The Woodman, Ashtead  

What do you expect? This is Surrey. This is Ashtead "village". Village - with 15,000 residents and three pubs? The Woodman is the biggest, if marginally smaller than Texas and does everything an-aspiring-to-be posh pub should. A recent no-expense-spared refit has seen an upholstery explosion of virtually very chair, bench or stool in the place - a riot of stripes and rich colours. The wallpaper could be at home in a ritzy Indian restaurant and eclectic knick knacks ranging from modernist sculpture to oriental masks or early Christian fish imagery sit oddly in what could otherwise be a very comfortable (if rather large) waiting room for a high-class tart's boudoir. There's a decent range of draught beers and fancy lagers and the wine list is par for this course. Up-market formula food is available until 9pm. There's a garden with quality tables, chairs, awnings as necessary and a civilised view towards Ashtead Common. Staff are pleasant - the regulars seem to be topped up with an ever-changing force of well-spoken Surrey student types earning their beer money before returning to their bogus media studies degree course in some provincial polytechnic. By some strange glitch in the space-time continuum, no matter how many are behind the bar or how few punters are on the other side it will always take that little longer than you feel it should to get fed or watered. In the absence of any other character or identity to this place, at least it's a talking point.

reviewed:
16/06/2007

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children not admitted

quiz night Tuesday and Sunday

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