The Bat and Ball, Hambledon

Hyden Farm Lane
Clanfield
Waterlooville
Hampshire
PO8 0UB

The Bat and Ball is well known enough to have its own wikipedia page, it is famous for its part in the history of cricket rather than it's food though! Across the road is Broadhalfpenny Down, the original home of the Hambledon Cricket Club, once one the greatest teams in England, and the place where the rules of the modern game were first codified. Nowadays it is a picturesque location and more of a backwater in the game!

The pub, which had a couple of famous Hambledon Cricket Captains as it's landlords in the 1700's, has walls filled with cricketing memorabilia.

There is even a Melbourne connection, with this article from the Herald Sun on the wall of the gents toilet!

The deserts and specials were on the chalk board, with plenty more options on the main menu.

The special wild sea bass fillet on herb crushed potato looked great, but the fish was a little dry and the coulis just too sweet.

The London Pride battered sustainable Haddock with chips, peas  and tartare sauce came with a huge piece of fish and generous serves of the veggies and seemed to go down well.

I had the chefs homemade fish pie, stuffed with salmon, haddock, prawns and spinach. There was a bit more goat’s cheese on top than I expected, but it was easy enough too remove and still leave the mashed potato topping in place. I tried to swap the side of crusty bread with veggies, but seemed to end up with both.

The service was fine, although a request for lemon, lime and bitters caused confusion. I'm sure we will be back at some stage as it is close to friends and family, but if it will be for food, or just a drink I'm not sure...

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Uzzal, Hersham

21 Molesey Road
Walton-on-Thames
Surrey
KT12 4RN

We couldn't visit the UK without having a curry at some stage during the trip. While staying in Hersham Uzzal was recommended to us, so we tried a takeaway one evening. We couldn't find the menu online so I went in to check out the menu before ordering. the decor was fairly typical for a modern British south Asian style restaurant.

As we had trouble find it, below is the full take away menu...

The menu is pretty broad...

...with a reasonable number of veggie dishes.

We went with (from left to right) the Chana Masala with chick peas in onion and tomato, the soft eggplant/aubergine of the bhindi bhaji and the sag chicken which didn't have quite as much spinach as some times. Of course we also had to have a soft pillowy naan as well as rice. All the dishes were winners, nothing was too oily and the spice levels were perfect.

I had my meal in less than 15 minutes beat their estimate of 20 and we'd happily head back for more of their curry goodness!




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Artusi, Peckham

161 Bellenden Road
London
SE15 4DH

We were heading to Peckham for a friends birthday bash and did read about Artusi online, so we decided to give it a try. We arrived just before 7 and were lucky to get a table.

It's a fairly small space, but had a good feeling on a warm sunny evening and a simple modern fit out.

At the back of the restaurant, there was another section joined to the kitchen with more tables and stools on the pass.

The fairly short menu was chalked up on the wall...

We shared the panzanella salad to start. The combination of chunks of bread, tomato, cucumber, red onion and basil was a fresh and flavoursome appetiser.

The spaghetti with anchovies and pecorino was simple but well executed and a hit with the salty fish lover!

I was unsure of which main to have, but with some gentle persuasion from our waitress ordered the octopus with courgette and salsa verde which also included some roast potato. Any fears of the dish being too full on were soon assuaged, the cephalopod was perfectly tender and not too strong and was well complemented by the salsa and veggies.

The service through the meal was great, although we'd been told we only had an hour or so to eat we never felt rushed. The bill came to £40.10 including a few drinks, which felt like good value. We would certainly head back next time we are in Peckham, but that probably wont be for a while...

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The White Hart, Denmead

Hambledon Road
Denmead
Waterlooville
Hampshire
PO7 6NG

A few of my mates from school live in Denmead these days and the White Hart is a popular for us to meet up for a pint. I hadn't eaten there before, but circumstances resulted in that happening on this visit. We found a table in the sunny beer garden which was quite quiet on a Tuesday evening.

The menu had plenty of options with a range on influences as well as a few pub classics.

 

We ordered at the bar and were surprised how quickly our meals were delivered. The warm duck salad with a hoisin and plum dressing was a winner.

