The Spotted Cow

The Spotted Cow sits on Bourne Grove, on the outskirts of Farnham rather than in the middle of it. That matters when you're deciding where to go. This is not a place you wander into after a walk round the town centre; it's a short drive or a decent walk out, and the journey is part of what you're choosing. It is a thatched country pub, and it looks the part.

The kitchen does traditional British cooking with an emphasis on seasonal game. That focus is the most useful thing to know about the place. Game is by nature a moving target, what's available shifts through the year, so the menu will not look the same in February as it does in September. If you are travelling specifically for a particular dish, ring ahead. Nothing here is worth guessing about.

The price band is ££. In practice that signals a pub kitchen taking itself reasonably seriously without pushing into occasion-dining territory. You can eat here on a Thursday without thinking too hard about the bill, and you can also bring people you want to impress mildly. It is not a cheap eat, and it is not a tasting-menu evening.

Real ales and a fire are listed among what the pub offers, which tells you what kind of room to expect and what kind of visit suits it. This is a sit-down-for-a-while pub. It rewards the long Sunday, the winter lunch that runs into the afternoon, the evening where nobody is in a hurry. A quick working lunch is possible but it is not really what the place is built around.

Who it suits: couples, small groups, people visiting Farnham who want somewhere with a bit of countryside about it. Walkers, in the right weather. Families, probably, though we don't have confirmed detail on children's provision, so ask when you book.

Things worth checking before you go. Parking and access, given the out-of-town location. Whether booking is needed, a pub of this type on a Sunday usually fills, and turning up hopefully is a gamble. Current opening hours, which we cannot confirm and which pubs change more often than people expect. And, again, what's actually on the menu that week if game is the reason you're going.

Farnham has a good number of places to eat, in town and around it, and they do different jobs. The Spotted Cow's position is clear enough: the country pub option, out of the centre, leaning on seasonal cooking and a proper pub room rather than on novelty. If that is what you want from an evening, it is a straightforward choice. If you want somewhere you can walk to from the station after work, look closer in.