Ploughman’s lunch at The Fox and Hounds reviewed
Location –
The Fox and Hounds
Nursteed Road
Devizes Wiltshire
SN10 3HJ
Tel: 01380 723789
Website – thefoxandhoundsdevizes.co.uk
Date of Visit – 01/10/2026
£16.50
Notes on the visit:
It’s been a while. I saw a picture on social media and thought “That looks decent”. So I thought I better find out if it did the picture justice.
The Food
6 – Pickled onion. It was big, quite big. Unfortunately, that is about it. Too acidic by far, lacking other flavour and generally not quite there. Far from bad, some might like the enamel dissolving properties. Perhaps I have been spoilt lately. It could be worth adding 50p to the price to upgrade the pickled onion.
7 – Pickle. I believe a red onion chutney. Very nice it was too. However, doesn’t have the “bite” that a ploughman’s pickle (think Branston) has. Perhaps being a bit too harsh, but if there was also some Ploughman’s pickle I would be awarding 12 out of 10……..
10 – Cheese & Ham:
Ham.
Proper ham. Real proper ham. Hand sliced. There were a few bits that had to be cut out – entirely normal when getting such a goodly quantity of proper ham! Bravo.
Cheese
Now, I am a fan of local, regional or special cheeses.
This was just standard medium mature cheddar – and I LOVED it. The quantity was generous, just about right (I do like an irresponsible quantity of cheese, but with all the other items it was spot on). If I was to guess, it might be a Wyke Valley mature cheddar. No matter, it was very nice. Well done.
7 – Bread
It was a par-bake. There is nothing wrong with a par-bake if done well and it’s nice. This was perfect and very nice, thank you! Warm, crusty, full of bready flavour – lovely.
It is a difficult balance, because fancy bread costs more and puts the price up. Plus it’s a difficult item to manage. A spot on par-bake it better than a stale sourdough.
4 – Spread
Butter. 3 standard packets of Coronet (Irish) butter. Just the right quantity, just the right temperature. Nice.
5 – Presentation
Superb presentation. It was a feast for the eyes as well as the mouth. They understood the brief, and delivered it!
5 – Salad, etc.
Absolutely bang on. Some people claim that salad has no place on a Ploughman’s lunch. There is some truth to this. A rustic ploughman’s certainly would not entertain leaves, let alone a nice Balsamic dressing. However, for a sit down, with such a generous quantity of proteins, a salad is a welcome addition to add some vitamins and fibre to make a full meal. It was not too “leafy” with tiny cherry tomatoes, red onion and pepper.
Some people like Coleslaw. I do, but regard that as a seasonal salad. Made with hard vegetables – carrots, onions and cabbage, it’s a great seasonal variation for winter and spring, but in Autumn this salad was spot on.
5 – Originality.
OK, so Originality is the bit where we can cheat a little with the scores.
In this case, it’s the pork pie. A perfectly formed individual pie. For many a welcome addition. It was a very tasty, almost gamey little pie, just the right balance. The pastry was just right, moist, slightly crisp, soft and firm at the same time (if that makes sense). I did ask where it was from, but forgot to note i properly. It was local, like many of their ingredients.
Food Total: 49
Beverages
10 – Drinks
The bar was immaculate – all wood and shine and things displayed. There is a good selection of drinks.
I had Coffee (Americano – and was asked hot or cold milk) as it was lunchtime and it arrived almost instantly. It is a Wadworth pub: Their beers might not be my favourite, but if kept well can be to many peoples taste. Wadworth are now also Folly Road, with a range of “Craft” beers. Worth trying. I did notice Stowford Press, one of my favourite ciders.
Drinks Total: 10
The Venue
10 – Service
The service was faultless. An example to other pubs of how it should be done. It’s not usual to tip in the UK (as unlike the USA we actually pay people), but in this circumstance I did tip for excellent food and service.
10 – Atmosphere
A beautiful old country pub (that’s hanging one to that feel whilst gradually being swallowed by Devizes). It retains that old country pub feel, whilst it is fully modern, fresh and welcoming inside. It is also a lot larger than you may think, with an extensive room out the back.
Perhaps a reflection of the service and the look and feel, the place had a happy buzz about it. I’m not sure if there was anywhere to just sit and have a drink, as it seemed very food orientated. There’s some nice seating outside: at the front looking out to the road, and a courtyard at the back. There was I believe a smoking area that looked very nice indeed, good comfy chairs.
5 – Location
On the outskirts of Devizes on the A342 it is easily accessible from many locations. A good sized car park. Devizes is worth a visit, lots of older buildings in the town centre, and if you know where to look, a privately owned castle (a proper castle too). The market on Thursday is very good to, not many left like this now.
5 – Toilets
Some of the best toilets I have ever seen!
Venue total: 30
Total Score: 89
Footnotes:
I would highly recommend trying this ploughman’s lunch. The rest of the menu looked delicious, casting my eye about as other customers were served.
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