Like an octogenarian taking a stag party to Las Vegas for his fifth wedding, or an Aston Martin DB5 fitted with an electric engine, The Merry Harriers has a stately framework but a young soul. This handsome Surrey pub dates to the 16th century. Its olive walls whisper of travellers and highwaymen; the bar boasts enough oak to construct a small ship. Yet there is not the merest hint of cobwebs, metaphorical or otherwise – like the Surrey hills that envelope it, The Merry Harriers is a breath of fresh air.
Owners Alex Winch and Sam Fiddian-Green both grew up in the area: this is a project close to heart and hearth. Still in their 30s, the duo won great acclaim with the nearby Hilltop Kitchen before taking over the pub in 2023. The young, enthusiastic team seem to love working here, chatting to patrons as though they were family friends. (In many cases, they will be.) It’s a professional operation that never stops smiling, and that smile is infectious.
The Merry Harriers is situated on the outskirts of Hambledon, a village so picturesque I can only assume it's some form of simulation, rural utopia by way of AI. There are cottages straight out of the Shire and Jilly Cooper-esque country pads, often on the same winding lane. Like a hypnotised parrot, you will repeatedly squawk the words, “I can’t believe we’re an hour’s drive from London!” The village church dates to the 13th century. It stands on the hill, its small neat graveyard backset by a vast natural panorama of fields and sky.
There's a pub garden to while away an afternoon
On a two-hour walk we encountered several rabbits, a deer, a pristine cricket pitch, more meadows than you can shake a stick at, lots of sticks to shake, and ample money shots of sunlight filtering through leaves, bouncing off a pond’s still surface. The sense of unreality was heightened by the red hot air balloon that occasionally manifested on the horizon. Say it with me: “I can’t believe we’re an hour’s drive from London!”
Obviously the walk, however life-affirming, primarily exists to ensure you do dinner justice. Before eating, we had a couple of pints in the garden (try a Work Ethic), dogs and children chasing each other around the grass, locals picking up cuts of meat from the kitchen, the sky above the treeline deepening into red. More tranquil Saturday evenings may exist but they likely require an empty beach and an opium pipe.
Even if The Merry Harriers had the ambience of Brixton Wetherspoons, the food would be reason enough to make the journey. The sight of today’s date printed on the menu should always quicken the pulse; ditto a list of local suppliers running down the back. The Merry Harriers has both. Bonus points for one of those suppliers being Sam’s family farm down the road. Unsurprisingly, the dining room stays packed throughout the evening.
Schnitzel
Scotch egg and snacks
I doubt you can go wrong with any combination of dishes. These were ours. A scotch egg the size of a tennis ball is served with homemade brown sauce, so warm and reassuring you might start confessing your insecurities to it between bites. (Confess quickly: it won’t last long.) If you're feeling a little more refined, the cured stone bass is beautifully sharp, its truffle dressing requiring us to order bread to mop it up.
Game season meant pheasant schnitzel was back on the menu for the first time in months. Long may it stay there: the schnitzel is crisped perfectly, paired with new potatoes so fresh they make all other potatoes look old by comparison. God invited October so you could enjoy dishes like this. Likewise homesmoked haddock with mashed potato, poached egg and hollandaise, yellow as the sun and equally nourishing.
Only one desert will do: a ginormous brick of sticky, steamy toffee pudding, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as scripture dictates. Be warned: whatever you order, food envy is inevitable. Even though I could barely move, the chicken pie that arrived at the table next door caused a lingering of the eye and a murmuring of the stomach. Off to the fireside for a nightcap while contemplating RightMove.
Shepherd Huts are remarkably well-stocked
For such a compact pub, there’s a plethora of accommodation options: upstairs rooms, outdoor rooms and shepherd’s huts directly across the road. We got a hut, and very delightful it proved to be, combining country cosiness with urban amenities – WiFi, a TV, a coffee machine, kettle and mugs, and a surprisingly sizeable shower. The huts are dog friendly should you wish to treat any canine companions; the surrounding hills are essentially doggie heaven. (Just be careful crossing the road, otherwise Fido might find the real thing.)
The only negative to the stay was Sunday’s inevitable train cancellation. No matter: Alex kindly whisked us into Guildford. On the drive, he described how the locals called him and Sam ‘custodians’ of the pub rather than its owners; a description that initially rankled a tad but he now totally understands. How can anyone really own an establishment that predates the Gunpowder Plot? You do your best by it, and pass it on when the time comes.
According to Alex, the best still lies ahead – but the current incarnation is something very special. Head to Surrey to eat, drink and make merry, as soon as the opportunity allows.
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Hambledon Road, Godalming GU8 4DR; The Merry Harriers
