Hampshire &amp; Isle of Wight


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-top-hampshire-chef-daniel-rogan-hosts-pop-up-supper-at-blue-jasmine">Top Hampshire chef Daniel Rogan hosts pop-up supper at Blue Jasmine</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1440" height="1403" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/02/Daniel-Rogan-AO.jpg" alt="Daniel Rogan chef AO Southampton Hampshire" class="wp-image-33183" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/02/Daniel-Rogan-AO.jpg 1440w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/02/Daniel-Rogan-AO-800x779.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/02/Daniel-Rogan-AO-1000x974.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/02/Daniel-Rogan-AO-768x748.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Daniel Rogan, Restaurant AO</figcaption></figure>



<p>Fancy a treat to see out the month? Starting with some gourmet foodie news, leave Blue Monday firmly behind with a gorgeous, feel-good fine-dining supper. Local Michelin-trained chef <a href="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/muddy-reviews-ao-by-daniel-rogan-southampton/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Daniel Rogan</a> will be in residence for an <a href="https://www.bluejasmine.co.uk/special-guest-events" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">exclusive supper club at Blue Jasmine</a> in Southampton’s Ocean Village on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 January, pairing eight exquisite courses with specially-selected wines. That’ll be Dry January over then!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heckfield-s-hearth-restaurant-shortlisted-as-uk-s-most-beautiful">Heckfield’s Hearth restaurant shortlisted as UK’s most beautiful</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1128" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/11/Heckfield-Place-Hearth-restaurant.jpg" alt="Hearth Restaurant Heckfield House Hampshire" class="wp-image-32477" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/11/Heckfield-Place-Hearth-restaurant.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/11/Heckfield-Place-Hearth-restaurant-800x602.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/11/Heckfield-Place-Hearth-restaurant-1000x752.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/11/Heckfield-Place-Hearth-restaurant-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2023/11/Heckfield-Place-Hearth-restaurant-698x525.jpg 698w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Heckfield House</figcaption></figure>



<p>A celeb favourite near Hook, Hampshire&#8217;s ultra-luxe Marle restaurant at Heckfield House and culinary lead Sky Gyngell are one of just a handful in the country to hold a Michelin Green Star for their sustainably minded seasonal dishes. Now, the hotel’s <a href="https://www.heckfieldplace.com/food-drink/hearth" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hearth</a> restaurant has been shortlisted for Most Beautiful Restaurant 2025 by <a href="https://www.thegoodfoodguide.co.uk/the-good-food-guide-awards/shortlist-revealed-for-the-good-food-guide-awards-2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Good Food Guide Awards</a>. Rustic luxe indeed. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pizza-express-choose-hampshire-for-pod-launch">Pizza Express choose Hampshire for Pod launch</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Pizza-Express-Pod.jpg" alt="Pizza Express Pod" class="wp-image-36254" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Pizza-Express-Pod.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Pizza-Express-Pod-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Pizza-Express-Pod-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Pizza-Express-Pod-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Pic: Pizza Express</figcaption></figure>



<p>Swung by the Tesco Extra at Bursledon recently? Then you might have spotted a new <a href="https://www.pizzaexpress.com/bursledon-hamble-lane" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pizza Express Pod</a> just outside the entrance. A UK and international first, word has it there’s are more branches of the takeout concept set to come here in the county. Shoppers and locals can pick up Pizza Express restaurant favourites to-go through the hatch or get them delivered at home. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DDPmyHlIFUu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Muddy grabbed a tasty post-shopping supper of doughballs and Fiorentina pizza</a> – and I can happily confirm it was chef’s kiss good.  </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rick-stein-s-bargain-seafood">Rick Stein’s bargain seafood</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Rick-Stein-at-The-Seafood-Bar-Credit-Sam-Harris.jpg" alt="Rick Stein" class="wp-image-36257" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Rick-Stein-at-The-Seafood-Bar-Credit-Sam-Harris.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Rick-Stein-at-The-Seafood-Bar-Credit-Sam-Harris-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Rick-Stein-at-The-Seafood-Bar-Credit-Sam-Harris-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Rick-Stein-at-The-Seafood-Bar-Credit-Sam-Harris-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Rick Stein, <em>Sam Harris</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>Who fancies gourmet grilled lobster for £2.80, seafood thermidor for £2.20 and treacle tart for 35p? (Hand shoots up). 50 years on from the opening of his Padstow restaurant in 1975, Winchester’s Rick Stein eatery is joining in the seafood supremo’s golden anniversary celebrations. </p>



<p>Lucky diners will enjoy classic seafood dishes at 1975 prices for four days in February. (Better save the date if you want a table though – this one’s sure to go like Glasto). Reservations open at 10am on Friday 24 January at <a href="http://rickstein.com/the-seafood-restaurant-50/rolled-back-menu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rickstein.com</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pizza-perfecto-for-1">Pizza perfecto – for £1!</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/09/Pizza-Express-chef-pizza.jpg" alt="Pizza Express" class="wp-image-34972" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/09/Pizza-Express-chef-pizza.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/09/Pizza-Express-chef-pizza-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/09/Pizza-Express-chef-pizza-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/09/Pizza-Express-chef-pizza-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Pizza Express</figcaption></figure>



<p>Speaking of cut-price suppers – if don’t fancy a takeaway, head to your local Pizza Express restaurant this January for a great value deal to have in. Buy one classic or leggara pizza and get the second for just £1*. </p>



