There are ponies aplenty in the New Forest village of Brockenhurst, as well as beautiful walks and delicious local food.

Behind the wide-bar gate at the entrance of Chamberlains Cottage in Brockenhurst there’s a compact threebedroom brick house with all that six food-lovers need for a long weekend. There are three pretty bedrooms (one en-suite), and a family bathroom upstairs, and a neat, modern kitchen, utility room, stylish dining room and gorgeous squidgy-sofa-filled sitting room downstairs, all surrounded by a well-tended garden with a gravel parking area and smart lawn. A combination of old (brick inglenook fireplace, latch doors, multi-pane windows) and new (large TV for rainy afternoons, and excellent power showers), makes this an ideal staycation home for those who want all the character, but all the comforts, too.

LOCAL DELIGHTS

It’s a short five-minute walk to The Snakecatcher pub, a bright and friendly local where the chef serves up pub classics alongside some more modern ideas. My wild boar bangers and mash with lashings of red wine gravy and tender steamed veg would have kept a strapping snakecatcher happy. My friend Rebecca was thrilled with her Mediterranean skewer – a kebab of tender marinated chicken, chorizo and onions served with a luscious side salad and warm chargrilled pitta bread – and the chaps tucked into bowls of mussels and a veggie green curry before hitting the pool table and leaving us to put the world to rights.

One evening we ordered in, but not the Indian takeaway variety. The Forest Foodie is an awardwinning business that delivers hampers, picnics, canapés and dinner-party delights made with locally produced food to holiday-home guests, locals, events and more. Our seafood supper was a beautifully packed box of treats including locally caught lobster, a crab salad dressed with lime, chilli and coriander, chalk stream smoked trout pâté and a jar of Isle of Wight garlic mayo, locally grown micro herbs and a loaf of Hoxton sourdough with slabs of creamy farmhouse butter.

PASSION PROJECT

A visit to Setley Ridge Vineyard kicked off with an excellent lunch in the adjacent Daisy Tea Room that included a ploughman’s platter with local ham, cheese, chutneys and a sausage roll the size of a man’s fist. There’s an excellent farm shop packed with local goodies, such as chocolate, jams and preserves, sauces and spirits including a vodka made on site by a Ukrainian living locally, and of course Setley Ridge wine. The six-acre vineyard produces up to 8,000 bottles a year, with the grass kept under control by resident sheep Marjorie and Gloria. It’s a passion project for owners Paul and Hayley Girling and they produce very quaffable reds, whites and rosés, with free tastings and paid-for vineyard tours.

WHERE PONIES RULE

We had downloaded the excellent ‘New Forest Walks’ app and a five-mile expedition straight out of the gate took us down the charming Brookley Road, the High Street equivalent in Brockenhurst, crammed with tearooms, restaurants and gift shops galore, before turning onto the flat heathland where the ponies rule. One sturdy little white pony had taken up residence in the middle of the road, and with his sad little face it seemed like none of the drivers had the heart to encourage him to move. It’s a bit like how I felt when it came to leaving the laid-back comfort of Chamberlains Cottage, the pretty little town and the wide open spaces of the beautiful New Forest on our doorstep. At least we had picked up some of that Setley Ridge wine to drink back at home to remind us of a truly wonderful staycation.