A great spot for Sunday dinner and a walk
Surrey has some of Britain's finest pubs and most beautiful countryside, but how often do you successfully combine the two? In a new review series, Richard Davies sets out on a quest to find the perfect Sunday walk and lunch.
There can’t be many landlords who can point to the view from their pub and say, “That’s where the beer comes from!”. The King William IV pub in Mickleham overlooks Norbury Park and the Mole Valley, close to where the Surrey Hills brewery makes its award-winning Shere Drop ale. As landlord Eamonn Carroll points out, the beer doesn’t have far to travel. And a very fine drop it is, too.
A perfect pint of real ale is the ideal start to a Sunday pub lunch in the Surrey Hills. The King William IV (or ‘King Bill on the Hill’ as it’s affectionately known) is situated alongside a footpath leading steeply up towards Box Hill. Built in 1790, the pub is an independent free house that takes great pride in having retained a Trip Advisor certificate of excellence since 2013, thanks to consistently great customer reviews.
Our verdict
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Food 5
- Atmosphere 4
- Value for money 5
- Beer 5
- Dog Friendly 4
- Local walks 5
First impressions
Despite its regal title, the King William IV is wonderfully unpretentious. With no claims to being a gastropub, they offer fresh food cooked to a very high standard, served with a smile by a friendly team. Like the landscape, the decor has an unchanging feel about it; indeed, it’s deeply reassuring to find a traditional pub doing a roaring trade with a happy mix of regulars and visitors.
On the day we visited (in mid-December), only a handful of people were brave enough to use the outdoor seating area despite its glorious views. Inside, we were instantly enveloped in the cosy fug of an open coal fire, which some may find slightly retro (and may not suit customers with respiratory conditions.) We had no concerns, though, about dog friendliness since every table seemed to have one, and perhaps why there were none of the treats that our pampered pooch has come to expect from our pub visits.
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The food
We started with the main course, Tempura Calamari, as a sharing platter. Neither of us could remember enjoying calamari more in this country, served with lemon mayonnaise and lemon pepper. We learned the secret is to marinade the calamari overnight in milk to make it tender. The taste was heavenly.
For the main course, we had the Slow Roasted Shoulder of Lamb and the 28 Day Aged Surrey Hills Beef, both served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, fresh vegetables & homemade gravy. It’s rare to find a pub Sunday roast that is actually better than home-cooked food, but we found it here.
The lamb shoulder was melt-in-the-mouth tender, while the beef was tasty and cooked a perfect pink. Roast potatoes were cooked from scratch and deliciously crisp with rock salt and rosemary.
The vegetables – broccoli, carrot batons and a swede puree were perfectly cooked, as was the Yorkshire pudding, which had a crisp outer and a soft inner. The gravy was delicious and definitely homemade with meat juices rather than something out of a packet.
After such a blow-out, we really didn’t need pudding, but we managed to share a Black Cherry pie, which came in its own pastry case, topped with ice cream, mint and custard, with a cherry glaze.
Nearby walks
As for local walks, the pub’s website suggests several options, ranging from the demanding 8-mile Box Hill hike (best to do this before visiting the pub, rather than afterwards as the walk is very steep!) to several ‘flatter’ options along the River Mole, or a visit to the nearby Denbies Wine estate. Finally, check the pub’s website for advice on parking and note that due to its many steps and levels, the pub may not be suitable for mobility-challenged customers or parents with prams.
What we ordered
Starter
- Tempura Calamari Sharing Board £17.95
Main
- Served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, fresh vegetables & homemade gravy
- Slow Roasted Shoulder of Lamb £20.95
- 28 Day Aged Surrey Hills Beef £20.95
Dessert
- Black Cherry Pie £9.95
TOTAL £69.80
