Tag: new forest

Cakes and Desserts · Eating out

Travel: Brockenhurst – The Buttery

katchambersLeave a comment

I recently took my mum away for a little getaway to the New Forest; as she had never been there. I was hoping she would see the famous ponies – but it seems that even the ponies are on lockdown! We didn’t see a single pony this time. However, we did see some roaming cows which was pretty cool.

The best bit of our trip was our little foray over to Brockenhurst. I have to say that Lyndhurst appears to have deterioated some since I visited in 2014, I don’t know if Covid has led to most of the lovely shops in Lyndhurst closing down; but the last time I visited it was so pretty and they had lovely boutique shops that they no longer have. Plus the old hotel at the end of the high street really detracts from its beauty.

Brockenhurst, on the other hand, is just as beautiful as I remember it. The only downside is the lack of ponies. We didn’t stay long as it is very small; but we did stay for lunch and boy am I glad we did. We tried “The Buttery” even though there was a fairly long wait to get in (about 20 minutes). There was nothing particularly memorable about the decor, the service was slow (which they did warn us about) but they had the most most-watering, most unforgettable carrot cake I have ever had in my life. And I was completely unprepared.

I ordered chilli and chips, a pot of tea and a carrot cake. Whilst waiting for my my chips to cool down, I thought, I’ll just taste the carrot cake (mum had popped off to use the facilities). When mum got back she found me in a trance.

“What’s wrong” she said

“What?” I said in somewhat of a daze

“What’s wrong?” she repeated. I brought myself slowly back to Earth and said:

“Try………..this………….carrot cake…………..now (just a small bit though.)”

My mum tried a small bit of the carrot cake and swooned.

I then took another bite and was making noises akin to “When Harry Met Sally”. I had to stop.

I reluctantly decided I should eat my chips before I indulged in my dessert; but I kept a close eye on it the whole time and then when I had eaten enough chips to not cause offence to the kitchen I inhaled the carrot cake and promptly bought another slice for later. Mum also bought a slice, and she is diabetic, so she has to closely monitor her sugar levels. Though she said she would gladly endure a diabetic coma to eat the entire carrot cake.

I wish I could describe the taste; it was moist and it was creamy but it really was beyond description.

The weird thing is that neither of us really like carrot cakes, usually. But this was another level. So if you are ever in the area, in the New Forest; run right now and enjoy this marvel.

Days Out · summer · Travel

New Forest – Lymington and Lyndhurst

katchambers3 Comments

Last year, hubby and I had a lovely break in Brockenhurst. It was so amazing that we decided to return to the new forest, but a different part. This time we stayed in a B&B just outside of Lymington and used that as base for exploring other parts of the forest. I was initially hoping that Lymington would be the perfect mix of both the ‘new forest’ and the seaside, which is why I chose it, as Brockenhurst was a bit far from the sea, however Lymington doesn’t really have the new forest feel, there are no wandering ponies (which in my mind what is most special about the new forest) and the seafront is not the most picturesque of places, plus the beach is shingle.

However, we didn’t let that deter us and instead spent time in Lyndhurst and Burley. However, before I discuss those I do need to say how absolutely amazing the food was at a pub in Lymington called “Thomas Tripp”. The outside has pretty hanging baskets and is very welcoming, unfortunately when I stepped inside I was put-off as the ambience was not quite right, and didn’t look like a place that would have amazing food, but I am so glad I was wrong. Thomas Tripp had, undeniably, the best ribs and BBQ sauce I have ever eaten in my life! And as a foodie, I have to say I have tried a fair many. They were so unbelievable I had to talk to the owner about them, he explained that they are slowly cooked for like 12 hours, and he came up with the BBQ sauce recipe himself. It was so mind-blowing we actually travelled all the way from Lyndhurst the next day, just to eat there again. The ribs were not the only special things, the garlic and tomato bread must have been made by an Italian because I have only had better in Italy, and the chocolate brownie for dessert was absolutely scrumptious. So if you are ever in the New Forest, find this pub because you will not regret it.

ribs homemade chips corn on the cobgarlic and tomato bread

Lyndhurst

We spent a day in Lyndhurst, half of it shopping and half of it on the new forest open bus tour, which I highly recommend. We went on the red route, which was the longest at 2.5 hours. No matter how hot it is outside, if you are upstairs, in the open it gets very cold and windy, so bare that in mind. It was very beautiful and a great way to see the sights of the forest that we had yet to see. The only downside was that the bus did not have a toilet, which is tricky on such a long tour. There were lots of great touristy shops in Lyndhurst, and if you walk just 5 minutes toward the outskirts, cross over a grate, and there are the ponies, and to my great surprise, wild donkeys.

lyndhurst wild animals

We only had time to stop off at Burley on our way home (as the New Forest Show was on), it was an intriguing little witchy hamlet. Again we were lucky enough to see 2 horses, waiting to use the payphone 😉 Burley was the smallest and probably the prettiest of the places we saw on the tour. If you like a bit of fantasy, this is definitely the place, as it has witches, smugglers and “dragons” in it’s history, and due to this many of the shops sell witch/fantasy themed goods.

new forest ponies