Me and my partner booked a few days away to Hayling Island as a last minute, spur-of-the-moment plan to wind down and reset before Christmas and the New Year. Being unfamiliar with the area, we asked staff at the holiday site we were staying at to recommend the best places to eat on the island or within a suitable driving distance.
We’re both from Reading, where you can grab food pretty much any time of day or night, even if it’s just a 24/7 McDonald’s drive-thru. Hayling Island, however, is very different… especially out of season! We visited in early December and quickly realised there wasn’t a huge amount of choice, particularly by the time we eventually headed out for dinner at 8pm!
An Unplanned Visit That Quickly Turned Into a Favourite
We didn’t actually plan on going to Langbrook Farm at all. We first tried another place that had been recommended as “the best”, but after nearly driving into the sea trying to find the parking lot, we decided to ditch that idea and head to the next nearest option, trying to be quick, as everywhere was starting to close.
Pulling up to Langbrook Farm was an immediate relief. There’s a large car park with plenty of spaces, which already felt like a win after our previous attempt at the place we originally planned to eat at!
First Impressions
Inside, we were greeted by friendly staff who said to take whichever table we liked and they explained that the kitchen was closing in 15 minutes, so if we wanted food we’d need to order promptly. Despite this, they were more than happy to accommodate us and didn’t make us feel rushed at all.
As soon as we walked in, the smell of roast dinner and gravy hit me, the kind of smell that instantly makes you hungry. After a quick look at the menu, which is full of pub-grub favourites like fish and chips, burgers, pies, lots more mains, along with starters, and sides, we both decided the carvery was the obvious choice given the fact the aromas of the carvery was in the air and smelt delicious.
I’ll admit, I nearly ordered from the main menu, because I am a self proclaimed roast dinner snob. In my opinion, the best roasts are home cooked, and despite trying many places that other people rave about, I’ve never truly enjoyed a roast outside of my own home or a family member’s. So expectations were low to say the very least, but I was hungry and thankful we was able to eat something without having to drive to Portsmouth for a fast food joint, which seemed like our only option if Langbrook Farm couldn't serve us!
Ordering & The Carvery Experience
We queued at the bar for less than two minutes, ordered our drinks (a soft drink for me and a pint for my partner, who was pleased to see his favourites on tap), and ordered two standard carveries. There are plenty of options available: a junior carvery for children, small, standard, large, a non-meat option for just veg and trimmings, and a vegetarian alternative too.
Taking our tickets to the carvery counter, we were greeted by the chef and asked which meats we’d like. The choice was turkey, gammon, or beef, with a vegetarian option available. My partner went for all three meats, whilst I opted just for the beef.
You can upgrade to a large carvery for £2 extra, which includes a larger plate, more meat, an extra Yorkshire pudding (standard gets one), and two pigs in blankets. Although we stuck with the standard, the chef kindly gave us two pigs in blankets each as there were only four left and we were the last customers, a small gesture, but such a lovely one. Literally as we sat down, the carvery was being cleared away as the kitchen had officially closed and we both said about how nice it was for him to offer us the pigs in blankets instead of them being binned.
The Food (From a Roast Snob!)
The trimmings on offer included roast potatoes, boiled new potatoes, mash potato, carrots, red cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, parsnips, stuffing, and gravy of course, alongside every sauce condiment you could think of.
As we sat down, I said to my partner, “I hope this is going to be okay, it’s the end of the night and it’s probably been sat there a while”. Oh wow, how wrong I was!
The first mouthful had me instantly going “mmm”. My tastebuds were very happy. I kept going on about how it was the nicest gravy I’ve tasted outside of my own home, it was rich, full of flavour, and not watery or bland like so many places get wrong. I think my poor partner heard me say it at least 20 times! Even writing this sentence now has my taste buds drooling over how good it was!
Every mouthful made me want more, and my only regret was not piling on even more roast potatoes, even though I’d already enjoyed five of them!
