The White Horse Inn in North Dorset

Lovely pub. Good service. Really excellent food!!

Fantastic pub in a beautiful location. Superb food and drink. Wonderful staff. We always highly recommend The White horse to other people.

Great Food, fresh and full of flavour, with some dishes with a asian twist, always feel welcomed and nothing is too much trouble.

The food is always fantastic at the White Horse

Fabulous food. Easter Sunday, understandably very busy, so a little confused on arrival as the bar was 3 deep. Food was yummy and service excellent. Mum's pug was quietly happy under the table next to the Inglenook. Noise level was tricky though. If you're HSP or have a spectrum diagnosis, this level of sound may be too much. I would opt to go back on a quiter day to relax and indulge in the culinary delights.

What a gorgeous and cozy pub this is. Atmosphere is wonderful and made better by the super friendly and lovely staff. The food was also top tier. We had the beef ragu to start, the Venison and Fish & Chips as our mains - all of which were delicious. One of the best Fish & Chips we’ve had in a while! Fish was soft with a thin crispy batter and the chips and peas were equally superb (especially since these can sometimes be overlooked!). Home made Tartare sauce was fantastic. Very well priced considering how exceptional the food and service are. Would highly recommend to anyone in or passing through the area!

Right from the warm smiling welcome from the Owner and her colleague, through the delicious food, the whole experience exceeded our expectations and some!

Amazing homemade food. Fresh and tasty! Amazing fish soup and venison. Lovely atmosphere in the heart of countryside. Highly recommended!

Great service, lovely meal in a warm and friendly 'real country pub' environment.

We came for a family meal. Setting up was lovely. We all had roasts. Meat, Yorkshires and veg was nice. Potatoes were disappointing. We were not offered sauces or extra gravy and had to ask. It was not worth £22 for the roast. If we paid £15 I would have felt like I had value for money.

Fantastic village pub - great atmosphere, very welcoming and good food.

This is my second visit to this pub and both times were excellent. The bar area had a great atmosphere with locals enjoying a drink and the restaurant was warm and cosy. The food was superb once again and have booked come back again. Definitely one of the best eateries in the area

Thank you for another excellent meal. It's always a pleasure to dine with you. Always a homely welcome, pleasant staff and beautiful touches, such as the flowers on the table, warming fire in the winter and varied menu to reflect the seasonal produce available. Can't rate you highly enough!

Beautiful location Extremely pleasant staff Wonderful walks nearby Amazing history including roman mosaic discovered in the area of Christ. Great atmosphere Excellent food and drink

A lunchtime visit to celebrate a birthday. Wonderful reception,brilliant meal and a delightful atmosphere. We really couldn’t have asked for more. And an impromptu birthday cake! Can’t recommend highly enough!

If you do nothing else this year, take a visit to The White Horse. Everything about this place is special. Cannot wait to return.

Absolutely EXCELLENT food (between us we had Fish +chips, Roast Pork and Venison Ragu), plus LOVELY desserts (Sticky Toffee pudding + Orange Creme Brulee). What with the chatty, friendly service, log burner keeping things toasty, and the delightful Olde-Worlde charm of the place; I honestly couldn't come up with anything they could improve. An absolutely fabulous Sunday lunch with old friends 🧡

The food was excellent, great chef in the pub! Good portions. Perfectly cooked rare steak, hard to get anywhere in the UK! The pepper sauce was over sweet and brandied- tasted a bit like Christmas pudding!Scallops superb. The seats need reupholstering. Will definitely go back.

I had another excellent meal here on Saturday, with two friends. The food was delicious and plentiful, the service top notch and the atmosphere convivial. I have lost track of how many times my husband and I have eaten here in the past few months, all of which we have thoroughly enjoyed.

Fabulous, welcoming, cosy country pub. Staff attentive, food delicious. Just as you'd like a pub to be!

The most lovely small village pub in Dorset..wonderful

Fantastic evening, delicious food, friendly staff and a lovely warm, cosy atmosphere. Thank you.

A very pretty pub off the beaten track in a charming village. Superb food, generous portions and a decent wine list to boot. Hard to beat. Standouts were the home made tarama, thinly sliced beef and the linguini with crab.

The food and service is always perfect. Highly recommended, the best pub in the area. The cask ales are always in good condition.

Just had the most wonderful Sunday lunch here. Food was fantastic, staff were amazing, this place is a real find. Definitely recommend this place.

Great food lovely atmosphere & brilliant service. 👏 can highly recommend it.

Wonderful birthday dinner. Lamb Scrumpit, Tuna Carpaccio, Pork Belly, Dorset Crab Linguine, Tiramisu (a little heavy for my preference, but still delicious) and Cheese and crackers. We’ll be back!

Lovely food for a lunchtime pitstop!

