The best restaurants serving British food in Downlands and Forest New Forest South East

Although it is along some country roads once there the welcome is warm and friendly and the food is always really wonderful. We travel from Southampton to get there and it has been well worth every mile on each of the half dozen occasions we have been there so far...and counting!!

I first reviewed the Rose and Thistle under the old lovely owners - fabulous food and service. It was wonderful to hear that the community had managed to take over the running of the pub, and today was our first sunny trip to the RaT under the new community landlords. Very pleased to say it’s as good as it always was. Superb food and fantastic service. I had a bit of a meze with the cheese soufflé at the heart - was a fabulous soufflé and all the food was just divine. For those (like me) who rarely carry cash with them, just be aware that they don’t currently take tips on card - felt guilty not being able to tip the superb service. We will definitely be back. Congrats to the Rockborne community for bringing back the Rose and Thistle and making it marvellous!

A lovely friendly pub, excellent service. Really good size portions for a reasonable price and a good selection on the menu. Would recommend the burger with stilton. Delicious!

The food was nice enough albeit very expensive. I don’t agree with ‘service charges’ it’s just restaurants helping themselves isn’t it. If you want to tip you tip - by choice…. There were very few patrons for a Saturday night, speaks for itself.

First visit to the Horse and Groom since moving from the New Forest 8 years ago. Very pleased to see the pub is thriving and is now a top destination in the Forest. Met some old friends for a very tasty lunch. Given the size of the pub the choice available for lunch was impressive. Both the clam and scotch egg starters were delicious as were the fish and chips and catch of the day main courses. The staff were friendly and engaging and the restaurant area had a pleasant feel. There is also a large 'back garden' if you just want to call in for a coffee and the separate public bar if you just want a beer. Great pub in a great spot.

Wow, so I went for a medium Biscoff Frozen Yoghurt that turned out to be huge! A generous amount of Cadbury’s Fudge was added to my serving, too. Very popular with students, and I can see why!