Hawkley Inn

Had Valentine's Day lunch at The Hawkley and came away very disappointed. This was my favourite pub in Hampshire but has changed under its new owners. I appreciate that change happens and things move on, but this used to be a real country pub, always busy when we visited and with a good atmosphere. That no longer seems to be the case. We ate from the special Valentines Day menu, there was enough choice and we selected the Venison Wellington. Appreciating that it would take a little time to cook was not a problem but it was nearly 45 minutes before it came. The Wellington was very well cooked, but two slices of it, half a shallot and a slice of carrot did not really meet expectation or appetite. I should add that there was no mention of vegetables on the menu, perhaps we should have asked...or known better, there was also no sides available to order from the menu, hence our expectation that it came with veg'. We had ordered our deserts at the same time as our mains, but once again these took over twenty minutes to arrive. I did comment to our waitress about the meagre amount of veg, I hope they will be a little more generous if they take on board feedback. The desert was very good, so there is a good cook in the kitchen. Sadly my favourite pub seems to be coming a fine dining establishment, I hope its a successes but I will not be coming back.

Nice room.

This review is based on the restaurant side of the business. Got welcomed nicely and was offered a drink very quickly. Good start guys! Now the next part is weird. I had been talking about getting some Ken Forrester wine from Lathwaites early in the day to top up the cabinet, and heavens behold you actually do a 2025 Ken Forrester Chenin (quick tip, get the 2024 in, much nicer) good wine selection though. I went for starters, mains and dessert, each course smashed me in the chops and woke me up to what I've missed from other restaurants. At last some decent cooking and some very good food. The squid was cooked too perfection. Never come across squid cooked that well anywhere. The Stilton with Chicken, well, if you like Stilton, and I do, then this dreamy, succulent chicken with stilton was a party in my mouth and the veg and potatoes were also spot on! Very very good cooking. The chicken was moist, dam you guys, you made me say moist! Now, we move on to the dessert and I thought I will go for the brownie, which I dread sometimes because some brownies are such a downer. Ohhhhh not this brownie, gooey, warm, and outstandingly good. Bravo to you guys in the kitchen. Keep up the good work and good food. Absolutely spot on. It's very rare for me to give out a 5 but you absolutely deserve it and nailed every part of the meal.