Country pub of the week: The White Hart in Witley, Surrey

From the outside, the 14th-century, timber-framed White Hart looks like any other country pub in Surrey. You expect to walk in and find a sea of Barbour jackets and Blundstone boots. But the Cotswolds this is not… it’s only nine miles from Guildford.

While the integrity of the pub remains intact — low beams, good ales, cosy fireplaces — the food menu is a deep and affectionate homage to southern American cooking, with barbecued short-rib, pulled pork and a monolithic “six-stack BBQ sandwich” filled with turkey, beef, pork, sausages and cheese. Find these dishes among neon lights and a lively crowd, sport on TV and slightly mad artwork.

It all sounds a little disjointed, but it works, and an afternoon here would suit anyone in need of a bucolic walk without the travel time before a feast together with several pints of Murphy’s.

dirty-sixth.com