Selborne Arms, Alton

Pleasant slightly rustic country village pub but sat alongside a fairly busy road. Theres a saloon bar to the right as you enter, to the left is a multi area-ed room leading to a dining room. The five handpumps offered a selection of Bowman Swift one, Andwell Resoloute,Fixed Wheel Paint It Black, Courage Directors and Ringwood Forty Niner. It made a pleasant change to find a pub opening at 11.am and led to a relaxing half hour enhanced by the open fire and friendly landlord.

Ringwood Fortyniner, Bloomfields Bitter, courage, superb Flowerpots Stormchaser, Goddards Special Bitter, Hogs Back Zig Zag, Hidden Ace, Thatchers Gold cider (keg). Lovely bar area, country window squarely behind the pumps had sun streaming thru, old wood floor, large inglenook, hop adorned ceiling beam, hops also around bar servery of smaller, traditionally furnished, ‘Hanger Bar' to right of entrance. Beyond the bar is a rustic dining room set for dinner, wood tables, polished glasses - duck at very low entrance. The chef owner is clearly serious about food although I'm unsure about the wisdom of the blackboard menu leading with chateaubriand as the £37 (for2) may discourage the avg punter from reading on to more regular dishes such as stk & kidney pie at £9.90. Don't picture a gastro pub though – it is certainly somewhere I'd like to go for a meal but that does not preclude a very happy visit for beer alone, or more affordable lunchtime bites. To the rear a spacious covered, but open, conservatory style outbuilding with a central wood burning stove and beyond this an enormous grassy & attractively planted and bordered beer garden with picnic sets and mature trees to the rear; even the bbq area is sympathetically fashioned in the style of a covered wishing-well. Wind around to the left to find a kids play area with climbing/swinging distractions. Friendly barman happily discussed the freehouse benefit of his being able to deal directly with brewers of choice, and that they were lucky to have 15 or more small breweries in the immediate area. Rustically furnished throughout with traditional settles, tables, stools, & a games corner had crib, shut-the-box etc. Easily worth the £4.40 rtn bus (14mins) from Alton, but the schedule is slender & the Selborne closes 15:00-18:00 weekdays. I'll be back, for sure.

Official site of the Selborne Arms with menu - www.selbornearms.co.uk

Quite a nice old pub in a touristy village. Slightly rambling layout, with lots of old wood, with a slight emphasis on food, but still good for drinking. A nice range of local beers, which seemed well kept.

Official site of the Selborne Arms with menu - www.selbornearms.co.uk