Restaurant Review: The Stable, Winchester, Hampshire

I was very excited to be invited to review The Stable in Winchester - a relaxed restaurant which serves up pizza, pies, and salads and is famous for their amazing variety of cider. I was first introduced to The Stable when their first restaurant opened closest to us in Southampton - their opening night taught us about the history of the restaurant and the idea which birthed such a unique pizzeria. When the Winchester Stable opened, I was very excited and honoured to collaborate with them on organising a Wassail event for local bloggers - the afternoon was filled with delicious slices of pizza, plenty of cider to celebrate this medieval festival of good apple crops!


Recently I returned to The Stable in Winchester to try out their new pizzas - I was completely sold when they mentioned that there is a kimchi pizza! I love kimchi and I love pizza - this is the dream combo.

The team at The Stable Winchester are all so welcoming and lovely - when we settled upstairs, we asked what new pizzas were on the menu, what they would suggest, and what the most popular pizzas were. There is also seating downstairs where The Stable regularly hold live music nights, and an outdoor seating area perfect in the summer.

We were very tempted by the sharing starters - it was a choice between the Pot of Gold which is a dipping pot of cider and melted cheese; and the Caprelous Charcuterie & Cheese platter which had award-winning cured coppa, chorizo and pork loin, with a selection fo artisan cheeses and house pickles, whipped garlic butter and spiced tomato chutney - served with sourdough bread. YUM. There was so much temptation on that plate - it had to be a winner!

I loved the cured meats and cheeses - every bite was delicious. The whipped garlic butter was so creamy and flavoursome; and the chutney added a tangy sharp twist to every bite. It was also nice to have a sharing board which I find very social and it's nice to catch up over some food.

We enjoyed our starters with a pint of cider - I opted for the dry cider option which is the Cornish Orchard on the menu; and mum opted for the Crafty Nector No 8 Rhubarb which is a slightly sweeter sparkling cider. Because we couldn't decide on which cider we wanted (being a little bit of a cider novice, usually my boozy choice is wine) our host brought over a small tasters board and told us about the ciders which would suit our tastes. We enjoyed sampling the different ciders and picked one we knew we would enjoy!

It was then time for the main meal - pizza. The Rad Kimchi was something I couldn't pass up on: slow roasted pulled pork, roast peppers, mozzarella, topped with kimchi, cider pickled radishes and edible flowers. WOW. This pizza didn't just taste amazing, but it looked amazing too. So colourful and decorated with edible flowers, if you ever wanted an Instagrammable pizza - this is it.

We also went for the Bar End Baa Baa with lamb kofta, feta, mozzarella, oregano and red onion, finished with cucumber ribbons and honey & mint yogurt. This pizza is light and full of flavour - perfect option for hot summer days. For those times when you could do with a salad, but you really want a pizza!

Both of the pizzas were absolutely delicious - when mum asked me if I can find any faults in either the food or the restaurant itself I honestly couldn't! The flavour combinations are different in all the best ways, pizza dough is light, the team are always on hand - and the atmosphere is so relaxed! I usually slather my pizza from takeaways with garlic sauce but these pizza's don't need anything on them, although there is an option to order sauces.

The entire menu also caters to vegetarians, vegans, and those with dietary needs like gluten free. The venue menu is vast and includes most of main menu but tailored to vegans; and ANY PIZZA can be ordered on a gluten free base.

There was a very special cider we tasted on our tasting board - salted caramel cider. Now bear with me - I know it sounds a little bit out there BUT it's like a toffee apple. The smell which hits you is insane - it smells just like salted caramel! And then you taste the drink - it start being delicious, but only gets better with every sip. We ordered half a pint each of the salted caramel cider, and for pudding we shared The Winchester Mess (meringue, berries, cream with cider and berry coulis) and Hedgerow Cider & Berry Posset (made with berries and Hedgerow cider, topped with fresh berries). The posset was fresh and light - a dessert you should opt for if you've had a big meal like us; and the meringue mess was creamy and full of flavour in the chewy yet crispy meringues.

I honestly would have to give The Stable in Winchester a 10/10 for the experience and the food - it's the perfect place to enjoy an informal atmosphere for a catch up with friends over pizza and cider (or other drinks!). My favourite thing about The Stable is they change their pizzas to suit seasonal offerings and new ideas which their chefs and the team come up with - so you can always guarantee to try new flavours on your favourite dough base.

Find out more about The Stable in Winchester - visit their website: The Stable in Winchester

*The food and drink featured in this post was complimentary for review purposes from The Stable. All views are my own.