pint. It's now become my new location for a weekend beer, tranquility and peace with pint!

The reviews were good so I booked for four of us for lunch. It was cold all through lunch so three of us kept our outside jackets on, a bad start. The "background music" was just a bit too loud so conversation was not easy. The food was very average and uninspiring both in taste and presentation. The service was poor and the food took some time to arrive although the pub was not at all busy. Once the main course was cleared we were not invited to have dessert so we decided not to ask for anything having been disappointed with the food so far. One of us had to go to the bar to ask for coffee. The black coffee could have been instant!

visited The Volunteer for a work lunch. Had the pork belly with creamy mash which was delicious. Service was prompt and the staff were very friendly. definitely worth a visit.

Visited The Volunteer for a work's lunch. The pub is in a great countryside location so even though we drove it can be accessed by bike or by walking one of the many local bridleway routes. We were seated promptly and after ordering the pork belly and a beer we were served quickly considering it was a busy Friday lunchtime. I was recommended the pork belly by the man who took our order and it didn't disappoint; well cooked and flavoursome and I will be back to have it again. The only downside was that we had to go back to work so no time for dessert but I will save that for next time. Highly recommended!!

My sister and I went for lunch to The Volunteer with her dogs; we sat outside as it was such a nice day. The atmosphere, grounds, staff and service were all fantastic. I had the mushrooms in blue cheese sauce to start and pork belly for main; my sister king prawns to start and roast beef for main - all the dishes were delicious!!! And to make our experience even more pleasant, even the dogs were not left out they had a water bowl and the staff brought them some beef as a treat - very spoilt. I would very much recommend The Volunteer to anyone looking for a relaxed atmosphere with lovely staff, great service and incredible food!

We had just finished our lovely meal and a woman and three children came in. They had got lost and got a puncture. Diane the landlady went into gear, crisps and drinks for the kids and got her staff to get the tyre off. But it was stuck hard. She organised phone calls and recovery. Games for the kids whilst they waited. Good old fashioned help for strangers in trouble. Why can’t all pubs be like this?

Such a shame food is good but the place is so cold it’s uncomfortable .Went in Oct and they said there was trouble with the chimney well January same excuse for a pub that advertises roaring log fires would have thought it would be a priority to get some heat in the place .

Lovely old pub. V busy on New Years Day lunch. We only had drinks and a bowl of chips which were fine and served quickly. They did seen to be struggling to manage the orders for food but there were some big groups in the pub.

We chose to visit this pub as on previous occasions the food and service had been excellent, however something has clearly changed and not for the better. On previous visits the pub had been completely jammed on any Sunday lunchtime, this was not the case on this occasion. Range of roasts minimal, beef was ok rather than great, Yorkshire pudding soggy. Service was rather haphazard - no salt and pepper on tables, delays/poor synchronisation of delivery of food to tables. On the positives, the crumble was excellent.

Another pub we came across while out walking so called in for a drink. My other half had no complaints about the wine list but i`m afraid i`m not a lover of Hall & Woodhouse beers, it`s a shame they do not carry a guest range. So we had a very quick drink and moved on.

Arrived in this pub advertised was having a lovely fireplace, but there was .no fire - they'd run out of wood! We ordered burgers, the buns were old and falling apart, the meet was rubbery, bad smelling congealed meat and the cheese slice looked like a piece of melted plastic. They forgot the bacon which was delivered separately and so unappetising we didn't bother. The place was virtually empty - can't imagine why.

I live locally. I want to love this pub. Love the board games. The food continues to be average. Not bad but not tasty. The pub is cold - we had lunch and none of the fires were lit. It could be so cosy.

Living quite close to the pub we have seen many changes over the years.

Amazing food, service and staff. Have been back , and will return again very soon. Dogs are allowed and often many in there!

Fantastic location, wonderful atmosphere, lovely family who run the place, loved every mouthful of my food, and the beer is incredibly cheep.

I knew the pub was under new management so decided to visit with my wife and family. The pub was near empty so getting a table wasn’t a problem but the place was freezing. I asked the staff member if we could get a blow heater but that wasn’t poss instead she offered us a table near the fire. This table wasn’t much better because it was tiny and there was a draft. We left without ordering.

We had lunch today. The food was excellent, Very nicely presented faultless. Very good menu. I could have had it all! Unfortunately the service was very amateurish. Just an example we had to ask for cutlery!

Never been here before but decided to take my 6 year old son for a drive out to have lunch. We were told they were fully booked but the friendly bar man found us a table. We were looked after by jamie and another very friendly young lady both were very good with my son. He ordered chicken goujons with chips and peas which he really enjoyed i had roast beef which i struggled to eat as it was a good size portion the only criticism is the beef was a little to done for me i like my beef rare but everyone has different taste so its not a bad comment. For pudding we both had ice cream which is by far the best dark chocolate ice cream ever ( wish i could buy it in the shops). Left full and happy with our sunday treat day out will be going again. Well done.

Found the pub thanks to GPS. A gorgeous setting, friendly staff and the most delicious and sensibly priced lunch.

We have just moved into the area and been to the Volunteer, which is under new ownership since late September, 6 times in the last few weeks. The food is very very good and staff warm and welcoming. We have eaten here 3 times and brought friends who all agree the food is great. They welcome everybody and don’t judge you by the car you drive! Worth pointing out that the opening hours are 11 till 11.

