Make this your local when you're staying at Ortus House; it's just down the road, within easy staggering distance. You're guaranteed traditional pub ambience, friendly service, good beer and tasty home cooked food, with fresh seafood, local game and daily specials besides the usual pub fare. 

T: 02380 282113

What they do here is aim to serve authentic Thai classics in an informal setting, so everyone feels relaxed and happy, and they stick to their beliefs of supporting local farmers and using produce that's raised or grown nearby. Obviously that presents a bit of a challenge as finding Thai ingredients round these parts can prove tricky, but they rethink it and somehow, they pull it off. Go along, and if you're a big group just give them a call, they'll happily accommodate you.

T: 02380 284974

The Fox & Hounds has a very good reputation for food, with a huge emphasis on local produce (eggs are from a farm just down the road), so fresh it all comes in daily. It's a friendly place; families are welcome, dogs are welcome, everyone chit chats together, you might even find someone bashing out a jolly tune on the piano in the bar. The dining area is set around a rotisserie oven, which is unusual in itself ,and there's a fire to sit beside on colder days. In the summer the terrace is popular, but you know what? Go whatever the time of year, it's a gem.

T: 02380 282098

La Pergola is a very friendly, family run Italian restaurant in the village of Lyndhurst, and not surprisingly there's a wisteria clad pergola you can sit beneath for lunch on finer days or for dinner on balmy evenings. Otherwise have drinks in the bar before you go through to your table to tuck into top notch Italian fare. There's a big car park and a play area for the younger folk.

T: 02380 284184

A good country pub in a charming setting overlooking the green in Minstead - a village that meets all your expectations of the New Forest; old red brick thatched cottages, ponies, cows and pigs grazing free range on the verges - and a jolly good local. Food is home made, there's quite a choice and ingredients are locally sourced; service is smiley, and everyone is welcome as long as they behave nicely. Sit out the front on the terrace or out the back in the beer garden when the sun's out; when it's chilly warm up by the roaring log fires. 

T: 02380 812137

Family run, a warm welcome, home cooked food, a carvery, good beer and kids are welcome; this place ticks all the boxes and is a good place to wind up after a walk in the forest. Tuck into burgers, nachos, mac & cheese, steaks and lighter bites.
In the olden days, if your dog could fit through the ‘crown stirrup’ you could take it hunting in the New Forest; nowadays, they allow dogs in all shapes and sizes here as long as they’re well behaved.

T: 02380 282339

This is a lovely country inn, just the sort of place you want to wind up at after a hearty stroll or a bike ride in the New Forest. If it's Sunday, you'd be mad to miss the roast; other days there's a delectable choice of pub favourites with a modern twist for lunch or dinner, and there's a children's menu (although they do have a rule that children under 10 aren't allowed in the pub after 6pm). Be warned - it gets busy in the summer.

T: 02380 282350

A big pub that’s got everything for everyone – a play area for the kids, bowls of water for the dogs, a terrace out the back, and the food is fine, made with lots of fresh local produce and catering for all tastes. They do breakfasts, lunches, cream teas and dinners, and they tend to get very busy on Sundays because the roasts are so good. Stop off if you’re out exploring or walking in the forest.

T: 02380 292721

Well this is certainly the place to go if you're celebrating something special, say a hen weekend or a birthday. Book a spa day or book for food; hire the Kitchen Table for groups of 10 to enjoy a shared Italian feast, or go to the Raw & Cured food bar for deliciously healthy salads and fish and meat cured in their own smoke house. Celebrity chef Angela Hartnett is part of the Hartnett Holder & Co team here so serious foodies should book up for a course at the Cookery School; hippie chicks should go to one of the laid back Smoked and Uncut Festivals.

T: 02380 287177

A very welcoming pub where they’ve though of everything – a play area and colouring packs for the young ‘uns, water, treats and towels for muddy dogs, and a very tempting menu that uses fresh seasonal and local produce as much as possible – Roast Guinea Fowl, Honey Glazed Duck Breast, Beetroot Risotto, Pan Fried Brill, plus pub classics like burgers and fish and chips. Sounds good.

T: 02380 292342

This 16th century thatched pub is small but what it lacks in size it certainly makes up for in character. It’s the kind of place you want to go to after a walk in the forest on a chilly day in mid winter, where you can sit by the fire and enjoy a good pint. Mind you, it’s just as lovely in the summer when you can sit out the back in the garden and gaze out over miles and miles of gorgeous countryside; in fact if you’re a big group that’s the best option because inside you’ll be pushed for space in the three small rooms with low beamed ceilings. Don’t let that put you off though, it’s so charming you have to go.

T: 02380 812606

Go on, spoil yourselves! In a gorgeous setting on the edge of the New Forest, the 5 star Chewton Glen Hotel is quite some treat, the essence of everything a country house hotel should be, but then it was one of the first of it's kind in the country, so they know what they're doing here, as is obvious from all the awards they've won. Treat yourselves to a spa day; facilities are sumptuous and luxurious, as you'd expect; tie it in with a refined lunch in the light filled Dining Room or afternoon tea on the terrace. Otherwise opt for the informal ambience of the Kitchen, and actually, if you're keen foodies, book up for one of the cookery courses they do.

T: 01425 275341