Surrey


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-where">WHAT? WHERE?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-02-AE.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-42262" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-02-AE.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-02-AE-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-02-AE-1000x667.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-02-AE-400x267.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-02-AE-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-02-AE-788x525.jpeg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Chocolate box pretty in a lovely village location, <a href="https://thestarwitley.co.uk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Star in Witley</a> is a gorgeous 17th century pub worth diverting for. It&#8217;s fairly new on the Surrey gastropub circuit, opening only 18 months ago under the wings of the boutique Brucan Pubs group in late 2022. </p>



<p>Already though, The Star at Witley has garnered a sparkling reputation for a high-end gastropub. It&#8217;s perhaps of little surprise given the given the pedigree of owner James Lyon Shaw whose CV includes The Ivy and some of London&#8217;s trendiest restaurants like Bistroteque and The well. </p>



<p>The gastropub is all about keeping things simple &#8211; taking hospitality back to its roots with great food, warm hospitality, and a top-notch menu prepared with the best produce from quality suppliers. Fish and seafood feature strongly on the menu, and arrives daily direct from the South Coast. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-vibe">THE VIBE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-53.jpeg" alt="The Star at Witley in Surrey." class="wp-image-55103" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-53.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-53-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-53-1000x750.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-53-400x300.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-53-768x576.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>This is modern country dining at its best. The pub dates back to the 17th century, and the interiors make the most of the character and history &#8211; think low beams, exposed stone walls, rustic timber furniture and stylish soft furnishings to pep things up a bit. There&#8217;s a huge inglenook fireplace in the main dining room &#8211; complete with an original a bread oven built into it.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-76.jpeg" alt="The Star at Witley in Surrey." class="wp-image-55106" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-76.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-76-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-76-1000x750.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-76-400x300.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-76-768x576.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>While this is undoubtedly a pub with a relaxed and cosy vibe &#8211; it&#8217;s be one of my top choices on a winter&#8217;s day &#8211; it&#8217;s also a pub for all seasons. Outside there&#8217;s a large gorgeous garden which includes a dining terrace with heated pergolas, beautiful seasonal planting and pods for year-round alfresco dining. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scoff-amp-quaff">SCOFF &amp; QUAFF</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-42.jpeg" alt="The food at The Star at Witley in Surrey." class="wp-image-55100" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-42.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-42-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-42-1000x750.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-42-400x300.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-42-768x576.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Food is the star of the show here &#8211; <em>star</em>, geddit! &#8211; and the menu changes weekly with daily seasonal specials. There&#8217;s a strong focus on fresh fish, game and meat &#8211; but also a good choice for non-meat eaters.</p>



<p>The food is fancy, a notch or two above your average pub, but not pretentious. You won&#8217;t find any tiny portions here, nor &#8211; by their own promise &#8211; deconstructed dishes, frills or foam.</p>



<p>They also have a selection of beer, cider and ale on tap, including Heineken 0.0. </p>



<p>Diving into the menu, I kicked off with burrata, heritage beets, walnuts and nasturtium, which I&#8217;d highly recommend. It was gorgeous &#8211; the creamy cheese combining beautifully with the sweet beets. Across the table was my first-born &#8211; who like his mum is a bit of a foodie! He started with Scottish trout rillette on toast with caperberries &#8211; also a very good choice. </p>



<p>For mains, I jumped straight onto the poached sea trout with a summer bean and radish salad, and horseradish. And it didn&#8217;t disappoint. My boy went for the whole Cornish plaice with crayfish, samphire and dill butter sauce. It was a great choice, coupled with sides of buttered spring greens and Cornish new potatoes which we shared.  </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-45.jpeg" alt="The food at The Star at Witley in Surrey." class="wp-image-55101" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-45.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-45-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-45-1000x750.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-45-400x300.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-45-768x576.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Who fancies dessert? Not gonna lie, I had my eye on the puds &#8211; and for me it was always going to be the dark chocolate mousse with salted caramel. My young food guru went for the British cheeseboard. Safe to say we were both happy with our choices, especially as the cheeseboard was super generous and screamed out of for a bit of sharing. How could I not?</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-69.jpeg" alt="The Star at Witley in Surrey." class="wp-image-55104" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-69.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-69-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-69-1000x750.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-69-400x300.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/The-Star-Witley-AE-69-768x576.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kid-friendly-nbsp">KID-FRIENDLY?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Yes, kids and families are very welcome here. There&#8217;s a dedicated Little Stars menu for children which includes things like grilled chicken, cheese burgers and sausages with mashed potatoes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-and-dogs-too">AND DOGS, TOO?</h2>



<p>Dogs are very welcome at The Star &#8211; in the bar, a section of the restaurant and in the garden.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-disability-access">DISABILITY ACCESS</h2>



<p>Access is good throughout. There are a couple of small steps, but there&#8217;s a portable ramp which can be moved around to accommodate anyone on wheels. Loos are also on the ground-floor (including a disabled toilet), so there&#8217;s no trekking down or up a narrow steep staircase.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-out-amp-about">OUT &amp; ABOUT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/NT-Witley-common-autumn-colour-John-Miller.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-42280" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/NT-Witley-common-autumn-colour-John-Miller.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/NT-Witley-common-autumn-colour-John-Miller-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/NT-Witley-common-autumn-colour-John-Miller-1000x667.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/NT-Witley-common-autumn-colour-John-Miller-400x267.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/NT-Witley-common-autumn-colour-John-Miller-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/09/NT-Witley-common-autumn-colour-John-Miller-788x525.jpeg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Gorgeous autumn colour at Witley Common in Witley. <em>Photo credit: John Miller / National Trust</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>There are loads of pretty walks to work up an appetite or walk off your overindulgence. Witley and Milford Common is three minutes drive from the pub &#8211; a great spot for walking, especially if you have a dog. Follow well-signposted paths, or there are two <a href="https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/witley-and-milford-commons/documents/witley-and-milford-common-trail-guide-map.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">self-guided trails</a> &#8211; the shorter Nature Trail is just under one mile (1.6km) and is perfect for a family walk.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<p><strong>Good for:</strong> Just about anyone looking for a good country pub with fabulous food. It&#8217;s a great pub to pop into for a pint after a walk, for family gatherings, groups of friends, couples, special occasions, foodies.</p>



<p><strong>Not for:</strong> It&#8217;s a country pub through and through &#8211; from the low beams to the roaring open fires and lovely lush garden. If this ain&#8217;t your thing, then move along!</p>



<p><strong>The damage:</strong> Starters £8-£13.50. Mains from £16-£24.  Puddings are around £8, with the cheeseboard coming in at £12.50. At lunch there&#8217;s a set menu offering two courses for £24 and three courses for £28. Sunday roasts are £18-£21. Children&#8217;s menu is around £9.50 for a main.  </p>



<p><em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://thestarwitley.co.uk/index.html" target="_blank">The Star</a>, Petworth Road, Witley, GU8 5LU. Tel: <a href="tel:01483355046" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">01483 355 046</a></em></p>


Review: The Star, Witley

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