The Merry Harriers

Nestled in the Surrey Hills, this traditional country pub with rooms offers far more than a comfortable place to rest your head, discovers Felix Petit

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Hunkered in a dell deep in the Surrey Hills, this 16th-century inn is a comforting yet accessible escape from the rhythms of modern life. On arrival guests are greeted by the pub’s warm exterior, which wears the familiar Home Counties livery of hanging tiles and whitewashed stone. Despite it being a ‘destination’ pub, there was still a friendly chalkboard outside announcing live folk music for the following Sunday, plenty of mid-week casual drinkers chatting over local ales, and packets of scampi fries (as well as the compulsory gourmet Scotch egg or radishes with cod’s roe) available for the snackish.

Taken over by Alex Winch and Sam Fiddian-Green in 2023, The Merry Harriers has been thoughtfully revamped, with interiors designed in partnership with Hutley & Humm. The wooden floors and exposed beams gently whisper of authenticity. Uncomplicated wooden furniture, a roaring open fire and a bespoke bar created by local craftsman Joss Stoddart make it a thoroughly appealing place to while away the hours. The recessed and homely ‘Record Room’ off the main bar offers private dining for 12 or there is the ‘Garden Dining Room’ that can seat 40. Despite its location, this pub with rooms is distinctly ‘un-Surrey’.

The inviting bar

After a swift pint to make sure the barrel wasn’t off, we were shown to one of the five dog-friendly Garden Rooms: each with its own exterior entrance (one boasts a wood-fired hot tub too). Muddy walking boots and cycling cleats tidily left outside the other doors spoke of the outdoorsy clientele to whom this hostelry appeals.

Our room was painted in soothing pastels and housed a king-size bed, and the en suite was stocked with Wildsmith lotions and washes. Hanging bunches of lavender, a stable door to gaze out of and a variety of botanical prints completed the vision. Other overnight options include the four rooms in the main inn or a stay in one of the five shepherd’s huts just across the road, each with its own woodburner.

The Record Room offers private dining for 12

Casting ourselves into the lap of the gods, we asked our knowledgeable and attentive server, Emily, to choose our supper for us, drinks and all: a decision that was thoroughly vindicated. First came an English negroni (Sacred Vermouth, Silent Pool Rare Citrus Gin and Sipello) then a plum daiquiri that paired wonderfully with the oysters that arrived shortly afterwards. Rare beef with breadcrumbs, mustard and home-made dill pickle followed, alongside a plate of rich pork rillettes and a heritage tomato and goat-curd salad. The beef, pork and lamb are all from Fiddian- Green’s mother Henrietta’s Wintershall Valley Farm just a few miles away, and the vegetables are largely grown by his sister Goldie in the Hilltop Kitchen garden three miles distant. The venison comes from 86-year-old Albie Lyons, who still stalks the surrounding woods, and all the meat is butchered in-house by Fiddian-Green.

One of the five Garden Rooms

We were then served a vast sharing plate of beautifully pink roast Herdwick lamb as well as a slowly barbecued smoky shank, out of which the bone slipped like a sword from a scabbard. Next to passing out of Sandhurst, finishing the lot was one of my proudest achievements. Eyes bulging, we weren’t off the hook yet. Pudding was a spicy Jamaican ginger sticky toffee pudding with whisky toffee sauce, a blackberry and tonka bean trifle and a retro but beguiling Kentish cherry and chocolate ice-cream sandwich. Totally sated we staggered to bed, leaning on each other for support.

The following morning, after the deepest of sleeps and a delicious breakfast bap slathered in home-made brown sauce (whose 21 fragrant ingredients transport you to the outer edges of the Empire) we reluctantly departed. Just a 40-minute train ride from Clapham Junction, The Merry Harriers is situated in one of Britain’s oldest Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Bursting with bucolic walks and within easy striking distance of Petworth House and Winkworth Arboretum, it is the perfect base for a couple or a group.