What’s Lover Got To Do With It...?

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Slightly mis-appropriated words from gravel-voiced glam gran, Tina Turner, but on an early February outing to Redlynch in Wiltshire, Valentine’s Day looming and millions of flowers destined to wilt on supermarket shelves, just what has Lover got to do with it?

Redlynch is a small village in south Wiltshire just inside the northern border of the New Forest National Park.

Border marker - wealthy living past this point...

No glamorous history here just a quiet forest hamlet  barely noticed through the centuries, with a bit of ancient lacemaking and piecemeal development thrown in.

Sleepy village - where early planners (like their modern counterparts) ensured that new development was sympathetic and in keeping...

Whilst possibly still home to a few original village descendants, Redlynch is now another resting place for mostly retired or weekending wealthy business types, their high powered Mercedes, BMWs, and Range Rover’s mostly hidden in double garages and up winding driveways.
Being such a small quiet place the Parish of Redlynch is actually a cluster of several nearby villages including Bohemia, Woodfalls and Lover.
Lover is just a mile down the lane and shares a church and village hall with Redlynch.  Lover’s post office was famous for its use to post Valentine’s cards, which then received the official ‘Lover’ post mark.  Unfortunately the post office closed in 2008, however last February enterprising villagers set up a ‘pop up’ post office to resurrect this charming tradition.

Love’s pop up postie...

Not having one of it’s own, Lover also shares Redlynch’s pub, The Kings Head, our destination for today.

17th century Kings Head

Apparently this is a 17th century inn now owned by Punch Taverns.  It is a simple but attractive old building set back from the road at the top of the village.  Through the front door there is a main tiled floor area, with bar and a large brick fireplace decorated with brassware and housing a log burning stove.

Main area with warming fire in the stove and a typical country log fire smell...

There are two other annexes off the main area, all of which are set out with tables for dining and which were quite busy, as expected on a Sunday lunchtime.  Mrs GH and I were greeted by friendly bar staff who immediately asked us if we had a reservation ( a sure sign of a dining pub - and we didn’t) but without any fuss they quickly found a table for us.
An old chap (with his dog) was having a drink at the bar, one of the few ‘non-dining’ spots available along with a couple of nice armchairs by the fire.  He didn’t say anything when I asked the barmaid if I could photograph the pump clip, but I sensed his weary resignation of people with their mobile phones.

Downton Brewery’s Four Corners pump clip demonstrating that the world is cuboid.

The pub had some local beers on offer and while we were waiting for our meal I choose a Downton Brewery’s seasonal, Four Corners which they call a New World Red ale.  This is probably due to the fact that it has Australian, New Zealand and American hops in it.  A very good beer with a nice balance of bitterness and a roasty, malty taste.

Well served in the correct glass and according to Downton Brewery '.... a most rounded pint, with four corners’....whatever that means...

I would imagine nothing exciting happens here and why would you want it to?  Just a quiet pub with diners chatting away over their Sunday lunches - very pleasant too - as was the delicious chicken pie....

Proper chicken pie with top and bottom pastry and chicken gravy - (Mrs GH was most relieved that I didn’t cause her more embarrassment by photographing her scampi and chips - especially when the flash went off!)

Main course over, the nice waitress brought us the dessert menu board.   Obviously thinking we were 'young lovers’ (young people from Lover?), she pointed out the “unasham-ed” (her word) advert on the back of the board (top photo), then giggled with slight embarrassment and off she went.  Leaving us to choose a dessert and ponder the delights that 'Valentine’s Night' had to offer.
In the end the lemon meringue pie seemed far more interesting (to me) than the ‘one night only special menu' and the ‘live romantic music’ so I went for that.

..with cream... mmmmmmmmm lover-ly...

Being in a quality culinary establishment my thoughts turned to an appropriate second pint to pair with my lemon meringue pie.  Quickly ruling out the Canadian (previously Cornish) Doom Beer, I found the perfect pairing...

Hopback, Ringwood and.... Doomed Beer

... another local favourite the Hopback Brewery’s Summer Lightning.  Again well served in the correct glass.  I don’t think I’ve tasted Summer Lightning this good even in one of Hopback Brewery's own pubs - very good/perfect.

The perfect accompaniment for lemon meringue pie and flat caps...

Absolutely top marks to The Kings Head for real ale (and tasty food) - this pub is definitely in the GHGBG (Garden Hermit’s Good Beer Guide) and could well be a pre-emptive candidate for the GBG tickers (if they are short of a tick when in the area).
So what better way to finish off a nice sunny Sunday afternoon, than a meander down the quiet lanes of Redlynch....

Sleepy Sunday afternoon in Redlynch...

Thank goodness I remembered that Valentine’s card for Mrs GH  ...hope the post office has 'popped up' by now ...

Lover is possibly a corruption of ‘Lower (Redlynch)’ in local dialect and is pronounced ‘Lover' like ‘Dover', not ‘Lover' like ‘luver’.  
Oh well you can’t have everything - anyway I think that’s nearly how Tina pronounces it.....lohve not luv...(if you’re still with me...)