We stopped off here on the way back from Stourhead for a quick drink and a bite to eat. They don’t do sandwiches but suggested some of the starters instead. We sat outside in the sheltered beer garden and had some bowls of chips, crispy fish, pate and lamb scrumpet, all hot, freshly cooked and really tasty. With a nice selection of beers it was a great experience. Recommended.

Another fantastic evening at the White Horse, Mel and her front of house team were brilliant as usual and with Andy and his team in the engine room preparing amazing food the whole evening was perfect. Thankyou!

Great food, lovely people front of house, excellent service, a thoroughly enjoyable evening. If you like Adam Hendon’s rare breed pale ale it was here on our visit - a lovely pint.

As always, at excellent evening at The White Horse. Extremely friendly welcome, first class service and the most scrummy food . Thank you. We will be back.

Wonderful pub serving delicious home made local produce. Service and staff… 10 of 10.

Lovely, local village pub, booked for a friends birthday. Sunday lunchtime, great menu, not just roast dinner. Food was amazing, service was good too, made to feel very welcome. Value for money also 👌

We enjoyed an excellent Sunday lunch here recently - can't vouch for many menu items as we all went for the Roast Beef. The beef, selection of vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy were all superb, as were all the puddings. The pub isn't large which makes for a great traditional pub atmosphere and makes booking fairly essential at busy times.

Very nice meal Lovely food Excellent service Will definitely go back

Lovely setting in Sturminster Newton. Very welcoming. Staff were very polite and attentive. Went for beef roast which was cooked to perfection with lovely vegetables and loads of gravy. Followed by apple crumble and custard and sticky toffee pudding. We enjoyed it very much. Thank you.

A group of us are lunch at the white horse yesterday, the food is exquisite, there were 7 of us and every plate we were served was exceptionally presented and tasted amazing!!!! We will be back, what a memorable time. Thankyou so much. The village this pub is situated in is idyllic, like a fairy tale.

We have been a few times across the summer and always been delighted. Warm & friendly vibe, great food and really attractive overall. Menu is a challenge as virtually all the dishes are good combo of ingredients. Will be back again soon, mid range pricing making a regular port of call for us.

The pub is well known to us and was chosen for a birthday celebration. It was not the best experience we have had the food was OK, we chose a starter each @£11.90 the table was laid with side plates therefor expected a slice of bread, asked for the bread had to wait for 10/15 minutes and then found we had been charged £4.90 for 2 small slices each. Our meal including a bottle of wine was in excess of £110.for 2. It’s a pub and not fine dining, next time fish and chips and a beer.

Cracking little village pub, we popped in for a few drinks with friends and had a great time, we sat in the garden in the sun and it was extremely pleasant. Will be going back for some food in the future.

Menu needs better description. What is lamb scrumpet for example. Food was ok but sauce on my chilli beef was raw tasting. Garlic ginger and tomato not cooked enough. No offer of sauces or any condiments with my wifes burger. good sized portions though.

Always a warm welcome at the White Horse - great food, good company - happy days!!

Excellent food, beer and service Plus the pub is dog friendly

It's always a pleasure to eat at The White Horse, it has a great atmosphere, friendly staff, wonderful food and drink. That's why we return again and again. Highly recommended

I believe that the food is excellent but the price for premium lager is extortionate at £6+

Beautiful pub, the food is amazing totally recommend a visit, thank you Sarah and Mel for the friendly front of house, please don’t believe everything you read on here premium lager is NOT £6+ a pint

The second time we have had a meal, the food & service is excellent as is the warm welcome. There is a good range of wines and the cask beer is kept well. The menu selection is more interesting than standard pub food.

Great country pub..Good food and service

We enjoyed a very good dinner at this atmosphere country gastropub in the village of Hinton St Mary. Lovely service, reasonable priced.

Very friendly attentive staff, beautiful well thought out tasty food. Great range of ales and wine including their own. Delicious courgette beignets and crispy beef starter/nibbles.

Excellent meal at this lovely country pub. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. We would definitely return again

Amazing service, food was delicious and presented well. Will be returning 👍

Had a lovely lunch today with my son and daughter in law and highly recommend the White Horse! Try the superb, homemade sausage rolls(door stops!), they are fantastic! Good choice at the bar and a decent wine list. A bit disappointed there wasn't a daily specials choice as the menu is slightly limited BUT all the food we had, burger, duck and sea bass as mains were excellent! Well cooked and portions totally ample. Couldn't manage a dessert, stuffed!! Definitely worth a visit, was a bit quiet for a Saturday lunch so can't comment on an evening's meal!!

Spectacular menu, one of my favourite beers on tap, second to none service from friendly and attentive staff. I would highly recomend this pub.

