REVIEW: The Greyhound on the Test
If you're from a shire county, chances are that:
a) you've never left
b) your weekend abode remains there on some leafy road
c) you've run away to some exotic land searching for excitement
Rarely, I find, do people holiday there.
Now, full admission: I hail from a shire. I left a few years but am yet to scarper to South America or similar. A couple of weekends ago, however, I did find myself back in one of these commuter belt counties to enjoy a break.
Stockbridge is a pretty little town in Hampshire. Unless you're a keen fisher after the trout in the River Test, chances are you haven't heard of it. It is a quaint little place, in which the High Street is filled which chocolate box properties, quirky shops and a few cosy-looking pubs.
Standing elegantly at one end is The Greyhound on the Test, one of the aforementioned pubs which has recently been refurbished. It is, like many a hostelry these days, a pub-restaurant-hotel hybrid, keen to attract punters of all types and keep them there for as long as possible.
They're doing a good job, because as soon as we stepped in it was evident it would be a wrench to leave. The pub sports the classic dark flooring and low ceilings, and the windows are of early 19th-century proportions which means the lighting is flatteringly dim. Even when we sunk into the leather chairs for a late-afternoon tipple, candles were burning. It looks like a good ol' fashioned country pub, but study the details and you see it is rather more suave. There is a superb selection of wines by the glass (along with the beers and ales), the snack menu features oysters, and the hand towels in the bathroom are ludicrously good quality.
The pub's restaurant is housed on other side of the bar, and it was full to the brim mid-week. What's more, with most of the punters in shabby-chic country attire, it was evident that they were locals, which is always a sign of consistent standards. In fitting with environs, the menu features predominantly British dishes including (amongst many others) fishcake and poached egg, spatchcock poussin and pork tenderloin. Our meats were perfectly roasted, the sides plentiful, and the puddings enormous in portion (another satisfyingly British trait).
Full to the brim, it was merely a few carpeted stairs up to our bedroom. The interiors are tastefully done, with the old (beautiful wooden beamed walls) tied nicely in to the new (slick en suite which an enormous shower). The only gripe was that our King-size bed was demonstrably two singles pushed together, but the abundance of billowy pillows soon helped to cover that up.
Guests staying overnight can also make use of the 'Honesty Bar' on the landing, comprising a well-curated selection of drinks and spirits, along with a little box to put your change. Thirsty or not, it makes you want to buy something just so you can exult in your honesty.
Breakfast the next day is hearty and homemade, and if the weather is nice it can even be enjoyed out on the terrace. Once you've taken your fill of local bacon and sausages, both Winchester and Salisbury are a short drive away, so you can spend the rest of your day in another holiday habit of ambling round historic sites.
With any sort of hybrid, you run the risk that at least one element is not up to scratch. The Greyhound on the Test shows no such shortcomings. Part sanctuary, part luxury destination, part outlet for glorious gluttony, it is in all a little bit of Britishness worthy of at least one visit.
Who needs the Southern Hemisphere when you've got the shires, eh?
The Greyhound on the Test is hosting special wine events during October, giving diners the opportunity to meet Leon Fembert from Tuscany's Nittardi estate (on Friday 24 October) and Maria Helm Sinskey from California Sinskey Vineyards (on Friday 31 October). For more information visit www.thegreyhoundonthetest.co.uk
a) you've never left
b) your weekend abode remains there on some leafy road
c) you've run away to some exotic land searching for excitement
Rarely, I find, do people holiday there.
Now, full admission: I hail from a shire. I left a few years but am yet to scarper to South America or similar. A couple of weekends ago, however, I did find myself back in one of these commuter belt counties to enjoy a break.
Stockbridge is a pretty little town in Hampshire. Unless you're a keen fisher after the trout in the River Test, chances are you haven't heard of it. It is a quaint little place, in which the High Street is filled which chocolate box properties, quirky shops and a few cosy-looking pubs.
Standing elegantly at one end is The Greyhound on the Test, one of the aforementioned pubs which has recently been refurbished. It is, like many a hostelry these days, a pub-restaurant-hotel hybrid, keen to attract punters of all types and keep them there for as long as possible.
They're doing a good job, because as soon as we stepped in it was evident it would be a wrench to leave. The pub sports the classic dark flooring and low ceilings, and the windows are of early 19th-century proportions which means the lighting is flatteringly dim. Even when we sunk into the leather chairs for a late-afternoon tipple, candles were burning. It looks like a good ol' fashioned country pub, but study the details and you see it is rather more suave. There is a superb selection of wines by the glass (along with the beers and ales), the snack menu features oysters, and the hand towels in the bathroom are ludicrously good quality.
The pub's restaurant is housed on other side of the bar, and it was full to the brim mid-week. What's more, with most of the punters in shabby-chic country attire, it was evident that they were locals, which is always a sign of consistent standards. In fitting with environs, the menu features predominantly British dishes including (amongst many others) fishcake and poached egg, spatchcock poussin and pork tenderloin. Our meats were perfectly roasted, the sides plentiful, and the puddings enormous in portion (another satisfyingly British trait).
Full to the brim, it was merely a few carpeted stairs up to our bedroom. The interiors are tastefully done, with the old (beautiful wooden beamed walls) tied nicely in to the new (slick en suite which an enormous shower). The only gripe was that our King-size bed was demonstrably two singles pushed together, but the abundance of billowy pillows soon helped to cover that up.
Guests staying overnight can also make use of the 'Honesty Bar' on the landing, comprising a well-curated selection of drinks and spirits, along with a little box to put your change. Thirsty or not, it makes you want to buy something just so you can exult in your honesty.
Breakfast the next day is hearty and homemade, and if the weather is nice it can even be enjoyed out on the terrace. Once you've taken your fill of local bacon and sausages, both Winchester and Salisbury are a short drive away, so you can spend the rest of your day in another holiday habit of ambling round historic sites.
With any sort of hybrid, you run the risk that at least one element is not up to scratch. The Greyhound on the Test shows no such shortcomings. Part sanctuary, part luxury destination, part outlet for glorious gluttony, it is in all a little bit of Britishness worthy of at least one visit.
Who needs the Southern Hemisphere when you've got the shires, eh?
The Greyhound on the Test is hosting special wine events during October, giving diners the opportunity to meet Leon Fembert from Tuscany's Nittardi estate (on Friday 24 October) and Maria Helm Sinskey from California Sinskey Vineyards (on Friday 31 October). For more information visit www.thegreyhoundonthetest.co.uk