First To The Post

With head chef Valentino Gentile having recently claimed the prestigious chef of the year title at the Surrey Life Food & Drink Awards, The White Horse in Hascombe has been transformed in recent years.Matthew Williams visits this classy country pub

- Matthew Williams

Thousands of people move to the Surrey countryside for its peace, quiet and historic village pubs, but not many of them end up buying their new local when they feel it’s not quite the community hub they hoped for.

While most people would begrudgingly settle down with a bitter while contemplating what might have been, Paul and Sorrel Morganti couldn’t resist the opportunity to dive into hospitality and take the reins at The White Horse in Hascombe.

Having poured a fresh energy, enthusiasm, and passion into the place, as well as completely refurbishing the once faltering 16th-century building, they’ve created a pub that is not only a popular haunt for locals but also a destination for discerning diners.

With the charming Valentino Gentile - who enjoyed such success at the much-missed La Luna in Godalming - running the kitchen, it’s also racking up the awards. Regular readers will recognize the name, of course, as Valentino was recently named Surrey Life chef of the year, beating off competition from Kingham's’ Paul Baker and London House’s Ben Piette. Following their awards success, we decided it was high time to discover what so tickled our judge’s taste buds.