Take a peek at a review done of The Duke by Godalming’s Pepperpot Magazine, 2012
It’s always a treat to go out for Sunday lunch – no screaming at the oven willing your crackling to crackle; no mad rush as you bring four vegetables to a climactic finish while you de-lump your gravy with one hand and carve with the other; and no sinking feeling when 20 minutes later you look at the devastation in your kitchen that now looks like a drone has just struck! So this Sunday we let The Duke of Cambridge in Tilford take all the strain out of Sunday lunch. On the Tilford Road about half a mile before the famous village green driving from Hindhead, we’d heard good things about The Duke of Cambridge and so had others judging from the packed buzzing atmosphere. It’s a family friendly place and we passed two or three large tables with mums and dads relaxing as their young kids crayoned quietly while they waited for their food.
The Duke puts a big emphasis on the use of local ingredients. Lamb, pork and beef all reared locally on Tilford farms were on the Sunday lunch menu which also offered roast chicken. But there was a good choice too from the seasonal menu available all week. Apart from the usual gastro pub fare of steaks and burgers there was much to appeal to fish overs with pan fried Scottish salmon with seafood chowder, beer battered haddock, and tempura prawns. Your reviewer plumped for the rump of venison with a raspberry and pepper sauce that was served pink and succulent while the slow roast pork belly on a bubble and squeak cake was enjoyed by my dining companion.
For pudding coffee crème brulee with a home-made walnut biscuit hit the sweet spot as did the Rich Baileys and chocolate mousse. And the toasted marshmallow cheesecake ordered by the table next to us looked like it packed a tasty punch too.
There’s a Surrey beef menu available mid-week offering a range of steaks and home-made pies at a discount and in the Summer the extensive covered decking and gardens complete with kids play area looks an ideal spot for a barbecue supper.
It turns out The Duke of Cambridge is part of a group that also owns The Stag on the River at Eashing, The Exchequer in Crookham Village and The Queen’s Head in East Clandon and if they’re anything as good as The Duke that means we’ve now got three other places to try and to get away from the mad frenzy of cooking at home!