The Fox and Hounds - South Godstone
The Fox and Hounds is on the south side of the village and on Tilburstow Hill Road on the way to South Godstone. Take the right hand fork signposted for the Godstone Farm, once you are on the outskirts of the village, and go on for a couple of miles - it is not far over the crest of the Tilburstow Hill - it has its own car park on the left side of the road in front of the entrance to the pub.
This is best known for being a small restaurant - some eight tables only, but serving the most fantastic home cooked food. It is imperative to book well in advance, as the pub's reputation for haute cuisine has spread far and wide, and it is almost always full.
The food is on the expensive side, at £14.00 for a main course, but well worth it. The menu is very small - a choice of perhaps four starters, and six main dishes - but always original, and the vegetarian or fish eater is always catered for. The menu changes every visit, and on Wednesdays and Thursdays, one can go for dinner at a reduced rate on the understanding that the dishes are being experimented upon, prior to unleashing them on the weekend diner.
There is a good choice of high quality wines, and the general ambience is homely, with a wide collection of pigs to admire. We have eaten there on four occasions and been delighted every time.
The pub is quaint too - I believe it dates back to the 14th century, and nothing much has changed. There is a gauntlet of a smuggler, who was shot on the premises, on display in a glass case on one of the walls - his tombstone is in the Godstone churchyard. Apparently he was buried on the premises of the pub, but all the locals wouldn't drink there until he had been exhumed and buried at the church, as they believed he would haunt the place until he was given a decent burial.