If I lived locally, The Plough Inn would be somewhere you’ll find me regularly. Why? As it’s bloody nice. They’re renowned for their surrounding natural beauty such as Leith Hill, the highest point in the South of England and countless acres of scenic woodland and country cottages. I’ve heard it’s popular with locals, walkers and mountain bikers alike. We are of the latter. After a blast on the trails, with my brothers in tow, we came to refuel to get some of their locally sourced goodness from talented suppliers as advertised on their site, so expect game when in season and vegetables from their garden. They’ll even cook your catch for you if you’re a fisherman! I’m all for supporting this if that’s how they want to do business. Inside, is all about inviting warmth; they have one eye on the old and one eye on the new, with the snow-white ceilings, original wood beams with exposed brick pillars. If character is what they’re going for then they nail it.
Even the ales are locally brewed – I went for the Crooked Furrow.
We went for the pork sharer board £16.95 to start. What we got was beautiful BBQ pulled pork on the right side of sweet and savoury. With that came the crispy shelled coarsely chopped black pudding scotch egg, along with honey and whole mustard sausages that scream small batch made and flavour. Little ramekins contained slaw, mouth puckering conichons and piccalilli to brighten up the palate.
For the mains we got the confit duck leg £15.95 which was fibrous, fork tender thing with puy lentils, slinky pieces of bacon, sweet roasted leeks, chantenay carrots and sticky red wine jus. Heart-warming rustic waist thickening loveliness on a plate.
The didn’t take any short-cuts on the carbs either as the bread which felt like the love child of focaccia and sour dough was a beautiful thing.
As were the chunky chips with rosemary and parmesan £3.50 – they had this unmissable rustle and satisfying fluffy centre.
The verdict:
When did I go? June 2017
The damage: Expect to pay £20/30 per head with a pint
The good: If you chase big moments then this isn’t a place for you, however, if you thrive on eating really simple food cooked exquisitely well which is friendly on the wallet then you’ve found your jam. I certainly walked away with a satisfied glow and belly rub. If you fancy an overnight stay too, rest assured as they’ve got 6 rooms available.
The bad: I can’t think of any.
Rating: 4/5
Would I go again? Yes
Address: Abinger Rd, Coldharbour, Dorking RH5 6HD
Web: https://ploughinn.com
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