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Kelly | The Winchester Fork

@thewinchesterfork

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📍 Hampshire, with plenty of detours
🔖 Your local foodie bookmark
🍸 Places to tell your friends about
💌 [email protected]

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Feels like a good time for a little re-introduction 👀🌿🍸

I’m Kelly, the one behind the fork. This page is a snapshot into my romanticised Winchester life ft. ALL the food.

Life’s been a bit chaotic recently, but I’m still very much on a mission to share my favourite spots in Hampshire plus those a little further afield if I think they’re worth shouting about.

Expect a mix of independents, good food, great wine, strong coffee, more beer than is probably planned and the occasional ‘we couldn’t be bothered to cook’ situation, plus my nutcase sausage dog who is usually in attendance and rarely helpful. #forkdog

Follow along for more food, honest opinions and probably too many sandwiches.

P.S. It absolutely petrifies me putting my face on here… so don’t get used to it 😅 by @thewinchesterfork

Apparently Winchester really needs another big chain bakery.

Anyway… here are sixteen local spots I’d recommend instead. Look at some of the bloody good coffee we already have:

@southdownssocial — @winchestercoffeeroasters
@hoxton_bakehouse — @seadogcoffee_
@madeby.rost — @bluehourcoffee
@kavi_bakehouse // @kavicoffeeuk — @skylark.coffee
@generalstore_winchester — @routescoffee
@cornishbakery — @origincoffeeroasters
@flat.whitescoffee — @mozzocoffee
@olivefulflood — @routescoffee
@west.collaboration — @caravanroastery
@coffee_lab_academy — @obadiahcoffeeroasters
@babelascafe — @badhandcoffee
@openhousedeli — @rivercoffeeuk
@projectsstore — @girlswhogrindcoffee
@thewinchesterorangery — @rivercoffeeuk
@winchesterthesquare — @ohcocoffee

So, Winchester… what do we think? 👀

Tag your coffee-loving Winchester mate, I want to know where you’re getting yours. by @thewinchesterfork

The October food & drink diary:

🍝 Gnocchi at my favourite local Italian @bottegadelmastro.uk

🍸 Caffeinated cocktail saviours @greensbar_kitch

🥂 Pink Bubbles courtesy of @longdownvineyard and a Mr Fork masterpiece

🍕 Sunday night pizza parties @the.greatbustard

🦆 The Duck One – thank you @twohandswinch

🥂 More bubbles in the gorgeous @raimesvineyard

🥓 Brunch date with Mumma Fork @forte_kitchen

🍷 A little appreciation for the @williamwalkerpub glow-up

✨ Salted vanilla latte from my favourites @madeby.rost

🍸 Catch-ups and cocktails @thetownhousealresford

🍤 Everything about @pulpo__negro

🥂 A little more fizz @blackchalkwine

🥤 Lambeth coffee shops keeping me sane @vb_kennington

🍳 American-style brunch @josiesuk

🥩 Pre Theatre Beef Ragu @papillonsouthampton

More of this in November, please. by @thewinchesterfork

📍CORNISH BAKERY – SO23 9AS

@cornishbakery is usually my pastel de nata dealer. Find me a better supplier in Winchester and I’ll happily hear you out. 👀

We popped in to try their new autumn menu and it turns out there’s so much more to love than my usual custard-filled obsession.

I know this menu has had its fair share of airtime already, so here are a few of my favourites, all things I’d have previously overlooked but would absolutely order again.

🌱 Spinach & Feta Pastry
🍐 Caramel, Pear & Miso Pastry
🥃 Peach Iced Tea
🍊 Spiced Orange & Marmalade Cake

A little reminder that your usual order isn’t always your best order. Although I’m not giving up my pastel de nata just yet.

*INVITE by @thewinchesterfork

Everyone else: on the hunt for Hampshire’s best Sunday roast. Us: coffee, brisket, ice cream and fizz.

☕️ @moonroastcoffee to kick-start the day.

🍳 An impromptu scrummy lunch at @theyard_hampshire

🍦 A pint of the new @bon.and.rose White Mint Stracciatella secured for a Sunday night girl dinner.

🥂 A little, blustery mooch amongst the vines at @raimesvineyard before settling in for a couple of glasses of their Blanc de Noirs in the cosy tasting barn.

A very content fork. If you’d told me two years ago that this is what Sundays could look like, I’d never have believed you. by @thewinchesterfork

📍THE GREAT BUSTARD — SP4 6AY

24 hours at @the.greatbustard 🥂

A couple of weeks back, I asked for your recommendations for an anniversary getaway and there was a resounding amount of love for this place. Rightly so. What a deliciously delightful spot to celebrate.

Just across the Hampshire border in Wiltshire, @the.greatbustard has a collection of 11 beautifully curated bedrooms, each with its own individual aesthetic. Our room, ‘Ouzel’, immediately gave us that sense of calm we’d clearly been craving, with its neutral colour palette, exposed beams and balcony overlooking pretty Wiltshire farmland.

Of course, Sunday lunch in their lovely restaurant, full of greenery and rustic touches, was a must. For him, the roast beef; for me, the pork. Both thoroughly enjoyed, but a special mention for the pork crackling, which was served a little differently to what we’re used to - light as air but full of flavour. The desserts were pretty special too.

Later that afternoon following an Old Fashioned or five, we decided it would be rude not to sample the wood-fired pizzas too. Equally delicious and the perfect late-evening supper.

Breakfast the following morning rounded things off nicely, although we weren’t quite ready to leave.

So, a big thank you for this recommendation. You understood the assignment! We left feeling very well fed, thoroughly relaxed and already keen to return. by @thewinchesterfork

📍THE WINCHESTER ORANGERY – SO23 9ES

One spot, four different ways to enjoy it:

🍳 Breakfast to kick-start your day: We recently popped in and went ‘Full Orangery’ and have absolutely no regrets. I’m still thinking about the secret, spicy bean sauce.

