The Cat and Fiddle Harvester in New Forest

Recently have eaten twice at this pub /restaurant Excellent food Steak with prawns fab Service lovely, manager & waitress both very good I would say sign up for emails you get very good vouchers sometimes The decor is a vast improvement Thankyou.

Popped in later in the evening on the off chance to see if we could get a meal as we had driven from Ceredigion to the new forest, we were in luck they were still cooking food. I can only say that the meal's we ordered was excellent and very tasty. Thank you to the bar staff and chefs for being friendly and curtious. We will be back for a meal in the near future.

Excellent food and service. Visited on Friday evening fantastic atmosphere.

6 or 7 staff congregating at end of bar having a laugh talking about ring sting (felt like a youth club ) had bowl if Belgium fries young guy comes out holding the bowl buy the top (no plate ) and mayonnaise already over the chips !!! And 1 of the workers walking around with his hoody up delivering food , love this pub most of the time , felt abit unprofessional this night, more interested in banter with workmates than customers, cant leave it to kids to run a pub , im going to put this down to a 1 off

Good food and service and lovely open log fire. Nearly empty when I visited mid afternoon so atmosphere could have been better.

I'm glad I didn't pay full price (we used a 50% food voucher). The main issue with our evening dining experience was the food. The menu is varied with many enticing options. Perhaps it's a too large a selection. The triple cooked chips and pork belly were great. Most of the starters were good (not great). The other mains were not so good. The skewers, both lamb and prawn, were not cooked well. The prawns were overcooked on the outside and undercooked/cold on the inside. The lamb was also overcooked. The Rib-eye bourguignon was stringy and stuck to the bone. The service was ok and the ambience nice enough, but the food let the experience down. I have experienced similar at the Curlew (another Vintage Inn). It's not terrible, but based on this experience I wouldn't go again and would not want to pay full price for the quality of food served.

The old part is still as lovely and the newer restaurant side is also very nice. Worth a visit, with a varied menu. Plenty of outside seating, which I imagine would be lovely in the summer.

Huge improvement since the renovation. The food is lovely and the service is fine. Good to bring dogs and kids.

Visited last night and had the fillet steak which was, and is always, amazing! Consistently well cooked, lovely and hot and really tasty! Followed by a delicious mango pavlova! Friendly and efficient service and overall a great experience. Would definitely recommend.

Boxing day meal for two. Good price fantastic staff good atmosphere LUKE WARM food spoiled whole experience. Was the same about year ago but thought give them another chance as should have improved in a year but there is something fundamentally very wrong with food service.

We went for the NewYears dinner with live band, what a great way to see in the NY. The pub is really nice, looks like it’s just been done up but keeps the old world charm. Food was excellent, service was good, Barbara is fantastic and the live band (Bigger Than Mary) were superb

Really delicious food some mistakes ma

Very disappointed. Thought we would spend new years day at this beautiful pub but sadly no atmosphere on arrival. Wine glass was dirty which we asked to be changed. Burger was overcooked so could not finish it. Crab cakes were overcooked & new potatoes were almost burnt. We decided not to have desserts. Overall extremely disappointed & doubt we'll be back.

Visited for the first time today. Prices are on the upper side but the atmosphere and the quality of service and food it's well worth it. They have some beautiful options ilfrom drinks to dinner. The band bigger than Mary was playing live absolutely top tier entertainment!

Gone has the old feel, very modern now. Lots of space inside and out, friendly staff. Couldn't cater for our food requirements when we went.

Lovely boxing day meal with family. Open fire, food great, staff friendly and attentive

This pub near Christchurch was once renowned for its traditional welcome and quality of food. A few years ago I had the pleasure of eating in this place with extreme satisfaction. Remembering the previous experience I have had lunch a few weeks ago in this place with some friends. To my surprise I received a terrible welcome: rude staff, terrible food, slow and clumsy service, dirty and unpresentable toilets. All for a price that frankly I found exaggerated. Based on my personal experience, shared with other people, I do not recommend stopping to eat at this place. The owner's pathetic response to my rating, described as "unacceptable", reiterates, where necessary, the arrogant and unprofessional tone already highlighted in my rating. It seems clear that a good restaurateur must know how to take advantage of the criticisms and/or observations of his customers and direct the management of his business in a calm and constructive way. This seems not to be the case with the owner of "The Cat and Fiddle Harvester" who, with an evident irreverent and cloyingly opinionated spirit, vehemently harangues those who dare not like something that no one would consider acceptable. Maybe we just happened to be on the wrong day, who knows... The review is deliberately written in Italian and not English because, with all due respect to His Majesty's subjects, I obviously care about the palates and pockets of my parents out of a nationalistic spirit. compatriots to whom I again suggest to carefully evaluate a possible meal in this place.