Visited the volunteer again knowing that new owners have taken it over. On a positive note, the new owners are lovely and are very welcoming. On a negative note, the wait on the food was a joke. We thought we would just pop in for a quick pit stop after going for a horse ride with the dog, they allow dogs in which is good! He is a very well behaved puppy, will sit and wait while we have our food, however there were some horrid terriers that kept having a go at him and apparently they were 'well behaved' looked as if they were going to bite my poor puppy, constantly growling at him. Massively put a downer on the atmosphere as he looked like a local. We ordered rosemary Camembert, nachos and chips - the Camembert had no flavour what so over, just rubbery, the nachos where stale - guacamole looked so processed, sour cream didnt even taste like sour cream BUT the chips were nice (but how can you get them wrong) £26.00 all together which i guess isnt bad but expensive when you have to wait OVER AN HOUR!!!! for it. Wont be coming back anytime soon and shalt be recommending to anyone local to come and visit.

This was a family get together (an important anniversary to us all). The pub was warm, the staff looked after us and the food and drink was good. It was exactly what we needed after a long day's walking.

Found this pub, via Trip Advisor, after visiting Polesden Lacey and we're very happy we did. Nicely refurbished with a big car park and friendly owners who deserve success for the recent takeover. Steak & Ale pie was beautifully cooked with lovely tender meat. Fish and chips, with a lovely piece of fish, was huge and expertly cooked. A simple menu with just what is required together with good pricing makes for a winning combination. There was no mobile signal on EE but they do have wireless available. Overall a thoroughly lovely place to eat and drink and it's one I'll recommend.

Lovely pub, warm welcome and my dogs love it. Nice to see someone run a pub with a passion for food and good service. Now worried my car isn’t posh enough!

I really can't believe people give a pub a bad review when they've just taken over and only been open a couple of days. That's so unkind. This is someone's business.

Great value for money drinks and food.Family run pub with a great menu to suit all pockets.Dosn't pretend to be a posh gastro pub and welcomes families ,walkers ,cyclists and mans best friend.Sit down and catch up with a drink or maybe treat yourself to a yummy meal.Great to see the locals returning after just over a year now new owners are bringing the pub back to being a community pub and meeting point .Ps you don't need a posh car ;)

Great food home made and great price now back to being a great place to visit with your children and dog there were cyclists and walkers back in the pub enjoying a pint and a sandwich or great meal served by friendly staff and management

We were so disappointed by our lunch - we only ordered sandwiches as we popped in, as we have been doing for years, for a lunch in the middle of a long walk. As other reviewers have noted, this slightly out-of-the-way pub relies on a loyal customer base, often of long standing, and in the past the car park has been regularly jammed (and with some pretty posh cars too, suggesting The Volunteer has always been popular with people with high spending potential). It doesn't get the same drive-past footfall as the nearby Abinger Hatch, so it has to be careful not to disturb this precious customer base. So frankly I wouldn't give this new management more than 12 months. Standards have not so much dropped as plummeted. The likeable staff seemed flustered by every request (ordering sandwiches and a couple of drinks seemed to throw them completely and this went on with all the customers at the bar) but we could see they were doing their best. So we ordered a ham sandwich and a fish finger sandwich (both come with chips). Under the previous owners the sandwiches were a good cut above what you would get in a cafe - nice bread, a little salad, some crisps/chips, all done well. So now it's catering-class sliced brown or white with margerine, catering-class fish fingers. The ham was still nice - they are using a decent supplier for that. And the chips were OK. But no nice little side salad - and to use bog standard bread around Dorking is just weird. Any decent cafe does better than that - there are loads of high quality bakers around here. Then we wanted coffee but, on a busy weekend, the coffee machine had broken - but of course.

I had been to this pub while it was run by the old owner's. I had such a bad experience that we decided not to come back. You could not bring your dog into the pub and could not eat in the upper garden. I had heard that the volunteer has been taken over by new owner's and thought I would give it a try.. I was pleasantly surprised buy the warm welcome my family and our dog received.. It is nice to see good food and good atmosphere in the pub.. we like the prices of the lunch menu and the sandwiches we had were served on lovely bread. When we finished our lunch, we had a look at the dinner menu so that we could come back agian.

When we dropped into the Volunteer a couple of days ago we were pleased to see that the new management (Daniel and Diane) are once again welcoming cyclists, walkers and family groups!! The new menu and beer prices will please those who are looking for a pint and proper pub food (including sandwiches, sausage and mash etc.) whilst the promise of log fires once the weather gets cooler mean we are looking forward to some cosy evenings enjoying their home cooked food.

Our first visit since it reopened. Reasonable sandwiches served with chips. Good beer and an excellent glass of rioja.

After years avoiding this pub due to disappointment we re-discovered it last winter. Food and service was great. Alas it is under new management, yet again. Two weeks in and they seem to be completely out of their depth. They were seriously understaffed for a busy sunny Sunday lunchtime. We saw one barman, one waitress and a young lad. The food ordering process seemed long and overly complicated, thus delaying bar service.

We have been going to this pub on sunny days for 20 years, despite the fact that its a half hour drive from home. However, we visited recently on a beautiful Sunday and were disappointed.

Have been to the Volunteer on an intermittent basis for many years and on a recent visit found it under new management. We had a very friendly and warm welcome from the delightful new people. There is a good range of beers and ales, the pub has a lovely ambiance, menu was modest though I didn't look at the wine list so can't comment. The meal we had was certainly pleasant enough and the whole package made for a really enjoyable evening. Great improvement from what it was before and look forward to going again.