Welcome Stranger, Andover

The name says it – a wonderfully welcoming, family-owned country pub on the edge of a village off the beaten track. We used to use this pub about 30 years ago, and the current landlord explained that his father would have been running it then. No car park, and there is limited parking on the road outside, which is a dead end. There is a pleasant, quiet garden. Inside, there are 3 bar areas, open plan but still separate. You enter through a small, atmospheric bar with a fireplace and several low beams. At the front to the left is a small, cosy lounge with its own service hatch, and at the rear a larger games room and public bar with a laminated floor, pool table, dart board and some children’s games, and where they host regular live music and open mic nights. A variety of pies was on offer. Ales on were Doombar, 6X, Flack’s Double Drop and Proper Job. The Double Drop was in perfect condition, and it’s a pity I didn’t get to try the others. It’s as good now as it was in the 1980s, a pub which does what it says on the sign, well worth seeking out.

Official site of Welcome Stranger - www.thewelcomestranger.co.uk

Official site of Welcome Stranger - www.thewelcomestranger.co.uk