Once I'd finished my plate, which I cleared, I announced to my partner that this was the best roast dinner I’ve had outside of my own home or family dinners. I even said how much I wished we had one closer to us, as Langbrook Farm is part of Farmhouse Inns that neither of us had heard of before, with other restaurant locations all over, although my waistline is probably thankful we don’t have one closer, because I’d definitely be a weekly visitor!
The Desserts (A Sweet Tooth’s Dream)
Langbrook Farm is a large premises with plenty of seating, and as we was given the option of any table we fancied, we chose a booth near the bar. This turned out to be dangerous for me, because I couldn’t stop staring at the cake display and the perfectly stocked ice-cream freezer beside it.
Having a sweet tooth, I wandered over to the two cabinets, specifically the cake one, and asked the man at the now empty bar if it was too late to order cakes to take away. His reply was thankfully “Not at all”.
The cakes were beautifully presented and honestly the biggest slices I’ve ever seen. On offer were: Mars Attack, Candy Cane Lane (a festive special), Carrot Cake, The Big Biscoff, Chocolate Fudge Cake, with each of these being triple layered cakes. There were also a Cookies and Cream Cheesecake, enormous éclairs and chocolate brownies, and this was only a small glimpse of the dessert options available as I'd already looked at the dessert menu when looking for what to order for dinner. Other dessert options included Apple Crumble, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Bakewell Tart and many more! We both decided to go for a slice of the Candy Cane Lane each to takeaway.
Back Again for Breakfast
We enjoyed the food so much that before leaving, we checked the menu and saw they offer an unlimited breakfast buffet. So on our last day, we went back there before our drive home.
It was much busier this time, but parking was still easy. We joined a small queue inside and were asked if we’d booked a table. We hadn’t, but thankfully the waitress was able to squeeze us in.
The unlimited breakfast included pork sausages, vegetarian sausages, breakfast Yorkshire puddings, bacon, black pudding, hash browns, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, baked beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, and white and brown toast with butter and spreads. They also offer other breakfast options like eggs benedict and breakfast rolls.
This time, we were seated at the other end of the restaurant, an area we hadn’t seen before, and I was genuinely impressed to discover a children’s dining area, complete with its own toilets labelled “girls” and “boys”, a large play area, and child-friendly décor featuring popular characters. It was lovely to see how much thought had gone into making that space welcoming for families.
Accessibility & Atmosphere
I noticed a wheelchair user in the restaurant, which made me pay more attention to the layout. Everything felt open, spacious, and accessible, making it clear that the restaurant caters well for all guests, something that really stood out and impressed me.
And… I Kept Going Back
Once home, I told a fellow roast loving friend all about Langbrook Farm and how it was the best roast dinner I’d eaten out. A week later, I was back again with her, enjoying yet another carvery and of course, a slice of Chocolate Fudge Cake to take home!
Then again on 2nd January, the same friend and I stopped by for breakfast before a busy day ahead. Even though breakfast wasn’t the original plan, it made perfect sense and yes, we left with cake to take away again, this time choosing the Mars Attack for me and the Biscoff for my friend.
Final Thoughts
Langbrook Farm went from a last minute, accidental visit to a place I ended up visiting 4 times in one month, which says everything.
Great food, friendly staff, easy parking, family friendly spaces, great accessibility, and some of the best cake slices I’ve ever seen. It’s just over an hour from Reading for me, not the closest, but definitely not the furthest and absolutely worth the drive!
Would I recommend it?
100%
Would I go back?
Again and again!
Until next time,
Jada x
Disclaimer: I have not received any compensation, incentives, or complimentary items for this review, nor was I asked or encouraged to write it. This review is entirely independent and reflects my genuine personal experience.
Disclaimer: I have not received any compensation, incentives, or complimentary items for this review, nor was I asked or encouraged to write it. This review is entirely independent and reflects my genuine personal experience.
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