Surrey

THE LOWDOWN / LOCATION



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This vibrant pub is in the centre of Farnham, on Castle Street. The pub is part of the Red Mist group of pubs, a sibling to the Queen&#8217;s Head in Clandon and the Stag on the River in Lower Eashing, among others. Before its reincarnation as The Castle Inn in February 2019, the building was the site of of Brasserie Blanc.



THE VIBE



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It&#8217;s a cool central pub in a gorgeous red brick Georgian building and there&#8217;s something on offer for pretty much everyone. A cool bar area at the front, a popular spot for after-work drinks and daytime coffees, flows through to a dining room that opens out onto a walled courtyard garden at the back. The outside space here is fabulous &#8211; there&#8217;s a paved terrace with bistro tables and chairs that leads up to a grassy area, the perfect spot for kids to romp around while mum and dad enjoy an alfresco drink or lunch.



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Upstairs there are two function rooms &#8211; one smaller and more intimate called Market View Room overlooking the street, and the other &#8211; Garden View Room &#8211; with views out over the garden at the back.



The decor throughout the pub is vibrant and fun with wood panelling painted in strong vivid colours &#8211; deep rust red, dark teal and saffron yellow &#8211; and interesting and quirky artwork grouped together. There&#8217;s a relaxed and comfortable feel to the place that suits all seasons &#8211; whether it&#8217;s a warm summer&#8217;s day with the patio doors thrown open, or a wet wintery day with the fireplaces crackling.



SCOFF &amp; QUAFF



The pub is one of those places that somehow ticks all the boxes whether you’re meeting girlfriends for drinks or going for a family meal with the kids.&nbsp;



Like many a Surrey gastropub, the kitchen is dedicated to sourcing food from British farmers and producers, particularly those based in Surrey. A real effort has been made to use fresh ingredients with a small eco footprint &#8211; and that extends to the drinks too with wines, ales and craft beers from local producers appearing on the menu.



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There are menus for all occasions &#8211; a midweek brunch menu which on weekends and Bank Holidays becomes the Bottomless Brunch. There&#8217;s the Main Menu which is mostly classic fare, with things slow roast pork belly, steaks, fish &amp; chips, and chicken pappardelle as the go-to dishes. There are roasts on a Sunday and a Midweek Tapas with bottomless drinks &#8211; which is what I opted for late one Friday afternoon.



The Midweek Tapas menu is available from 3pm to 6pm Monday to Friday &#8211; perfect if you&#8217;re meeting friends for an after-work catch up or to easy yourself into the weekend on a Friday afternoon.



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There&#8217;s a choice of 10 tapas dishes &#8211; which includes things like Cornish mussels in a spiced tomato and red wine sauce, chargrilled Mediterranean vegetables, crispy calamari and roasted chorizo. It was great food cooked to perfection &#8211; I chose five dishes as recommended by the waitress, as did Mr M &#8211; and washed it down with a cocktail or two, first the elderflower fizz, then a glass of Prosecco.



Dessert was a unnecessary after gobbling all that tapas, but it&#8217;s quite hard to say no to homemade churros with chocolate sauce. So, um, I didn&#8217;t. And they was delish &#8211; as good as any I&#8217;ve sampled when on holiday in Spain or Portugal.



It&#8217;s worth noting too, that the pub has a green plate policy which means that any dishes adapted for allergies or intolerances are served on a green plate so there won&#8217;t be any confusion. 



KID-FRIENDLY?



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If you&#8217;re thinking of coming here with the kids it&#8217;s good to know they are well catered for &#8211; there’s a special children’s menu with all the usuals and a buzzy vibe so you won&#8217;t stress if they&#8217;re not sitting in super silence. Plus, there&#8217;s that great garden space for little people to explore.



OUT &amp; ABOUT



The Castle Inn is in the centre of Farnham which is a very pretty market town packed with lovely independent boutiques and stores. Farnham Castle is just up the road from the pub, Birdword, The Sculpture Park and Waverley Abbey are all a few miles outside the town.



THE MUDDY VERDICT



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Good for: Absolutely everyone! The Castle seems to have pulled off that tricky job of being all things to all people, reflected in its regular offerings – Midweek Tapas ; Bottomless Brunches on weekends; Gin Wednesday;&nbsp;and Cocktail nights (Wed &amp; Thurs &amp; Fri when it&#8217;s two cocktails for £12. Rack em up!) From a practical POV, there’s ample parking at the Centra car park just off Victoria Road, and just a two minute walk to your destination.



Not for: If you’re looking for top-notch posh food and intimate dining then it’s probably not the place for you.



The damage: The Midweek Tapas and Drinks is £35 per person. On the main menu, starters come in around £8-£9 mark; mains range from £15 for fish &amp; chips to £26 for a Prime English sirloin.



<a href="https://castleinnfarnham.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="castleinnfarnham.co.uk (opens in a new tab)">castleinnfarnham.co.uk</a>

Review: The Castle Inn, Farnham

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