The Gamekeepers

Excellent food and great atmosphere! That’s where you’d like to spend most of your evenings…

The Gamekeepers is a hidden gem just outside Basingstoke — you’ll find a lot of out-​of-​to owners taking the trip to visit, which gives you an idea of its reputation.
The food is superb — a varied but delicious gourmet English pub menu — and the building itself has a very traditional charm to it. The garden does however leave a little to be desired.
A fab Sunday!

If it were not for our hosts at the Four Seasons Hampshire arranging for car service to and from this place we never would’ve found it — or our way back. Gamekeepers is about 45 minutes from London and 25 minutes from Highclere Castle where Downton Abbey is shot. Now, this is not a pub in the way you would think of an English country pub. It is actually a very cozy gastropub. No soccer hooligans here. The food is fantastic! Two of the best appetizers were the ooey gooey brie-​like warm Tunworth Cheese served with rustic bread and the Rabbit & Venison Terrine. Amazing! For my main course I had the venison with seasonal carrots, new potatoes and beets. It was prepared very rare which is the best way as it preserves the delicate flavor and prevents it from turning dry which happens often with that type of meat. I’m not a dessert person but the owner/​chef «Big John» I think was his name, insisted. It was the absolute best sticky toffee pudding with fresh vanilla ice cream I have EVER had. What a great experience we had and I can’t wait for my next visit to Gamekeepers.

This place is seemingly out in the middle of nowhere but totally worth finding. By far the best pub, in my opinion. The menu features a lot of local foods, and is written on the wall on a chalkboard. This allows them to change items frequently. The owner comes around and explains the menu to you also, which is nice.
My hubby has been here quite a few times but this was my first time here with him. I’ll definitely be back next time we’re in the UK. We shared the Tunworth cheese (so good and so filling!). Hubby had the braised ox cheeks (so tender and delicious) and I had the roast chicken (also tender and delicious). The service was great and the atmosphere is very cozy. Loved it!

This isn’t a pub that you could possibly just ‘stumble upon’ whilst out on your Sunday stroll through the countryside. It is quietly tucked away down a narrow, single tracked residential road not far from the M3 near Basingstoke. We knew we would be driving through the area and we were specifically looking on a website for a dog friendly pub, that’s how I found it.
There is surprisingly little outside space for this country pub in the middle of nowhere. It’s tucked in-​between houses and at the end of the car park seemed to be a rubbish tip of sorts. All of the tables (about 5) were placed side by side in a straight row. Odd, and not great for privacy, especially if you have a large dog. If you do decide to sit side-​by-​side outside, there is a great view of the sheep grazing in someone’s back garden just on the other side of the narrow car park. I found this a bit uncomfortable as sheep featured highly on the menu. (Whether or not these are the same sheep from said menu I do not know.) The interior of the building is small, old, dark, and the cobwebs throughout indicate it needs a good scrub.
However, you will receive a friendly welcome from staff and the man who seemed to be the owner (???) was very nice. This is a VERY (I can not emphasis this enough!) VERY laid-​back pub. Think of the staff wearing shorts and baggy t-​shirts, and men sitting round a bar drinking whilst watching a game on the over-​sized, loud telly.) There are no menus, but rather a black board (in the back of the pub in a corner) with the menu scrolled across it. We were seated near to this black board so throughout your meal you have newcomers crowding around your table to view and discuss the board. There is a large, loud television in another corner of one section of the bar for those sports addicts who want to watch ‘the big game’. Dogs are allowed in the building, and your pet will receive a warm welcome of their own! (This was a huge plus for me as I had my dog with me!) We were seated at a table near a window which gave a view of a tall, white washed wall less than a metre away (all you could see was the white wall and a bit of blue sky if you looked up).
I visited this pub with a friend. We didn’t have high hopes to be honest, but the food was absolutely delicious! But be warned, a two course lunch for two was £75!!! …no, that isn’t a typo, you do see that correctly, that is a two course lunch for two, in a small country pub in rural Hampshire was £75.
As there are no menus we didn’t really know how much anything cost. Granted, we probably should have asked, but who would have thought it could be that much? …especially given the location and ambiance. Also, another surprise when we received the bill, was a 10% service charge included. There was no warning of this anywhere in the restaurant (that we could see) and as there were no menus we didn’t see it when ordering. There was only myself and a friend. I thought included service charges were only for tables of 6 or more? (Perhaps I am wrong?) And it wasn’t as if the restaurant was busy. There was our table for two, another couple on the other side of the restaurant, and two men watching the telly at the bar. There was one party of four at an outside table, and another couple outside having a drink. There was a party of four coming in as we were leaving. We found the service charge included into the bill a bit surprising, on top of an already (surprisingly) high bill.
Here is a break down of my receipt to give you an indication of pricing.
1 Lager-£4.10
1 Lemon Ade-£3.00
Small Plate Pâté (Starter)-£7.95
Small Risotto (Starter)-£7.95
Fillet of Beef (Main)-£25.95
Ravioli (Main)-£13.95
Tap Water-£3.95
10% Service Charge-£6.69
Total: £73.54
Overall, the food was delicious! The staff were friendly. We were very happy that dogs were allowed inside the restaurant, but we would have preferred to sit outside had the outside space been more abundant and welcoming. In stark contrast to the rest of the pub, the lady’s toilets looked new, brighter, and were very nicely furnished (apart from the cobwebs). (I can’t comment on the men’s toilets.) I wouldn’t say this pub was dirty, but it was filled with lots of stuff and various old odds and ends and whilst the tables and floor were clean, the objects along the walls and near the ceiling were just covered in dust and cobwebs. (Maybe I’m just weird for noticing these things, but there was no view to keep me distracted?) It just seems if you’re going to fill up a place with random, old junk you should dust it, especially if it’s a place where food is served/​people are eating. (This is just my opinion!)
I can’t say I would go back to this pub. Even though the food was very good, I can think of other places where there is a beautiful location/​view, great food, friendly staff, and the prices are comparable and service charge is optional. For me, this lunch bill was just too high for the overall experience.

This pub is a winner. It’s definitely got old country charm with exposed beams, brickwork and lovely open fires. The menu is extensive and they do a fab baked Tunworth cheese, which is a must. Filling though so perhaps share one.
The only downside is the outside space isn’t great so on a hot sunny day I would choose somewhere else.

Well off the beaten track, a single car track at that, this is a hidden gem. This is a family run business, with wonderful hospitality and even more amazing food prepared from the best of local produce. I have eaten here many times and never had a bad experience.