Cath Wilkins enjoys great food and wine in a lovely 17th-century public house before spending the night in a beautifully appointed shepherd’s hut

Where is it?  

My husband and I escaped London for the evening to spend a night at charming The Merry Harriers pub in the pretty village of Hambledon in Surrey – less than an hour from southwest London.  The pub dates back to the 1600s but has been recently sympathetically refurbished by landlords Sam Fiddian-Green and Alex Winch, who are both passionate about great food and drink, and about being part of their local community. The heaving Village Bar was testimony to their success and provided a great background for a welcome pint of local ale and the wittily named ‘Community Spirit’ gin that is brewed next door, which we enjoyed before moving to the convivial dining room.  

What did you eat and drink?

The menu is relatively short – five starters, five mains and five sharing dishes, with a heavy focus on local and seasonal ingredients. Dishes included a warming corn chowder was made with sweetcorn from just up the road in Chiddingfold, a very luxurious pearl barley risotto made with ceps from Scotland and Wiltshire truffles, a beautifully smooth and creamy chicken liver parfait topped with a crunchy chicken and hazelnut crumble, and home-smoked haddock served with a poached egg, exceptionally smooth mash and Hollandaise – comfort food elevated to a serious culinary level.  

We followed with a pudding of a rich but still sharp lemon curd parfait, served with olive oil cake and shards of dill-infused meringue to add a pleasingly herbal note, and a plate of well-sourced cheeses.  

We also enjoyed a bottle of Domaine du Valbrun, a Cabernet Franc sourced from the Saumur region of the Loire, a favourite of mine chosen from the intelligent and reasonably priced wine list. 

Breakfast was also excellent – cooked options can be ordered the night before and are supported by a breakfast buffet of local produce, including superb ‘toast your own’ sourdough bread and coffee made to order.  After such a huge dinner, it was hard to envisage we’d tuck in so enthusiastically to breakfast, but it was all so good, I could have had more! 

What’s the accommodation like? 

The surprisingly spacious shepherd's hut was full of luxurious and thoughtful touches, including a cosy woodburner and giant marshmallows for the firepit outside, plus a stunning shower room complete with fluffy robes and upscale toiletries.

What is there to do? 

We were there in the autumn but I am sure in the summer hanging outside the shepherd’s hut and enjoying the firepit and pond would be a real treat 

What do I need to pack?

I wish we had either picked up a nightcap from the bar before retiring to bed or brought something with us because sipping a little warming something would have been the perfect final touch to ending our evening by the internal woodburner!

Lasting memory

The Village Bar was great fun and we could have happily lingered longer. We left The Merry Harriers feeling both replete and relaxed – what could be better? 

Sainsbury’s magazine insider tip

We didn’t opt for one of the sharing board main course options but I think next time we would – they looked incredible as they made their way to other tables.