Poplar Farm, Andover

Looks pretty from the entrance what with its thatched roof and olde worlde look (converted to a pun in the 1970’s says WhatPub). However inside it’s a low to mid-level foodie pub (Vintage Inns) with beers on as an afterthought. Two cask on, Doom Bar and Wainwright, the latter of which was insipid (NBSS 1.5).

The Poplar Farm was once a beautiful village pub but has, since the expansion of Andover, become a rather bland roadside stopover reminiscent of Beefeater, although to be fair it's a step up from that. It consists of a large restaurant area, bar and garden. The restaurant food is OK, but I wouldn't bother coming here just for that as it's pre-prepared and delivered rather than cooked from scratch. The staff were rather dull, though some of the clientele - locals I presume - were quite friendly. The whole atmosphere is spoilt by background noise pollution of the sort normally found in lifts. There were two ales on, Ringwood and Doombar. The latter was too cold, but it was nonetheless drinkable. I wouldn't come here especially and wouldn't include on a crawl, but it's OK to drop in for a pint and snack when passing.

Official pages of the Poplar Farm, contains menus and cask ale details - www.vintageinn.co.uk

Official pages of the Poplar Farm, contains menus and cask ale details - www.vintageinn.co.uk