Reviews - Pub review
Chestnut Horse Easton, Hampshire.
Chef John Holland and wife Jocelyn picked a real winner when they acquired this 16th-century pub a few years ago. Just four miles east of Winchester and the M3 (J9), tucked away in a picturesque Itchen Valley village of thatched cottages, this upmarket dining pub draws a loyal lunchtime trade and with a network of footpaths linking with the Itchen Valley Way, the pub is a popular pit-stop with the walking fraternity. The quite ordinary exterior, although beautifully festooned with flowers in summer, belies the true age and character of the building. Enter from the decked and heated rear terrace (great for summer sipping) and you'll find five interconnecting rooms, each one oozing charm.
The décor is snug: deep green in the bar and warm red in the restaurant, the latter boasting sagging beams and wall timbers. Add blazing log fires, chunky church candles and fresh flowers on each table, and individual furnishings and you'll find it hard to leave. This is exactly what happened when we visited on a cold and frosty January evening. Having been warmly greeted by the efficient young staff, we thawed out by the crackling fire while perusing the enterprising daily specials on the chalkboard menu - deep-fried squid with sauce gribiche (about £7), scallops with citrusscented risotto, fennel and spinach sauté and coral butter (£18), braised lamb shank with root vegetable mash and cranberry jus (£17).
We had arrived early and had the option of choosing from the excellent value set twocourse menu (order before 7.30pm). For just £10 my partner had a starter of avocado and bacon salad, served in a big dish with crispy bacon, ripe avocado, fresh rocket and spinach and a light balsamic dressing. The justifiably "famous" fish and chips followed - a juicy, beautifully cooked piece of haddock in a light batter (she ate the lot), served on a bed of mushy peas with thick chips. Alternatives included favourites like Caesar salad, Thai fish cake with sweet chilli sauce, lasagne, sausage and mash, and treacle and lemon tart. Good value indeed. I chose from the far pricier carte, kicking off with red onion and Parmesan tart (£6.95), served with red chard and herb oil.
Certainly freshly made but the pastry was a tad soft, perhaps microwaved, yet the strong cheese, onion and full-flavoured herb oil dressing rescued this enjoyable starter. My main course steak and kidney pudding (£14.95) was enough for two, a mammoth suet dome (dry in places) stuffed with huge chunks of kidney and lean steak in a rich, delicious gravy. Accompanying vegetables were well cooked but the potatoes proved surplus to requirements. Well worth the walk from Winchester for lunch (ploughman's, sandwiches, ham and eggs). Booking advisable, especially for the memorable Sunday lunches (£13.95).
PubChef rating (out of 10) Ambience: 9 Value for money: 7 Flavour factor: 8 Overall impression: 8 BEERS: Chestnut Horse Bitter (brewed by Itchen Valley), Courage Directors and a guest beer - tip-top Archers Best at time of visit. MAIN COURSES: From £10.95 to £18 WINES ON LIST: Global list of 40 bins; 10 wines by the glass ANOTHER THING: Come for lunch or dine early evening (6pm to 7.30pm) and opt for the two-course set menu - magnificent value at £10. Whisky drinkers will find around 60 unusual malts behind the bar.
