The Fox

Green Lane, Ellisfield

RG25 2QW

01256 381 210


I MADE a mental note to visit The Fox at Ellisfield when I limped past it during the Basingstoke Half Marathon.

Set halfway up a long hill and facing a row of tall trees, the pub looks inviting and feels a million miles from the centre of Basingstoke.

From the moment my partner and I walked in, The Fox felt like a proper pub, not like one of the many gastropubs that have become the norm in north Hampshire villages.

There were only a few diners, the bar was well-stocked, everybody included the bar staff seemed to know each other, and a TV was showing the latest European football tie. This last point was a plus for me, but not so much for my girlfriend.

There were no frills on the menu either. All starters and puddings were £4, apart from a few shared dishes, and all the mains cost £10. Why can’t all food prices be that simple?

We chose the £6.50 shared baked camembert to start, which came on what looked like a large wooden chopping board loaded with four different types of bread. You cannot go far wrong with a baked camembert, and we took great delight in scooping out all the gooey cheese with the bread.

For mains, my partner went for a chicken chetinad curry with rice and naan bread. It smelt delicious and the spices used made it more aromatic than hot.

My beef lasagne was too big for me to finish and, in truth, a little bit bland. It came with a chopped salad and a small stick of garlic bread, but it was the thick layer of melted cheese on top of the lasagne that stopped me from eating it all.

All this was washed down by a nice pint of Doom Bar ale, which seemed to be in good condition.

I couldn’t fault the service at The Fox, which was friendly from the moment we walked into the bar. The food, while reasonably priced, was not spectacular, but that wouldn’t stop me from returning.

The pub’s atmosphere and location are the main attractions – it’s an ideal venue for a couple of pints on a summer’s evening.