A beautiful pub with fantastic food and excellent staff. Under the new management of Barbara and her team! Very spacious for any event, we had an awesome time at their Christmas festive breakfast event which was perfect for families to enjoy a live magician and even got to meet Santa Claus himself and the lovely elf where kids got a present and photos next to the open fire place. The perfect place with ample parking, looking forward to seeing this very traditional pub blossom in it’s beautiful setting!

The best Sunday roast , full of flavour, great portion size and beautiful plating. We also had sticky toffy pudding & a portion of children’s ice cream which was super delicious too. Barbara and her team offered great service and were of great assistance. We even got Christmas crackers and a colour sheet; My son was so happy, thank you!

We attended brunch with father Christmas today and it was absolutely brilliant, best christmas activity we have done in years, the children absolutely loved it. A magician, an elf and even father Christmas himself! He was absolutely amazing, interacting with the children and festive singing! Food was great. The landlady and all the staff were fantastic, I hope they do it again next year! Thank you so much for such a magical start to Christmas!

What a beautiful and relaxing place to go. The warmth from the fireplaces is lovely on a cold day to sit next to. Recently, I had a roast dinner, and the portions sizes were incredible, and the food was of a high standard and well made a wide variety of tasty starters and puddings too ! Only marking down a star due to bad time management. We booked a table, arrived on time but were asked to wait, which was fine. However, 1 hour after booking was unreasonable to still be waiting for the table we reserved. From turning up, being seated, and receiving food, it was just over 2 hours, this just made the whole experience slightly irritating. That being said I would happily return to this pub and have further meals and drinks with loved ones.

Friendly pub for dog , found drinks expensive. And the young girl behind bar with habit of dropping bottles into bin form a height to make a quiet drink impossible 😔

Haven't been to this pub in a very long time. Been renovated recently (this year?) and looks a lot better. Really pleasant dining experience. Really friendly staff. Nice atmosphere. Nice decor. Nice food. Partner had haddock and chips whilst she wasn't super impressed with the chips the fish was very tasty and "meaty". I had the best pie I've had in a very long time, beef and venison. This is a proper pie. Proper shortcrust. Proper pie all the way around and not just a porcelain pot with a puff pastry lid on top. Very few places do this now but honestly best pie I've tasted in a very long time in a pub. Meaty, juicy, flavoursome, and even carrots and mash too. I was slightly disappointed with the sticky toffee pudding. Didn't have much flavour. Salted caramel sauce did not accompany it well, and the custard was tepid in a cold jug. Bit disappointing but I enjoyed the pie so much it didn't reduce the overall experience. Will definitely be visiting again I'll just avoid the sticky toffee pudding.

Our food was really tasty and well presented.The staff were extremely friendly. The manager was very welcoming .

Lovely pub with great food, service and atmosphere, we visited on Saturday evening for food and drinks, then came back for Sunday lunch as it was so good, and the roast was delicious!

What an amazing pub. I've used this pub for over 40 years and have to say what a transformation! It has a great atmosphere, lovely food and Barbara is the best landlady ever! She is attentative and always happy to please. I can thoroughly recommend this pub with no hesitation. Myself and my family will definitely be back. Keep up the good work Barbara, and all the very best to you, you're a star. Dave and Zul. X

Great food and beer! Very friendly staff

We love to go to this cosy pub for their mini pudding and hot drink special. They also have good children's food.

Great food and always given a lovely welcome from Barbara and her team. We've had dinner here twice. I had the kebabs, which were fantastic. The meat was succulent and juicy. The burger was great, too. Went back for breakfast and again the staff were friendly and the food was great. I notice they do takeaway, I'll be trying that next.

Wow best roast ever! Plenty of meat and veg all cooked to perfection, a truly amazing roast with great service and lovely surroundings with lovely log fire. Compliments to the chef - we will certainly be back

We came here for a Sunday Lunch and it didn’t disappoint, incredible food. This will be our new Sunday lunch spot!

