Bold Forester in New Forest

Definitely a review of two halves. Positively, our food was simply exceptional - we each had a different roast meal and each was divine. The meats were succulent, tender and impossibly tasty; veg was perfectly cooked and the roasties were sublime. Portion size was just on the right side of generous and the puddings (cheesecake and brownie) were awesome.Sadly, our overall experience was completely let down by the service we received. Firstly, as my daughter pulled her chair in she badly sliced into the tip of her finger. The chair cushion was not fixed to the chair and she ended up with a deep cut from a prominent staple. The acknowledgement from the staff was barely there, with the only response being of anger that the chair was even out - no acknowledgement at the time, nor offer of any first aid kit or anything else (we were offered a single desert on the house later on in our meal). Secondly, as our drinks were brought over I had not just one, but two drinks spilled all in my lap. Again, minimal apology, no offer of anything remedial and other guests came to our assistance with anything to try and mop it up before any staff were able to. Cue a completely uncomfortable eating experience, rescued singularly by the exquisite food. By the end of it, the only acknowledgment was a gratis desert.You’ll not regret visiting for food though

The Bold Forrester was a pub that I went to once a year to play darts. It was also a place I ate in once. This was all back in the early 80s. Quite frankly it was a dump but also an expensive dump both beer and food. So I stopped going and pass it regularly without a thought of going in.Fast forward to the present and I noticed that the car park was beginning to fill so I took the plunge and took an old friend to lunch.What a difference. The tat has gone and the whole place transformed into a lovely comfortable eating house with superb food (I recommend fish pie) and good selection of beer and wine. Most definitely on my regular list from now on.

Booked for 7 people, was told either 12pm or 4pm was the only times available, arrived for 12pm.I was told on arrival that our table was in the bar area (& yes right next to the bar it was) I said I wasn’t told this when I booked, otherwise I wouldn’t of bothered. The lady who saw to us apologised it wasn’t in the restaurant but said they were rammed all day. I thought booking at 12pm when they said the availability & being earlier ,it would be in the restaurant. We ordered our meals, the food was nice but 14.99 for a roast dinner & £8 or 8.99 (can’t quite remember )for a pudding like a crumble we thought was very expensive! Decent portion of fries though. The menu has very limited options for V/VG & the veggie sausages for the veggie roast were vegetable filled sausages,not like what you would expect for a vegetarian sausage (you veggie’s know what what I mean 🙂) Had cheaper and better food at more pubs than this. The restaurant appeared to be pretty empty for the time we were there, so unsure why we couldn’t sit in there. We never had starters, or puddings, just mains a couple of sides & a round of drinks, a few had a second drink & it was £140. I would in future definitely ask where you are sitting when you book , but I think that should of been made clear. The roast dinners themselves should definitely be under £10 more like £8/£9.00.

What a meal! From the Fish and Chips my Daughter had which she said was and I quote "enormous". To the 🐗 Sausages that were beautiful! And the Turkey curry.(We didn't have turkey this year) and I had the Stack burger it was very big and very tasty too. Prices are a little steep but worth every penny/pound. I would recommend a visit, make sure you book in advance to be safe.

I visited this place a while ago and was very impressed with the place. Both the style and cleanliness. A large interior with mixed seating and a separate dining area.Outside seating also with parasols next to a large car park.Slightly off the beaten track but well worth the visit.Staff are friendly and helpful and the food was excellent.I have no qualms about giving this venue the stars I have awarded.I’m not sure why there are some negative reviews? But, there are plenty of positive ones.

Fantastic food, large portions, service was very good. Ales were in excellent condition. All in all a great evening

Excellent place to eat. Good food, great beer and attentive service. A very good Gastro Pub. Highly recommended. We will be returning.

Fabulous food! Everything we had was really excellent. They have a great menu, with lots of choice and they also have an industrial smoker, so the bbq type meats were great. The burgers were hand made and the pulled pork salad was a brilliant combination of flavours. We'll definitely be back next time we're near.

Lovely spot to stop for lunch. Very friendly welcoming place. Dog friendly, cyclist friendly and plenty of parking spaces.Tables outside with shade and cosy nooks inside if you prefer. Lot of range on the menu. We had Pulled pork and Chicken salads which were lovely. They were great with accomodating allergies, which was appreciated, very helpful staff.

I've not visited this pub for over 20 years but I was pleasantly suprised with how good it is now.The food is absolutely amazing and very reasonably priced considering how beautifully it's presented and the flavours put together. The chefs are an absolute credit along with the front of house teamThe decor is also very tasteful and gives a real modern but homely feel.Definitely worth the 2 hour journey from Kent 👍