We had a gorgeous meal here on Friday evening before heading to a wedding on the Saturday. The atmosphere of the pub is so friendly, cosy and romantic. The service was great. The staff were knowledgable about the menu and the menu itself was fairly small but had a really interesting range of dishes, with loads of them available gluten free. We felt the portions and quality were extremely good for the prices we paid. Wish we lived a bit closer!

We stopped here for our first ever English Sunday roast. What a delightful place! The roasts--we shared the lamb and the vegetarian--were delicious and well-prepared with well-chosen elements. The Yorkshire pudding was splendid. Well-kept ales, good cider, friendly and welcoming staff and patrons, all in a lovely village. You can't ask for more than that. Thanks.

Excellent experience and second visit. Some friendly faces we know behind the bar and food delicious as to be expected. It’s unusual for Ronnie (my wife) and I to have a Friday off in the same industry and glad we chose here for lunch. Great work guys, you’re experts of the industry

Small venue. Booking advised if you want to eat, as the food is excellent. Used as a local but very welcoming to all. Friendly and professional staff.

We've been coming here for 3 years, but since the new ownership has arrived I would really say its exceptional. It's one of those places you don't want other people to discover as you selfishly want to "keep it to yourself"; however the only thing worse than that is not enough people eating out and enjoying a great pub. I would say I am fairly well travelled in the world of eating out, and this represents the best of what British Pubs have to offer - brilliant experience, excellent food, perfect service - superb setting as always. Love it here.

Food excellent and staff very friendly and helpful. A great venue.

Had a really rather excellent date with my wife on a Saturday afternoon. Lovely food - no hassle to swap the accompanying potato around and the home made dip with the Brixham fish starter was ‘top drawer’ combination of flavours. A great destination pub.

What a fantastic find! Lovely old fashioned country pub with a superb kitchen and amazing staff. Sunday lunch was superlative. Slow cooked roast pork belly came with all the trimmings. Fish and chips met with similar approval. Service was exemplary throughout - such a warm welcome. Highly recommended and worth travelling considerable distance for!

A very lovely pub, with incredibly delicious food and very helpful and polite staff. Honestly might come to the area just for this pub

It was our first visit to the White Horse and we were very pleased. There was a warm welcome and service throughout was both friendly and attentive. With both the a la carte menu and a choice of roasts available you were given a broad choice of dishes. The quality of the beef was superb, as it simply melted in the mouth. This was accompanied with a lovely selection of vegetables. A nice selection of desserts rounded off a very enjoyable meal. We will happily return.

We had a very good lunch indeed and Sarah looked after us very well. The other staff were charming & helpful. The online booking platform appeared not to be working but apart from that we had a very positive visit - we will definitely be back!

Spoilt rotten we were. What a fantastic night with the best food! The atmosphere was fantastic. We had one of the most memorable nights. Thank you so much to Andy, Mel and their family’s team. 🍾🥂

We were recommended to try this pub by a friend. Like most pubs now, it is "geared up" to major on catering and that takes up much of its facilities. That said, I can tell you it keeps a rather nice pint of Butcombe Original Ale. Four of us for lunch were greeted, seated and our drinks order taken and delivered very efficiently. A procedure that usually foretells your dining experience in my view. We were given a menu that was varied and interesting, loosely pub food but a little different from the standard fayre. Our order was taken quickly and on a fairly busy Friday, it came out very quickly too. If I were to be "picky" the presentation leaves a little to be desired but I forgive that because the food was simply delicious, really tasty and well cooked. A throughly enjoyable meal attended by lovely and helpful staff clearly doing their best to make you welcome.

What a lovely evening me and my family had last night at this lovely little pub. Thank you so much. The food was fabulous and your wine pickings for us were perfect. See you again soon.

My partner and I dined here with a friend I was the only one to make it to dessert ,a gorgeous tiramisu with coffee ice cream. Our mushroom arancini was a light and flavoursome starter followed by pollock given a massive thumbs up by my companions as was my venison ragu.The whole atmosphere was friendly and relaxed and the staff could not have been more friendly

This was our second visit and excellent. The pub is lovely, the welcome warm, with very efficient staff in the dining room. My Brixham calamari was superb , the beer batter was light as a feather and crispy with tender tasty squid, just yummy. My venison ragu was delicious and my husband said his slow cooked pork with the black pudding mash was excellent. We did not have desserts or coffee. We are already looking forward to our next visit. This is a very well run pub with a restaurant. Well done to all the lovely staff.

Best food in Dorset - couldn’t have had a better meal. Fabulous atmosphere and bustle of a gorgeous country pub on a Sunday combined with the best menu I can remember!

My daughter, granddaughter and I enjoyed a lovely Mother's Day lunch today. The roast beef was superb and the fish and chips were crispy and totally delicious. We had puddings that were divine. We like that the pub itself is very informal and whilst the service is very efficient, all the staff are so friendly and helpful. We loved our pretty Mother's Day posies, so thoughtful, thank you!

