Review: The Victoria, Oxshott

One of the best pubs in Surrey for a country walk and a Sunday lunch

 “This was as fine a Sunday lunch as we have experienced in a pub”

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. 

What comes to mind when you think of Oxshott? For me, it would be Chelsea footballer mansions, posh butchers and the iconic Victoria Pub. In recent years, Victoria has gained an excellent reputation for the quality of its dining.

It now has a listing in the 2023 Good Food Guide to Britain’s 100 Best Local Restaurants and three AA Rosettes. Having not visited since the current owners took over in 2021, we were curious to discover whether the pub lives up to its billing and to try the new Autumn/Winter menu. 

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Our verdict

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Food 5
• Ambience 5
• Value for money 4
• Beer 3
• Veggie options 4
• Local walks 4
• Dog-friendly 5

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First impressions were indeed excellent

With six weeks to go until Christmas, the pub’s festive decorations are a gorgeous display of autumn foliage and beautiful baubles without a hint of tinsel or cuddly Santa in sight. The tables are well-spaced with leather bench seating, comfortable chairs and homely open fireplaces. With all kudos to hospitality expert Simon King (formerly of Ramsay, Fat Duck) for his magic touch, I’m sure many families and Instagrammers will want to use the pub’s stunning decor as a ready-made backdrop for that seasonal photo. 

When we arrived around 12.30 pm on Remembrance Sunday, the restaurant part of the pub was already busy. In contrast, the pub part was empty, indicating we were entering gastropub territory. We received a warm welcome from General Manager Louise and our waitress, Ashleigh. Our three-year-old Schnauzer was greeted with a bowl of water and doggy biscuits despite briefly engaging in a territorial skirmish with a blameless spaniel. 

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The menu

The Sunday lunch menu, curated by Chef Matt Larcombe (previously head chef at Hester Blumenthal’s) was a single page and a perfect example of how to offer enough, but not too much choice.

Indeed, I could have happily ordered anything from the menu, which is always a good sign. Vegetarians could order three out of four starters and a roasted celeriac for the main.

We couldn’t resist sharing a cheeky oyster snack with our drinks: two decent-sized oysters, lightly battered and perfectly presented in the shell with a dollop of seaweed mayonnaise. (I always think that our Victorian ancestors who snaffled oysters by the dozen knew a good thing or two.) 

Luscious starters

Our starters were also artfully presented. My wife enjoyed the luscious slices of beetroot and walnut arranged around a nest of goat's cheese mousse with a squirt of bright green dill sauce. I had the pickled mackerel, which also belonged in a picture frame, with lightly grilled cucumber, dill and horseradish in a feast of colour and artful decoration.

So far as pub food goes, this is as close to fine dining as you get (though perhaps best avoided if you prefer big portions and strong flavours.)

So far as pub food goes, this is as close to fine dining as you get (though perhaps best avoided if you prefer big portions and strong flavours.) For the main course, we had the Herdwick lamb leg and the Cumbrian saddleback pork belly, both served with seasonal vegetables, triple-cooked roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. The lamb was perfectly pink and tender, while the pork was a good thick, tasty portion.

The roast potatoes were crisp, fluffy and freshly cooked, and the obligatory giant Yorkshire puds ensured no one could go home hungry. Cauliflower cheese and extra gravy came without asking, even if a slight handling accident with a piping hot gravy jug gave our dog an unexpected treat! 

Well, we really didn’t need dessert, but not wishing to disappoint, we dug deep to make space for a delightfully crunchy Apple crumble with crème anglaise and vanilla ice cream, which arrived like an optical illusion in a small bowl with a giant lip.

The cheese board was slightly disappointing for the price, as it contained only two rather unexciting cheeses (Black Bomber cheddar and stilton) and my wife and I disagreed about whether the crackers were slightly stale or were meant to taste that way.

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Final thoughts

Overall, this was as fine a Sunday lunch as we have experienced in a pub. My only real negative was the condition of the beer. As an ale enthusiast, I was looking forward to my favourite, Shere Drop from Surrey Hills Brewery, but my pint was a rather indifferent ‘first from the barrel on a quiet Sunday’.

Nor was the alternative, Leveson Buck from Titsey Brewing, particularly to my taste. Looking around me, I couldn’t see a single other beer drinker, which is often the problem in gastropubs.

However, the Victoria boasts an extensive wine list curated by sommelier Michael Engelmann, and we both thought the Pinot Noir was exceptional. 

All this wonderful dining needs a good walk afterwards, and we headed off to do one of our favourite walks around Prince’s Coverts, a crown estate-managed woodland that few locals know about; if you head south on the Leatherhead Road, there’s a small car park entrance just after Merrileas Drive.

Alternatively, head back to the station for a walk around Oxshott Heath, perhaps crossing a footbridge over the A3 to Black Ponds and Esher Commons.

These are truly stunning areas of heathland, even if the hum of traffic noise constantly reminds you that you’ve not escaped far from the commuter belt!

What we ordered

• Snacks: Battered oysters, seaweed mayonnaise £7.
• Starters: Beetroot, goats cheese mousse, walnut, dill £12, pickled mackerel, cucumber, dill, horseradish £14.
• Main: (All served with seasonal vegetables, triple-cooked roast potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding) Herdwick lamb leg £29, Cumbrian saddleback pork belly £26.
• Desserts: Apple crumble, crème anglaise, vanilla ice cream £12 and a selection of British cheeses, grapes, chutney, crackers £14.

TOTAL: £114

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