Can’t recommend the Cat and Fiddle enough! The most incredible roast I’ve ever had and so much food. Such good value for money and the staff are so friendly and welcoming. The decor is so lovely and we were sat right next to an open fire. The head chef Fabio came and spoke to us to ask us how our food was and he was so lovely and you can tell he really cares about what he does. Will definitely come back for roasts here over anywhere else!

Lovely atmosphere, generous portions, high quality food, little waiting time, our table for 2 dinner was complete within 1 hour. Would come again, with my lovely husband!!

For food I would have given 5. How ever our main meal, came with chips. The menu mentioned nothing about, pepper being on the chips. I suffer with severe acid reflux. My wife has this as well. So both portions had to be remade. Service was a bit slow. And it didn't look overly busy. Atmosphere was pretty good, but perhaps some back ground being played, would have been pleasant. Would I eat here again. ? Yes

We had a really lovely meal here on a Saturday night. Nice atmosphere, nice and clean. Food was great no issues at all.

Best Sunday Lunch we had. Lovely atmosphere, warm fireplace, friendly staff, great quality food. Definitely recommend it.

Popped in late afternoon, food was amazing. Definitely recommend the pork belly! Service was a tiny bit slow but there was only one girl on, she was friendly and very helpful regardless. Really impressed and will be back !

Halloween event was great fun, Barbara the landlady did a brilliant job organising and the band were very entertaining. Thanks, Barbara!

Very good, superior food pub. Nice servers too.

Absolutely bloody delicious food and lovely people

My partner and I visited Monday 28th October and we were greeted and served by the lovely Barbara. The food and service was amazing. I had the lamb skewer and my partner had the Fish and Chips. Everything was lovely, my meal when brought out only had 5 chips. However this was quickly rectified when mentioned to one of the young waitresses. The pub looks lovely with the recent refurbishment. Barbara gave us a postcard with info about the pub- a lovely touch. Thank you for a lovely evening and we will be back. 😊

Lovely place. Staff are amazing, we were difficult customers and should of got an eye roll but they were great 👌 Great food as well.... And the beer was good to 👍

We visited for Sunday roast, hadn't been for years and heard it had been refurbished so thought we'd give it a go. All food was luke warm, had to ask for condiments and extra gravy. Service was slow and not the friendliest, was hard to get the attention of anyone. The manager seemed to be working the hardest and was very attentative, shame her service team let the place down, as did the food. Our plates were left on the table for around 45 mins after we'd finished. The kids wanted dessert but the service was so slow we didn't have time so didn't order and asked for the bill. The bill was the quickest thing to arrive and was thrown on the table without a smile or a thank you. The manager took one of our roasts off the final bill to make up for the piece of jellied fatty pork without crackling that two of us had been served as part of the roast trio. The 3 stars are for the manager who clearly cares about her pub and tries hard to keep customers happy. The food was over priced and lacked taste and warmth and the service was at times non-existent. Maybe its better during the week when they're not so busy.

Such a great family friendly pub. Lovely open fire, board games on tap, super atmosphere and tasty family food. The kids menu is really varied for the children too.

Seated 8 of us without a booking (which never happens for us) staff are kind and efficient. And the food was delicious. Everyone throughly enjoyed their lunch. Such a lovely menu with a variety of well cooked dishes.

Incredible food and great service!

Sad to say, our food wasn't hot, apart from the anaemic microwaved Cauliflower, the roast spuds were hard, and the gravy was tasteless. Took 40 minutes to turn up, after we asked twice. The restaurant itself was ok, but loads of tables with plates and glasses were left for ages without being cleaned. I fear management doesn't care or don't train the staff properly 😥

Had the roast lamb rump Sunday lunch there, don't know if we were just unlucky but the roast potatoes were very over cooked, the broccoli was not cooked and the center of the lamb was not cooked.

Sorry no food pictures as camera last thing on my mind when it arrived. Two signature burgers. Excellent. Chicken buttermilk burger. Excellent. Prawns on skewers and houmous selection. Excellent. Drinks. Aspinall draught served in product glass. Excellent. Malbec. Served just right. Unchilled. By open fire. Service prompt and courteous. Great interior and good easy parking

Lovely renovation, very clean and cosy. Roast dinner was delicious, especially the turkey, cauliflower cheese and stuffing. Staff very welcoming and attentive, will definitely be returning.

Truly magnificent lovely meal lovely stuff very friendly served by Kyle great service !