I revisited a childhood favourite with the breaded wholetail scampi, chips and peas. It was pretty much as I recalled, and perhaps doesn't hold quite rate quite so highly in the pecking order for me these days!

The service was friendly and meals were pretty good value and we'd happildy eat there again.

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The Nags Head,Woodborough

Main Street
Woodborough
Nottinghamshire
NG14 6DD

The Nags Head sits towards the western end of the Main street in Woodborough, a small, quaint Nottinghamshire village.

Relatives we were visiting recommended it. Inside it was a traditional English pub, with plenty of room for diners.

The menu was extensive covering British pub classics, Italian and veggie options.

Unfortunately the pork was tough and pretty dry.

The king prawns with the tagliatelle weren't particularly king sized... and the sauce was creamier than expected.

I had the sweet potato, chick pea and spinach curry with rice, naan bread and a poppadom. Although not particularly spicy, the flavours were pleasant and satisfying.

The service was friendly and welcoming. I seemed to be the lucky one with my choice of dish, and a one out of three hit rate isn't a good enough hit rate to warrant a return visit...




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The Black Swan, Ockham

Old Lane
Ockham
Surrey
KT11 1NG

The Black Swan in Ockham is nestled in the idyllic Surrey countryside but also isn't far from either the M25 or A3. We visited on a sunny summer Saturday, and it was busy, with most of the outdoor tables taken.

Inside things were a bit quieter, it is quite a labyrinth with lots of interconnected spaces.

We found a spot near the BBQ area, which was proving a popular option. It has a separate menu and ordering system. 

The pea and marjoram tortellini, with summer vegetables, ricotta and parmesan cheese from the main menu was as fresh as it looked.

I went for the oatmeal crusted Cornish mackerel fillets also ordered inside. They came with a warm runner bean and new potato salad and a salsa verde. The strong flavors were nicely balanced by veggies and caper rich sauce.

The kids liked their sausages, chips and mixed leaf salad.

Diane went for the char-grilled swordfish steak from the BBQ, which came with a panzanella salad, guacamole and fries. Again everything was super fresh and soon disappeared. 

Nik enjoyed the BBQ menu special of Lamb koftas, which was served with coleslaw, fries and pita.

The Black Swan is a great spot to enjoy a great summers day, with a relaxed vibe and plenty of space in the grassy beer garden. There is a good range of food on offer and we enjoyed everything we tried from the menu.

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Edinboro Castle, Camden

57 Mornington Terrace
London
NW1 7RU

The Edinboro Castle, claims to be "Camden's most welcoming pub" and is tucked between Camden's center and Regent's Park. It has a big beer garden or courtyard out the front which was packed on the Saturday evening we visited, but we managed to find some space inside. We were primarily there to meet up with friends, but we did eat too. The menu had a mix Brit pub classics and some more off road options.

I had the wild salmon fish cakes which were a little smaller than I expected but tasty and came with lemon creme fraiche, wedges and 'slaw.

The whitebait was tasty, but unless you are a true connoisseur is probably best shared given the fairly generous serve of the mini fish!

 The southern fried chicken came with chips, coleslaw and pickle dip, and satisfied our friend.

The service was good for a packed pub, and I was happy with the food we had. I'd probably not head back specifically for a meal, but if you are there and hungry, it's worth grabbing a bite.

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The Bull and Last, Highgate

168 Highgate Road
London
NW5 1QS


Chris and Emma took us along to the The Bull and Last "..a rustic style pub and kitchen serving old English style food in the restaurant.." We ate upstairs where the decor followed a country house or hunting lodge theme.

The menu when we visited covered some traditional British dishes along with some more modern and European inspired options.

We shared the crispy butter milk chicken as an entree. The small pieces of chook were tender and juicy, the aioli was a great accompaniment.

I had the roast cod, which was perfectly cooked, and came with a mussel spaghettini and seashore veggies, which worked together wonderfully.

We also shared some of the giant yet perfect triple cooked chips.

We finished off by tackling the mango and raspberry sorbet between us!

The only downside of the meal was the hour long wait between our courses. It wasn't that busy either, so I'm not sure what caused the problem. Other than that it was a great meal in a nice environment.

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