The Folly Inn, Whippingham, 3rd February 2011

Simon stopped for lunch at The Folly Inn and opted for the traditional Beef and Ruddles Ale Pie (just a small portion as he knew he was going to have a big meal later in the evening) accompanied by a pint of Goddards Scrumdiggity 4%.

The pie was disappointing as there was too much pastry and not enough filling. The short-crust pastry was good but soon became soggy from the gravy (which had been pre-applied). The filling was tasty, but perhaps rather too much gravy and not enough solid meat. The accompanying vegetables were fresh (apart from the frozen peas), tasty and nicely cooked. The chips were very good. The ale was the best part of the meal. At £6.79 for the meal, and £2.35 for the pint of ale, it was good value for money. The location (right by the water's edge) was good, but the ambience was let down by the presence of fruit machines and background music.

His companion had British Ham Hock and Broad Bean Pie with mashed potatoes and Colmans Diane Sauce.

Simon wished that he had ordered that instead.

Please note that Simon visited the pub without any other members of the Club, so opinions expressed above are purely personal and not representative of the Club.