Drovers Inn, Wimborne

This is my first pub review on Pubs Galore. And I could not have started with a better pub than the Drovers. I am head gardener to Woodlands Lodge Hotel in the New Forest, my prime task is to provide seasonal vegetables to our hotel kitchen. So I am always going to pay particular attention to how the vegetables are sourced, are they fresh & in season. The review. Our walking group travel around the South of England searching out interesting places to walk & a decent lunchtime pub to enjoy our lunch with a pint of good real ale. I found the Drovers online by reading other peoples reviews of the pubs in the area. From the exterior the pub is my ideal. I love the older places with a bit of history. Interior decor not really to my taste. I prefer a bit more junk around. The decor was a little austere & the black chairs not really to my liking 'although my wife said they were very comfortable'. There my gripes end. We were given a warm welcome & there was a roaring open fire, 'always a plus point'. Things were getting better. The beer is beautifully kept, 'Ringwoods', we all had the Boondoggle 'excellent' at £3.30 a pint. Then we come to the food, two of us had the guinea fowl, another belly pork which came with a side dish of the most perfect crackling & our forth member the ham ploughman's. All top quality & I would not have been disappointed if I had been served the same dishes at our hotel 'although they would have cost a little more'. Bottom line, a well run pub with well kept beer, good service & quality food. A pub we shall certainly return to. My rating an 8.5.

Simply a note to say that little has changed, although every now and then, perhaps, the strain of running a pub like this seems to show. Nonetheless you will find it hard to get better beer or food in this area at anything like the price. My ratting still stands at nine and wilingly recommend it to anyone..........

I use Callaghans now and again, usually when there's a test match on and I want to check progress. They almost always have the big screen on showing sport and it doesn't seem to get as packed as other places. Not a place you'd want to spend a lot of time in but a convenient bolthole if you're in the area - a little like The London Pub in that respect. There are no real ales here, standard keg offering and Staropramen. Haven't eaten there myself but it provides a good menu for guests and tourists.

Outstanding country pub that I like to call my spiritual local. Set deep in the chalk hills of the Cranborne Chase, it is like no other pub I know, it simply looks as if been there since my grandads day. Which it has, and his grandad before. First things first, you shouldn't have any trouble parking. The garden is quite large, grass and table covered, very popular in all but the worst weather. Inside it's simple, bare floors, tables, two rooms and a fair sized bar. A Ringwood, read Marstons, pub, there are usually four, maybe five, beers, largely Ringwood with a Marstons 'guest'. Except at seriously busy times there is rarely any reason to complain at the quality. Cider, lager, guinness, wine, sprits and soft drinks are all available as you might expect. The true glory of this pub is, however, it's food. Middle of the road prices for firmly upmarket quality, this is a gastro-pub in all bar price and intent. The choice, centred about very local, game, fish and meat, is often quirky, surprising, always worth a try. I can't say too much about the staff, I know them all, and that clouds my judgement, to me they always friendly and helpful. Children and dogs are all welcome though bad behaviour from kids is frowned upon. Equally dogs are exhorted to keep their owners under control. A tip or two, The 'Drovers' can get very, very busy weekends and BHs, book. At times like those the quality of the ale can suffer a bit and the menu can look a bit sparse Mondays and Tuesdays. My rating, nine stars. The 'Drovers' isn't perfect, but it's close enough for me..........