A pub lunch in deepest Surrey

There's nothing like a few hills to warm you up on a cold day on your bicycle. Well, a pub lunch is a pretty good way of getting warm too, especially if said pub has a real fire.

Outwood is a picturesque Surrey village with a windmill overlooking its extensive common. It is quite a spread out place with no less than three pubs. We selected the Castle, which is quite the gastropub.

Goose rillettes and "braised and roasted lamb in a garlic and rosemary sauce with boulanger potatoes and curly kale" are sample menu items, although there are also pub classics like home-made burgers and fish and chips.

We had a ham, egg and chips from the lunch menu. The ham was home-cooked and the chips were pretty good. I had a creamy, rich broccoli and stilton soup, along with some more chips. An elderly couple at the next table were enjoying their fish cakes.

We managed to resist dessert, but there were a few great old-fashioned puddings, home-made of course, as well as an interesting cheeseboard with local cheeses.

Prices are moderate gastro-pub, around £5 or £6 for starters, £11 to £14 for mains, although you can get lunch dishes for about £8.

There are a few real ales, including some fairly local ones - the Real Ale Drinker had Pilgrim Moild from Reigate, while I had the Harvey's from Sussex.

The Castle,
Millers Lane,
Outwood,
Redhill
RH1 5QB
01342 842754
www.castleoutwood.co.uk