Yew Tree Pub

Curiously, considering whose name is on the restaurant, I was slightly disappointed by the food.
The inn is pleasantly situated in the country, with ample parking, far from the madding crowd. I used a sat nav to find it, and I’d hate to try to find it any other way. The building is a charming old one with some character, but which has been refurbished to make it suitable to modern expectations and preferences, and this has been done in such a way that it is tasteful and well presented.
The tables and chairs are comfortable but cosy. If you are a somewhat larger person, as I am, there may be a need to duck from time to time as the roof is not always as high as a modern building may be — but that is one of the necessary evils in a charming old building.
The staff are helpful and the absolute epitome of polite, without being cold or aloof — these are not parisian waiters! — and they do all that they can to ensure that your evening is a good one. They are knowledgeable about the food on offer, and can answer reasonable and somewhat unreasonable questions with confidence and (as far as one can tell) accuracy.
The wine list is a good one, with many good options on it, and it is again perfectly acceptable to rely on the suggestion of the waiting staff.
When it came to the food, I felt there was something missing. The quality was very high, certainly, but it seemed to me that for a restaurant with the name attached to it this one had I would expect something with a spark of creativity, something exceptional about it which would set it apart from other restaurants. What I received instead was extremely well executed, high quality, but somehow lacking in inventiveness.
My disappointment was not major, but at the price point, and given the reputation, I had expected something exceptional. This was not quite up to that.
However, a really good meal and wine, and I would recommend this experience particularly if someone else is paying :-)

2 words sum up the Yew Tree — substance & quality. The prices are reasonable with the a la carte starters ranging from £7 to £11 and the mains from £14−20. The menu is excellent and packed with mouthwatering dishes (as well as 3 or 4 daily specials) and the surroundings are lovely. There is a daily fixed price lunch menu with 2 courses for £15.95 and 3 courses for £19.95. Despite its pedigree it’s not starchy or stuffy. Gull eggs are in season so we had that and an Omelette Arnold Bennett to start and the steak & ale pie and Pierre Koffman venison for mains with a couple of side dishes each. For dessert I had the raspberry soufflé which just heaven on a plate — if you go make sure you leave room for this signature dessert!

Took some friends to the Yew Tree for their anniversary last year. For 4 of us the bill was about £140 thats 3 starters, 4 mains, 3 sides and 4 desserts, a bottle of wine and soft drinks.
I didn’t have starter because I didn’t fancy anything in the list. It’s traditional english/​french style. Portions are TINY. Side dishes are £3 each. Like if you want peas with your meal its £3 for peas. And if you want carrots too thats another £3 please. Soon adds up.
But anyway. Hubby had oysters for starter. Served on ice, he who normally adores seafood had to admit that they tasted and felt like a big lump of cold snot passing down the back of his throat. He said they were too salty and altogether gross but some foodies might like this gastronomic experience. Rest of us laughed and were entertained anyway at him struggling with those oysters. My friends ordered soups which I recall they said were soso.
Mains on the other hand, still small portions but wow they tasted amazing. I had lamb with potato dauphinoise (really stunningly good), friends both had battered fish and homemade chips (really good) and hubby had belly of pork which was also very well reported on.
One of the desserts was apple tart tatin thingy which my husband ordered — the waitress made a big surprised face and kept reiterating that the dessert was huge and designed for 2 people. My hubby was delighted as he always eats enough food for 20 but remains annoyingly stick thin. Anyway I must mention this because the dessert arrived and it was miniscule. Of course although I had ordered my own eton mess I needed to try some of his pud too. I’m not a big eater but the eton mess was tiny. My friends also ordered the eton mess. They mentioned that it was fantastic but sad that the whole dessert was gone in about 1.5 mouthfuls. The apple thingy he had was mindblowing. Every mouthful pure heaven. I could have eaten 4 more of those desserts without pausing. It had the most delectible pastry and soft sticky caramel and perfectly cooked apple. Yum. Sigh. The memory… I’d go back for the pudding alone. Repeatedly. My husband thought it sad that his pudding disappeared in 1.5 seconds because I was sat next to him… Oh well. Good reason to go back.

Having eaten here a couple of years ago and reported on good food but disorganised service, I returned recently for lunch and had a wonderful meal. The restaurant is in the middle of nowhere and you almost rush past it on a nondescript piece of road just north of Highclere Castle, but turning into its ample parking areas, the smart cars there seem to have simply driven a few miles from the Peat Spade, another great inn. This time it wasn’t full and the service was far better, but the food and drink weren’t just good but exceptional, and extremely reasonable to boot. We started with a glass of house white a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc which was delicious and some very good bread and unsalted butter. I had the mussels and clams in a white wine broth which come daily up from Cornwall, and I can declare that they were the best I have ever tasted. The mussels were so fat and full that the dish could have made a meal on its own, while the clams, as ever, added a subtly the taste of the sea. The onion-​rich broth was perfect and almost got finished! We then had the fish and chips, which came perfectly presented and was exceptionally delicious. One could perhaps quibble that twice or thrice cooked chips would have been even better, but these were crispy outside and fluffy inside, with a small dish of mushy peas to underline the fact that the dish was supposed to be authentic and not ersatz Belgian. Liver and bacon was pink and perfect, and could hardly have been bettered. A lemon posset followed, which was a good way of cleansing the palate after such a fine meal. I can’t recommend The Yew Tree highly enough for lunch, especially with a bill (without service) of only £42 for two. There is wi-​fi in the bar.