Dish Detective | Checking out the long-dormant historic pub The Hunters Inn at Swanmore

Back in the day it was known for its dancehall, and long-standing locals will tell you about coachloads of people who used to come up on a Saturday night from Portsmouth.

More recently, it became a place for a, if not fancy meal out, then was somewhere to go for a Sunday lunch in the countryside.

In recent years though, it’s had a bit of a torrid time. The former longstanding landlord - a charming chap, but on a previous visit about six years ago the Dish Detective didn’t quite believe his claim that he had invented pub food - had held it together well, but when it was sold to a chain called Heartstone Inns it fell to pieces, closing almost within a year. Hearthstone had reportedly bought it for £900,000 but after that fences went up and many people feared the worst. Even though it sits - just about - within the South Downs National Park, the call of housing could have been too strong for the authorities to resist.

But after this it went quiet. There were rumours of new owners, but not a huge amount of evidence of this - occasionally someone was seen working inside, but as the pandemic months ticked into years, even the speculation died down.

And then, all of a sudden, the Hunters reopened in August, and it transpired that the new owners Stewart and Pam Elliott were originally from the village, had moved away, made their fortune, and had come back to take over their old favourite pub.

A heart-warming tale, almost too good to be true, and one that possibly explains why - and this is not necessarily a bad thing - that anyone who has previously been in before will, when they walk inside the pub, instantly recognise it. It’s certainly been decorated, yes, but it’s the kind of refurbishment that tidied up what was there, not looked to remodel or overhaul.

The Dish Detective has had a couple of pints there since the Hunters reopened, and has been impressed by how busy it has been on Friday and Saturday nights - plenty of music, some dancing, and a nice loud pub vibe. This time, to check out the food, we went along on a Thursday night and the feeling is different; it’s much more of a restrained dining experience.

The menu is pub grub - we opt for a Hunters burger £12.50) and a vegetable pie (£10.50), but due to a lack of pie this becomes a veggie burger as well.

Both are good - plenty of chips, and well-cooked chips at that, crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. The burger meat is tasty, and the bacon and cheese has melted well together and the only slightly duff note is a too-thick slab of tomato at the bottom which gives the teeth a bit of a refrigerated shock.

The previous time we visited Sharp’s Atlantic IPA was the pick of the bunch for ale lovers, with Doom Bar also on the taps, but this time there is the welcome sight of draught Timothy Taylor’s landlord, a lovely session beer.

Overall, it’s definitely a warm welcome back. In a time when The News has reported on pub closures on a monthly basis over the last five or six years, it’s wonderful to see a pub saved.

The Hunters Inn, Cott Street, Swanmore, 01489 877721

Food 4

Value 4

Ambience 4

Kid-friendly 4