Friday 26 June 2015

THE MAYPOLE - 9 Havant Road, Hayling Island


It seems of late, me and Dad have been inexorably drawn to the sea. We found ourselves venturing back to the island to visit one of its top rated pubs. We have literally driven past The Maypole hundreds of times, but neither of us had ever been there.

Straight away the atmosphere seemed warm and welcoming. As we got our drinks and made our way to a table, Dad told me he'd seen a sign advertising their pie of the day, a soft spot of mine. Who doesn't like pies? Every pub should do pies, it's a true British classic.

The menu wasn't expansive, neither was it too small, you might say it was a Goldilocks menu. One thing stood out immediately. Everything was homemade and much was made from local produce.

This is the point where you start to feel good about a pub. Like you're making friends and learning to trust it. We had some garlic bread to start off with, which was very good garlic bread, then we both went for fish and chips. I know this seems to be a recurring theme, it must be something to do with being so near the seaside. As unoriginal as our choices may have been, we were glad we made them. They turned out to be what might be the best fish and chips either of us had ever had in a pub. Crispy homemade chips and freshly made fish. It's a simple thing but so rarely done well.

The Maypole certainly jumps in to our quality pub list, and next time we're driving past, we might stop off again for some high grade pub fodder.

Atmosphere   8
Service         9
Food            8
Value          8

 Verdict      4*

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