Thank you, Ruby, for looking after us today. We really enjoyed our meal in a beautiful environment. Would definitely recommend. Thank you Barbara. Simon & Sarah

Just been there with my family and parents - its a rarity we do that in these tough times so we excited at the prospect. Our waiter Tristan was an absolute gentleman. Kind, courteous and caring. Without a doubt, our experience was enhanced because of him. Thank you for making our treat more memorable all for the right reasons. Thank you!

The pub is part of the Vintage Inns group, so the standards are pretty good. The food was very good and the surroundings were delightful. We had a very long, relaxing lunch with some friends, we were there for over 3 hours. The staff were attentive but not pushy. After our meal, they left us alone to chat. It was a very pleasant experience.

Have you visited the Cat & Fiddle and Hinton Admiral since Barabara and her team have been running it? We just went for a casual Friday early evening dinner, but more importantly, to book our place for New Year's Eve. Come and join in! The menu is mouthwatering, and the band 'bigger than mary' will be entertaining us 😄

Wonderful pub with great scenic views. Kids menu is especially great with lots of variety. We tried a lot from the menu and it’s all be wonderful. We keep coming back for more!

We called in for coffee and brunch. Brunch is advertised outside but they do not do it! We ordered an Americano coffee and and earl grey tea but got served a cappuccino with chocolate, which I really do not like and a zesty tea. No food available at all, which we needed for a medical issue. Will not return

Fantastic refurbishment! Make over is impressive and food so much better! Worth revisiting if you remember it as a sad Harvester!

My friend and I went on a Thursday at lunchtime. The service was impeccable and the food was delicious. The prices are reasonable and the atmosphere was welcoming. Highly recommend.

Services slow, nice roast , the roast potatoes where a let down, great sweets

An excellent choice as a lunch stop before a journey to the Midlands.

Very rarely leave reviews. Visited once over 10 years ago when it was a harvester. Remembered it a couple months ago and suggested to my partner to go for Sunday lunch here because it would be less busy than the Bournemouth harvester. Was originally miffed to find it was no longer a harvester but we ordered a roast dinner anyway! Omg!! Literally THE best roast I have ever had in a pub before. We were extremely impressed so when deciding where to eat out with our children last night, we opted for here again and we were not disappointed. My daughter voted her tomato pasta as a 10/10, my eldest son and partner loved their signature burger meals, I had the lamb with mash and gravy which was just amazing. The only slight let down was the margarita pizza my youngest son ordered as it was a little bland, nevertheless, he ate the lot. We also had halloumi fries and onion rings which were the best! The staff were extremely friendly both times, no long waits for food, kids kept occupied with colouring and the big meadow outside to run about on. Will 100% be back as this is quickly becoming one of our favourite places.

Enjoyable family meal here today. The roast options were good and enjoyed. Burgers were juicy and cooked just right. Family get togethers taking place were a sign of everyone appreciating the welcoming approach and service from the staff.

Had drinks only. Nice venue. Definitely one for the next trip.

First time in years we have been to the restaurant and it was a very good experience. The recent refurb has much improved the restaurant. The staff were excellent and we were greeted with a warm welcome from everyone. The service was also excellent. The food was well presented and very tasty we will definitely be going again.

Above indicates the change from a good venu for a drink to a restaurant. Sad sign of the times

Great 3 course meal here with my partner, our first visit. Strongly recommend the duo of lamb and the sticky sharing platter. Barbara and her team were so welcoming and we are looking forward to coming back to visit again.

Nice restaurant. Only had drinks so cannot comment on the food. Service was ok. Venue very trendy

Ate here yesterday at lunchtime with my wife. Good food, friendly and attentive staff, relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, we will definitely return.

Pie of the day was lovely. Service was a bit slow considering they weren't very busy.

Stop off here on a whim, camping just up the road we thought would be nice to have a nice meal. They asked if we had made a reservation which we didn’t so we thought we had bummed out, but thankfully they squeezed us in. Wow, what can I say, I had the Signature burger with bacon and brisket 🤤🤤🤤 wife had the halloumi skewers which she loved and mother in law had the pie of the day again very satisfied. Service also absolutely brilliant and cost was very reasonable for such quality food. Full belly’s all round.

Cozy pub with an expansive menu.

Enjoyed a two course meal with my husband today. We were looked after by Martha who was lovely. Nothing was too much trouble for her and she was very welcoming. Other staff we encountered were also lovely. Would recommend a visit.

Absolutely amazing! Food and service great!