🥑 Brunch worth getting out of bed for: Previously featured on the Fork, this halloumi and avocado dish is right up our street and would order again!

☕ Coffee and a little something on the side: Pictured - the seasonal Apple Pie Latte. Not pictured - all the demolished @the_street_bakeshop goodies. 👀

🍸 A little something for the evening crowd:
We were invited down to try their tapas offering and had a great evening working our way through ALL the Spanish-inspired dishes plus some lovely cocktails.

Definitely order the Croquetas (in every flavour)

Whether you’re popping in for a quick coffee or settling in for a leisurely evening, @thewinchesterorangery is one to keep on your radar.

*AD by @thewinchesterfork

📍LEBANESE HOUSE – SO23 8SD

As a self-proclaimed foodie, I’m always asking for recommendations and @lebanesehousewinchester has to be one of the most recommended spots in Winchester.

A few weeks back, I headed here with Winchester’s original foodie and our resident wine expert (I do collect excellent pals). We got stuck into a glorious mezze spread featuring… well, everything! I also couldn’t resist ordering my all-time favourite, Shish Taouk, and it was SO good.

Every dish was packed with flavour, and the whole feast is one I’d happily go back for in a heartbeat.

Plus it’s less than a five-minute walk from the railway station (traffic light timings permitting!), so perfectly placed for taking friends visiting Winchester out for a meal, but close enough to the city centre for locals to easily pop in, too.

Girls, when are we going back? 🥙🍷 by @thewinchesterfork

📍THE SOUTH DOWNS SOCIAL – SO23 8AF

Dear @southdownssocial

Please know that your impromptu chicken and chorizo salad lunch yesterday has set the bar rather high.

That sauce and chorizo combination was really tasty, but the crunchy chickpeas were the real stars of the show for me. Consider me obsessed.

Yours sincerely,
Kelly - a woman who didn’t expect to be this excited about a salad x by @thewinchesterfork

Corr September, you’ve been a bit hectic.

Let’s rein it in a little for October, please!

Here’s what I’ve been eating/drinking this month:

🇬🇷 A Greek spread @brothermarcus_

🍖 THIS roast dinner (more on this soon) @lainston_house

🥧 Pie season @stjamestavernwinchester

☕️ Post-school-reunion coffee @honestygroup

🫓 Lebanese with the girls @lebanesehousewinchester

🍄 All the mushrooms on toast @greensbar_kitch

🥪 A working lunch @helchwinchester // @thematchalabs

🍷 A fabulous day at the @alresfordshow with @chalkdownwines

🍸 Cocktails @generalstore_winchester

🍽️ An incredible roast from @novaforestkitchen

🍜 @wagamama_uk with my mama @westquay

🍗 @fieldandfurnace Sunday roast at home *gifted

✨ A trip to @vibranttaproom // @vibrantforest

🌿 Lymington day trips @the_angel_and_blue_pig_

🍝 Pre-theatre London dinner @eatlebab

🍴 Southampton lunch dates @figurati_southampton *gifted

🍻 Celebratory train beers @marksandspencerfood

🥂 @hotelduvin with the girlies *gifted

☕️ Coffee and catch-ups with my favourite at @kavi_bakehouse

So yes, if you see me and wonder why I’ve put on 27kg in a month… now you know! 😂 by @thewinchesterfork

📍FIGURATI — SO14 3LG

No stranger to my grid - and after winning Best Restaurant in Southampton for the 4th year running last week, I couldn’t think of a better place to kick off the last year of my 30s! 🥂

We celebrated with a gloriously dog-child-free day in Southampton (which I’ll recap in full another time) because this lunch deserved its own post.

Sandwiched between a refreshing bottle of Vinho Verde and cocktails for two, we got stuck into a sharing starter of the house-baked Focaccia and Nduja Pork Arancini: both seriously moreish, full of flavour and crucially, not too heavy.

For mains, we shared the Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad- an absolute BEAST of a portion, with juicy chicken, plenty of parmesan and all the Caesar-y goodness you want and the Caprino Pizza, topped with creamy goat’s cheese and this tantalising onion marmalade, regrets about having to share this with Mr Fork!

@figurati_southampton has that relaxed, buzzy Mediterranean feel that screams long, lazy lunch plus it’s a cracking spot for a bit of people watching while you do it.

There is currently some building work going on locally, but it genuinely didn’t affect our experience, we couldn’t hear it from inside, so it was very much a non-issue.

Good food, good drinks, sunshine and absolutely no dachshund-related responsibilities for several hours.

A birthday lunch well spent. 🍕🍸

*INVITE by @thewinchesterfork

📍VIBRANT FOREST BREWERY & TAPROOM – SO45 3AE

Something you may not know about me is that I’m a self-proclaimed beer snob 🍻✌️

In a previous life, I’d spend my Saturdays mooching around Bermondsey Beer Mile - sampling weird and wonderful pours, insisting we’d only have a ⅓ before finding a favourite and committing to pints of it.

These days, I like my beer adventures a little closer to home, so I was very happy to discover the @vibranttaproom

Tucked away in Southampton, @vibrantforest is exactly the sort of space I love - relaxed, unpretentious and with a really interesting line-up of beers.

We tried a few of their classics, including Mooncross, Pupa and Misty Woods and were really impressed. There’s a great mix of styles and I could have happily spent an afternoon working my way through the taps.

They also have a brilliant line-up of food collaborations, so definitely keep an eye on their socials for what’s coming up.

I’m secretly a stout girl at heart though… so now I need to know - where should I be heading next for a really good stout?! by @thewinchesterfork