We can highly recommend The White Horse Inn, in the beautiful village of Hinton St Mary, just north of Sturminster Newton and now with the added attraction of the excellent chef and front of house team, husband and wife Andy and Mel, formerly of The Forester, Donhead St Andrew, where we have enjoyed so many memorable meals over the years. Our lunch was excellent, three courses, chosen from a small interesting menu. Scallops, and black pudding beignets for starters; Estate Venison Cottage Pie and Cornish Sole for mains, all finished off with Bakewell Tart and ice cream and coffee. Welcoming and with food of a high standard we very much look forward to our next visit.

An excellent Sunday Roast, served by lovely staff. High recommended.

Small, very nice pub, good traditional English food

Quaint pub with lots of small rooms. Good atmosphere and good menu especially if you like fish. The venison gnocchi was excellent as was The Hake. The service was good , attentive and friendly. The wine list was a little uninspiring. Good visit and we will return.

From outside, it's rather usually English pub, but food and service it's absolutely like a posh restaurant! Without breathtaking prices, good beer, amazing food and amazing atmosphere. WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT!?

Best service I’ve ever had and food exceeded expectations. Would highly recommend

Lovely cosy country pub, excellent friendly service and food that is a significant cut above anything else if the area.

Second visit to a wonderful place for lunch. Great service bettered only by the quality and presentation of the food. One of the best pub lunches we've ever had. Fantastic.

This was our second visit to The White Horse and it lived up to all expectations. A warm welcome from the friendly staff and food excellent as ever. We will be back!

Our party of 8 had a wonderful Christmas meal at the White Horse last week. We had 2 chefs in our party who both said the turkey was cooked to perfection..The vegetables were delicious and plentiful and the vanilla custard tart was sublime! Very friendly service and a great atmosphere. Can’t wait to go back.

We visited the White Horse this weekend. The staff were helpful, kind and friendly. The food was delicious and we loved the puddings. We will definitely return and would highly recommend this pub

Friendly welcome, good choice of cask ales, will certainly make an effort to visit again.

A wonderful find. We had a lovely lunch here when we were staying in the area. We ate in the Inglenook Bar, which, as the name implies, was very cosy and welcoming (including wood-fired stove). Friendly service from people who cared. The menu was varied and very interesting: we could have chosen everything on the menu! Our food was superb: freshly prepared and and beautifully presented. My understanding is that this is a relatively new management team and chef. Given our experience, they will be very successful. Booking recommended.

Excellent 👍 lovely atmosphere. Lovely food. Well done Andy and Mel

If you're looking for a gastropub experience in this part of the world, this is the place. It is pricey compared to everywhere else in the vicinity, but I'd say worth every penny.

We had the most fantastic Sunday lunch here , delicious food presented beautifully & loved the extra touches like proper napkins and lovely crockery also great service and fabulous buzzing village atmosphere. We were made so welcome - by far the best pub around . Emma

We were in the area and stumbled across this place looking for some lunch.. exceeded expectations..beautiful home cooked food and great service. Thank you!

Great Sunday lunch today (party of 5). Amazing roasts, great service and lovely staff. Would definitely recommend.

Visited the pub as we were staying in the cottage nearby. A warm welcome in the afternoon for a quick drink. Went back early evening for dinner, welcomed by staff and regulars. We choose venison gnocchi bolognese, delicious, and fish and chips also very nice. A lovely welcoming atmosphere. Reasonably priced. Thanks to all at the White Horse.

Great to find that Mel and Andy, previously of the Forester Donhead st Andrew, have taken on the tenancy of this charming old village pub. Soft lighting with simple wax candles on the tables. A typical Andy menu offering pub classics alongside notable dishes like cuttlefish tentacles as a starter and then roast partridge as a main. Small but good wine list. Warm welcoming staff. If you know good food when you see it, look no further.

Once again thank you for another first class dining experience. The staff, service, quality & presentation of the food, all without fault.

Fantastic little pub. Looks like it’s been renovated fairly recently . Great selection of drinks especially for such a small place out of the way.

Lush place, great service and excellent food, beer was also very good :) Definitely come here again. Xx

Friendly staff, great food, nice beer, good menu, easy parking. Highly recommend.

Fantastic pub in lovely village location. Food was absolutely excellent! Highly recommend it!!!

As of July 2023, new couple Andy and Mel now run the pub. Absolutely outstanding food - everything is made from scratch and is delicious and very reasonably priced. A warm, welcoming, friendly atmosphere makes for a very enjoyable meal out, or indeed just a few drinks and a chat at the bar. Dogs are very welcome throughout the pub. Will definitely be recommending to everyone.

The most glorious lunch in a sweet pub! Delicious roast beef sandwich…. Yummy venison ragu, tasty burger. Gorgeous garden and friendly staff. We WILL be back!