The Bakers Arms - Winchester

So, we were just looking for somewhere different to have lunch and my partner Simon came across this wonderful little gem. All we could say is Wow!! We sat by the fire for a bit of lunch on New Years Eve. Oh my goodness we were so well looked after. Bekka, the friendliest and most helpful of managers, couldn’t do enough for us. We had Joe, Carys and Amelia looking after us too. We both had the most delicious duck with red cabbage cooked in mulled wine (omg) with fondant potatoes and perfectly cooked veg, followed by apple and cranberry crumble and custard (yum) which we both shared. All washed down with exquisite wine and local beer… I cannot recommend this warming friendly restaurant enough but I don’t want to big it up too much otherwise we won’t be able to get booked in for the future!!!! We’ll definitely be back and be bringing our friends… Can’t wait!!! Thank you so much

This pub has a nice atmosphere had a good menu, but they need to be careful with staff and pricing. We ordered soups only because we just wanted starters and when the barman said do you want them as a main course we said yes them just one portion of chips to share. However, when the bill came instead of being charged £9 the price on the menu we were charged £18 each. It’s not uncommon to just order starters in a pub instead of a main course, but when the waiter says do you want them as a main course we don’t expect them to be double the price because they certainly weren’t double the size ! Probably the most expensive soup I’ve ever had in the world. We decided to let it pass while we were there because we didn’t want to get the young Barman in trouble and would’ve ended up in a long discussion. However, this does need to be addressed as if you’re going to charge a lot more than menu price you need to explain at the time

Food overall was fine. My soup was cold and I politely asked a lovely waitress if it could be warmed up. I had the soup brought back out to me by another member of staff. They made it clear not to touch the now ‘hot’ bowl and as they placed it down in front of me they sarcastically said 'you wanted it hot, now it 's hot '. You 'd expect soup to be hot anyways so l 'm unsure why this request had rubbed them up the wrong way. Their attitude left a bitter taste in my mouth. Not to mention that we received the bill and were forgotten about, 25 mins later we managed to pay.

I usually try to avoid writing negative reviews as I'm not sure how helpful they are, but I feel compelled to share my experience at the Bakers Arms to prevent others from having a similar experience. My family and I visited this restaurant for their award-winning Sunday lunch, but unfortunately, it was a disaster from beginning to end. Our table was not ready at the reserved time, and once we were finally seated, we had to wait 30 minutes for someone to take our order. We had to keep chasing the staff or else it would have taken even longer. Another 30 minutes passed before our food was finally served, and when it arrived, the beef was tough, the Yorkshire pudding was soggy, and the side of vegetables was unappetizing and difficult to identify. Other diners who had waited a similar amount of time were told they had to leave before they were ready because their table was reserved for someone else. In hindsight, I wish I had paid more attention to the negative reviews instead of being swayed by a few 5-star ratings. If you are looking for a casual pub lunch, you may be satisfied, but if you are expecting high-quality gastropub food and excellent service, you will be sorely disappointed.

To be frank, I stopped going out for Sunday pub roasts a long time ago.. partly because all that ever seemed to be on offer was pork, beef or lamb, (meats I don’t actually enjoy… not for any trendy reasons, I simply don’t like their tastes, alas , and I would never see my favourites of chicken or turkey roast ever on the menu, cuts of meat I greatly enjoy and can eat.. er, until the cows come home! The other reason was the fare I did opt for was often never really hot, always over-priced usually leaving me disappointed and wishing I’d chosen a simple burger or fish chips instead. But when two close friends invited me out to lunch this Sunday just passed, I jumped at the chance purely because it looked like being a lovely sunny day at the end of Autumn, I loved their company.. and they suggested a pub in the beautiful Meon Valley, a location I like very much. I was also very pleasantly surprised when we bowled up at The Bakers Arms in Droxford, a village pub I’ve driven past countless times without actually going in and had often wondered what it was like inside.. but when we pulled into the wee car park, it was rammed full.. oh I though,t this is going to be a long wait in an obviously popular pub…but no matter, I was on a rare day off.. so just go with the flow! As we trooped inside, indeed the pub was heaving, with a massive party at one central table in particular, but I was enjoying the day and so no problem…however we were immediately shown to our pre-booked table, (a nice wee alcove by the front door and menus were proffered and my pal’s order for a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc very speedily taken. Seemingly just moments later, before I’d even had a chance to take in the lunch menu, some small warm breads arrived, followed immediately by the wine..(which turned out to be the most delicious New Zealand Sauvignon I think I’ve ever tasted.. bliss! ..and enjoying my first sips I looked down at the Sunday menu and oh joy, a rare sighting of my much-missed roast chicken on offer before my very eyes.. my day with my smashing friends was getting better..! Minutes later, with our orders placed, we sat back to enjoy the wine our surroundings.. but holy moly! we had hardly started to chat when, despite the pub being flat-chat with other guests diners, our 3 roasts arrived in what must have been the fastest table delivery I have ever experienced.. absolutely cracking! Not only that, when I looked down, what was set before me was the most attractive looking meal I have seen in years.. for served on a large, square plate was the most enticing, cordon-bleu-style chicken roast, (except this was not 'miniature ' cordon-bleu fare designed for a skinny-Minnie model, but for a growing lad... who should not be growing any more..a generously portioned superbly presented meal to be sure : Two large very plump slices of roast chicken, a Yorkshire pudding the size of a small planet, the most enticing crispy roast potatoes, a beautiful selection of interesting looking vegetables….all served in the most stylish of manners.. a captivating image and I only wish I had taken a photo of it but my ‘phone was back in the office on charge, sadly! To say I was looking forward to diving into it it was something of an understatement.. so with my fingers crossed, in I went and I have to say that it was even better than it looked.. the meal was piping hot, the chicken delicious cooked to perfection, the roast potatoes offered a crispy outer a fluffy inside, the gravy was very flavour-some and the myriad vegetables were just the tastiest perfectly presented combination I have enjoyed in many a long while. My two companions were also much taken by their meal choices, one a traditional beef and the other a combination of roast meats… (though I am sure I had picked the better option! , and the next half hour or so was, to use a hackneyed. (but in this case very apt phrase, ‘a feast for my taste buds’.. absolute roast chicken perfection.. and the chat fell away as my concentration was focussed on this very generously portioned sumptuous meal. Looking up from from time-to-time, I noticed all other diners were similarly enjoying their Sunday lunches, all very professionally served up by a young, enthusiastic, ultra-polite very attentive serving team.. wonderful service, which all added to the joy of my rare free Sunday. Trying hard to make my lunch last longer than it should have been in a such a friendly happy relaxed atmosphere, (despite the pub being absolutely full to the gunnels , sadly it was indeed soon time to leave ..with me happily recalling what it was like to feel the relaxing, well-fed afterglow of a superb Sunday roast as of days long gone… something I actually thought I wouldn’t experience again..! Then my day got even better for as I prepared to pay my share, my pals grinned and waved away my proffered card saying ‘lunch was on them’! My day was indeed complete.. but after such a wonderful dining experience I really cannot wait to get back to the Bakers Arms again to experience another similar Sunday afternoon .. with the next Sunday roast for my friends I definitely being on me..! To be honest, I can’t recall using this many genuinely-offered superlatives in any of the myriad dining reviews I’ve previously penned for Trip Advisor, but in this summary they are most apposite and very well deserved.. ..... and so a massive, personal thanks to all of the team at The Bakers Arms (especially chef! for providing my pals I with such a fabulous Sunday lunch..!