<p>Local branches in Hampshire include Andover, Basingstoke, Fleet, Aldershot, Petersfield, Winchester and West Quay (Southampton). Enjoy dining waterside? Overlooking the marina and The Spinnaker Tower, Pizza Express at Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth has some of the best views in town. <em>(*6-30 January 2025, Dine-in only, </em><a href="https://www.pizzaexpress.com/terms-and-conditions/one-pound-pizza-jan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>T&amp;Cs apply</em></a><em>). </em></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-this-the-best-pub-in-hampshire">Is this the best pub in Hampshire?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="819" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Wonston-Arms-1000x819.jpg" alt="The Wonston Arms Hampshire Best " class="wp-image-36256" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Wonston-Arms-1000x819.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Wonston-Arms-800x655.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Wonston-Arms-768x629.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/01/Wonston-Arms.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Travel writer Will Hawkes and <a href="https://thewonston.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Wonston Arms</a>’ own landlord, Matt Todd, both seem to think so. The quiet hamlet just outside Winchester is in the spotlight after the local was included in <em>The Telegraph</em>&#8216;s round up of ‘Best Pubs in every English County’. And the pub actually has “The Best Little Pub in Hampshire” painted on the outside. </p>



<p>Is it all (literally) just a façade? Apparently not. Local resident Todd first hit the headlines when he rescued the Winchester boozer from dereliction in 2015. The Wonston Arms was named <em>CAMRA National Pub of the Year 2018</em> and it has a listing in the organisation&#8217;s<em> Good Beer Guide</em> commending its ‘traditional cask ale and traditional pub experience’. Word of warning though – don’t come hungry. The pub only serves food on Fridays, when there’s pop-up curry from Winchester’s Nepalese Kitchen.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-work-smart-in-2025-at-this-luxe-new-hampshire-club">Work smart in 2025 at this luxe new Hampshire club</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="968" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/11/Barnsgrove-Orchards-Cafe-Palmers-Bar.jpg" alt="Barnsgrove private members club events venue Hampshire" class="wp-image-35949" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/11/Barnsgrove-Orchards-Cafe-Palmers-Bar.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/11/Barnsgrove-Orchards-Cafe-Palmers-Bar-800x516.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/11/Barnsgrove-Orchards-Cafe-Palmers-Bar-1000x645.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2024/11/Barnsgrove-Orchards-Cafe-Palmers-Bar-768x496.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Tired of endless Zoom calls and sad-looking sandwiches you&#8217;ve made yourself? Working from home is a whole lot more pleasurable when you&#8217;re not actually at home. Just ask the members of <a href="https://barnsgrove.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Barnsgrove</a>. Beautifully designed for work and play, this new countryside club near Basingstoke has desk and meeting spaces, a foodie café with delicious nutritionally balanced meals, a post-work bar, a well-equipped gym and wellness facilities. Want to know more? <a href="https://hants.muddystilettos.co.uk/life-2/barnsgrove-hampshire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Take a virtual peek here</a>, then book yourself a visit. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clarkson-gets-the-pints-in">Clarkson gets the pints in</h2>



<p>Enjoy watching the misadventures on Clarkson’s Farm? Fans of the show can try Jeremy’s Cotswolds-brewed, Gold World Beer Award-winning Hawkstone Lager, now serving at <a href="https://www.angel-lymington.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Angel &amp; Blue Pig</a> in Lymington. On the Isle of Wight, it’s also just gone on tap at <a href="https://www.merriegardenpubisleofwight.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Merrie Gardens Farm</a> at Sandown. And hot off the press, buy a pint of Hawkstone (or any other full-priced drink) at The Angel &amp; Blue Pig this January and snag a low or no alcohol drink for free.* <em>(*<a href="https://www.angel-lymington.com/offers">T&amp;C</a><a href="https://www.angel-lymington.com/terms-conditions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">s apply</a>)</em>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jet-plane-cafe-has-permission-to-land">Jet plane café has permission to land</h2>



<p>How’s this for a jet set meal deal? The <a href="https://www.solentsky.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Solent Sky Museum</a> in Southampton has been granted permission for a two-storey extension to the fuselage of a rescued BAC1-11 aircraft attached to the building so it can open a new café inside. Visitors who’ve long bemoaned the lack of food onsite will soon be able to grab a drink and a sarnie (hopefully without the sky-high prices) when they tour the 20+ planes here, including the legendary Supermarine Spitfire.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farewell-to-inn-the-park">Farewell to Inn the Park</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="679" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2021/03/Inn-the-Park.jpg" alt="Inn the Park new cafe Winchester" class="wp-image-21800" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2021/03/Inn-the-Park.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2021/03/Inn-the-Park-300x204.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2021/03/Inn-the-Park-720x489.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2021/03/Inn-the-Park-768x521.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/hants/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2021/03/Inn-the-Park-773x525.jpg 773w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>And finally, it’s sad news in Winchester. The city’s popular Inn the Park restaurant, bar and gallery been forced to close for good, prompting an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DEnDdjAiLsT/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outpouring of tributes on Instagram</a>. Formerly the home of the River Cottage, Inn the Park first opened its doors in 2021 after being taken over by the owners of the nearby Michelin-rated <a href="https://www.chesilrectory.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chesil Rectory</a>.</p>


Superflash! Rick Stein’s £2.80 lobster and more foodie latest

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