Ponies and pints

Jonathan Goodall takes a rest at The Red Shoot Inn and Brewery in Hampshire, England

Muddy Boots aren’t just tolerated in The Red Shoot Inn, they’re served from the bar as well; Muddy Boot being one of the pub’s most popular home-brewed beers.

Being off the beaten track, this relaxed and welcoming New Forest pub has had to adapt to survive, and managers, Simon and Jude Karelus, understand their rambling, dog-walking customers fully – which is why the carpets just had to go.

Named after the popular local pastime of shooting red deer, The Red Shoot began trading as a pub as recently as 1963. Before this it was a petrol station and general store then a private club, so it has refuelled visitors to the forest with petrol, cups of tea and beer during the years.

With its spacious, uncluttered interior, The Red Shoot makes a strong argument for pubs that weren’t designed as such. Its wide expanses of wipeable wooden floors and sympathetically lit sage-green walls are a refreshing alternative to the swirly, sticky carpets and oppressively busy decor of the typical country pub.

It’s perfectly located for a weekend walk and a long, leisurely lunch, serving food from 12- 9pm on Saturdays and until 8pm on Sundays.

Why can’t more country pubs adopt such a civilised, unhurried approach to mealtimes?

On a sunny Sunday morning, we emerged from the boggy forest, with three small boys and two large dogs, like a pack of ravenous mud- monsters – typical customers, in fact – and it was Muddy Boots all round.

A log fire crackled in the hearth and sunshine flooded in through.....

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By Jonathon Goodall

Section : Spotlight

Page number : 21