Made to feel very welcome on arrival. Lovely staff, very attentive. Food was very flavoursome and plenty of it. Will definitely return again.

great food and amazing service from all the team, especially Caz! thank you very much for a wonderful evening!

Very good meal but let down by very slow service, an hour and a quarter for our main and it wasn't over busy, plus the waitress gave us the bill for the adjoining table ,not a good night.

Busy lunch service, bit of a wait due to staff issue, but the new manageress was working hard and all was good - overall decent experience and nice food.

Quiet atmosphere with careful decoration and good tasting food. The service was very slow, 40 minutes waiting for our service while we saw other tables being served.

Fantastic staff and great food will definitely be coming back again.

Fantastic place to eat. Good food lovely atmosphere. Only 1 issue, I am not keen on dogs being allowed in the restaurant.

Beautiful pub, amazing staff and lovely food, so nice we re-booked for our last night down here

My tastebuds jumped over the moon. The food was delicious - pork belly with mash, gravy and veg all cooked to perfection. After a day of wandering round Hampshire, this haven with a big car park, lovely building, great decor and wonderful staff was a welcome haven. Definitely a place to try, we hope to go there again.

My prawns still had their poo in them I told the waitress who spoke to chef. The chef said they come in whole that's why they are like it. I disagree the chef should of sliced slightly to remove to poo and then close them.

Came here today with my friend for a late Birthday roast dinner. A warm greeting and great service from all the staff. One of the best roasts we’ve ever had, everything was superb, especially the crackling. We will definitely return. Thanks Barbara for having a look at my photo book, if I get round to doing one of pubs visited in the area, the Cat & Fiddle will be in it

First time got the timing wrong but Barbara was such a great host got a lovely table food great, wine was very good value for money service was excellent really enjoyed our evening

Fascinating back story about smugglers tunnel under the fireplace. Calamari was fine but probably from frozen. Pork and scratching meal was delicious.

I came here with my friends, we ordered the charing platter, the wait for the food was a bit long bit I did not mind because the quality of food was outstanding. It was full of flavour, each dish pooping and had lovely touches. Presentation was lovely also,served hot and by a lovely waitress, helpful and polite. The atmosphere was lovely, and the establishment was clean and tidy. The washrooms tho blew my mins, so very clean, offering seated soaps and moisturiser, lovely touch. One would think yes, this is a five-star place. There is just one thing I would like to point out to the kitchen regarding the rocket salad, altho the dressing was nice I could clearly tast the salad wash, and this tells me they just opened the bag of rocket and did not was it before they dressed it. But other than that, what a lovely I shall come back to try some more food.

Very good but puzzled that I booked on Harvester Web site and it is definitely NOT a Harvester. Food and service excellent and huge improvement on original. Loved Barbara's red shoes.

Great location, between the forest and the beach, lovely old thatched pub, really friendly staff, definitely be back

Lovely Sunday roast . Decent staff . Couldn't fault it .

A well furnished food pub. Good location on main road but with large garden area and covered outdoor area. Sundays not limited to Sunday lunches but with good menu with good vegetarian option. We had turkey and triple meat lunches served with a nice selection of vegetables. Usual roast veg, mixed green veg and a good amount of moist meat. Deserts offered were a good range with a mini desert and drink option. Coffee and mini brulee for me. My wife had a generous lemon tart with cream and blueberries. Only issue, if at all, was a lack of attentive staff. Although when they arrived they were good.

Recently taken under management and freshly renovated … Delicious Beef Sunday Roast - Fabulous friendly staff - A must try for locals and people visiting the area alike. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great food and staff. Really lovely atmosphere. We will be back!

An excellent Sunday roast with chef Aaron delivering a great service

Nice family meal. Reasonably priced mains ( average £20) nice atmosphere.

Wow so impressed. Food is absolutely amazing. Service was really good. All so attentive and a great atmosphere. Will be back for a sunday roast very soon. Thank you ❤️

Beautiful summers evening spent at the Cat and Fiddle sat on the terrace with the late evening sunshine beaming in.Food is always on point and everything I have tried I have not been disappointed.The Morrocan chicken skewer with pineapple salad was tasty and fresh and perfect for a barmy evening.Barbara is super friendly and made us feel very welcome.Def be back soon

Lovely Sunday Roast with friends. 1 had lamb, 1 beef and the other pork. Huge portions, all perfectly cooked. Definitely recommend and would go back without hesitation.

Welcoming to us and our dog. Lovely food. Would come again. Thank you.