The Red Shoot Inn, New Forest

I've been here at least three times; my first visit was in 2004 during a holiday in the New Forest with Chrissie. We were both charmed by the place which seems to appear magically out of nowhere, surrounded by trees and moorland. Inside it was lively and buzzing with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. I had two of the pub's home brewed beers, Tom's Tipple and Forest Gold. I recall that the pub had recently been bought by Wadworth, and there was some speculation that the Red Shoot beers were being brewed at the Wadworth plant in Wiltshire. I checked, and the pub's brewery was still in place, and still brewing. I described the beers as "sweaty", "damp", and "oaky", yet found them quite delightful.

In 2015 my sister's family were planning a birthday party, and I suggested this pub, because our memories of it were so positive. My suggestion was turned down because of recent reviews in Trip Advisor. Chrissie and I, and one of my daughters, came back to check it out. Most of the charm had gone from the place. It looked worn out, uncared for, and disorganised. It appeared to have been refurbished in a rather ubiquitous "family pub" style, and gave the feel of a cheap holiday camp pub. The pub were aware of the issues, and said they were addressing them.

Yesterday after a delightful walk deer spotting in Bolderwood, we thought we'd check it out again to see if the management had sorted out their problems. Well, it's not as scruffy and disorganised as it was in 2015, but it still lacks charm and character. The walls have been painted magnolia, which simply gives an empty, characterless feel to the place. The food is in the style of a Greene King Hungry Horse, lots of stodge, with no finesse. We weren't looking for much, just a warm me up veggie snack after the walk. We selected the pizza, onion rings, and cheesy chips. None of it was tasty as such, merely edible. It was served on wooden platters with no plates. On asking for plates we given three cold side plates. Not a big issue, but reflective of the lack of care, attention, and knowledge of the staff. I don't serve hot food onto cold plates at home, so I don't expect it when paying professionals to serve me food. On this visit and in 2015 I found the beers to be "musty", "crude", and "unattractive". I suspect the beers have been pretty much the same on each visit, but my enjoyment of them was a reflection of my enjoyment of the pub experience in general, so in 2004 I was feeling quite merry, and saw the beer flaws in a positive light!

The building was originally a farm, and at various times has been a village shop, a post office, a private club, and a petrol station, before becoming a pub around 1964. Brewing in the pub started in 1998 by the then owner Paul Adams. Wadworth had acquired the pub by 2004, and brewing was being done by the neighbouring campsite owner John Sherwood by 2009.

It's an interesting pub with great potential, but with so many great pubs in the New Forest I'm not in a rush to try this one again until reviews start to become consistently more positive.


Date: Jan 2017    Score: 5 

Wadworth Pubs in Southampton