PUB REVIEW: The Oak Inn, Bank, near Lyndhurst

At least that was the plan. However, the pub’s beer garden isn’t much of a sun-trap come the evening so after five slightly chilly minutes shooting the breeze outside, we decided to move into the cosy confines of the 17th century pub.

With its low-beamed ceilings, wooden floors and barstools made from old milk cans, the place is warm, intimate and has the feel of a traditional country pub. And it’s dog friendly – a waggy tailed Border Collie puppy greeted us on arrival.

But the Oak isn’t merely a quintessentially English watering hole. The pub is also forging a great reputation for food, as was indicated by the amount of reserved signs on the tables… and on a Wednesday too.

To start we opted for roasted red peppers stuffed with feta cheese and cherry tomatoes (to share) and for main course I plumped for lamb chops with asparagus and parmesan mash, while my other half opted for the whole seabream with brown shrimp butter, asparagus and courgette and herb crushed potato.

Our starter arrived promptly although we were disappointed to see that there was just one pepper – the plural on the specials board was slightly misleading and for £5.50 I felt it was a bit pricey.

Still, we couldn’t grumble at the taste.

As for the mains, well while my local lamb chops were juicy and tender, the rosemary and redcurrant gravy complemented the meat perfectly and the parmesan mash was a revelation.

The whole seabream received equal praise on the other side of the table. The fish was cooked to perfection and the crushed potatoes were the perfect vehicle for the tasty shrimp and herb butter.

Unable to resist dessert we shared the gorgeous blueberry cheesecake, which provoked a small fork fight.

The service was attentive and the food was superb. We just wished the portions were a tad more generous...

Our bill came to £51.30, including drinks.