Ploughman’s Lunch at Hatchet Inn, Lower Chute Reviewed
Location –
The Hatchet Inn
Lower Chute
Andover
Hampshire
SP11 9DX
01264 730 229
Website – https://thehatchetinn.com
Date of Visit – 10/08/22
The Food
7 – Pickled Onion. Several slightly smaller onions. They were quite nice – a good crunch, however, quite acidic, bordering on too much bite but thankfully not quite. Good with the cheese.
10 – Pickle. Again, another really good pickle. It had had elements of curry about it – just a hint, quite delightful. A rare 10 for the pickle!
10 – Cheese. The cheddar was delicious. There were also options for Brie or Stilton (untested). It was a mature cheddar, with great texture, and good flavour. I could easily have more, but I’m greedy, certainly enough for most.
8 – Bread. The bread was a Par-baked baguette. I opted for Brown, and this can be troublesome, however it was good. Nice and warm, crusty, but not dried, Worked really well.
4 – Spread. It was butter. Lurpak is an acceptable butter. It was at a perfect temperature too. Dropped a point (if you were wondering) because of the plastic packaging. I do like it where it’s either in a pot or at the side of a block. (reduce waste, etc).
5 – Presentation. Nice and tidy, properly arranged with thought. Bit of an odd-shaped plate, however, that did not detract in any significant way.
4 – Salad, etc. There was no apple. There was however Spring onion, nice. The salad was good and fresh, if prepared beforehand it was handled with skill. There was, however, a great quantity of iceberg lettuce. On a hot day (and it was hot) it can be a nice refreshing palate cleanse, however, there was too much as it was a bit rustic. If a large quantity of Iceberg is to be deployed it needs to be chiffonade, otherwise it just seems to be to bulk up the dish.
2 – Originality. A good, standard Ploughmans. Nice dressing on the salad. An excellent lunch; however, this category is designed to redeem those offerings that are amazing, but it was a standard Ploughmans. N.B – it was a very good, standard Ploughmans.
Food Total: 50
Beverages
8 – Shandy & Ginger beer. It was very hot on the visit, and I was driving, so no ardent spirits for me.
They have a good selection of drinks. usually, two (maybe more) well-kept real ales, plus the usual keg stuff. I have had tea and coffee here before, and it is excellent.
Drinks Total: 8
The venue
10 – Service. The service was excellent. We ate outside: order at the bar, and get a numbered spoon. All the required cutlery and condiments arrived in good time. Food was delivered quickly and quite a few meals were being delivered out to the garden. The waitresses were very competent and friendly.
10 – Nice, relaxed country pub. Exactly as it would be on the TV, and so rarely is in real life.
5 – Location. Chocolate box. A beautiful place. I will even put a photo of the place below!
5 – Toilets. Excellent. Perfect.
Venue total: 30
Total Score: 88
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