7 Elevation Dr, Wongawallan Ph: 07 5665 7582
Where can you find the Queen and her corgis, pork pie made by the Queen’s baker and the Tardis, all in the one place?
In the foothills of Mt Tamborine lies a piece of Mother England, the Fox & Hounds Country Inn. The 18th century old Sussex Arms in Tunbridge Wells was dismantled, shipped over from England and its interior reconstructed in Wongawallan, opening as the Fox & Hounds in 2007.
The Fox and Hounds is a must for royalty lovers, football fans and Dr Who followers. From the red telephone box and London bus parked outside to an interior filled with an eclectic mix of antiques and paraphernalia, there’s something to catch the eye at every turn. With four themed rooms, we dine in the British room, seated under the watchful eye of Queen Victoria, who gazes imperiously around the room. There is a stuffed stoat on the fireplace mantelpiece, palace guards making sure our behaviour is civil, football scarves hanging from the ceiling and an Ood who watches over the bar.
There’s quite an extensive menu of British favourites, including a Ploughman’s Platter, Toad in the Hole, Lamb’s Fry, Giant Yorkshire Pudding and a Pork Pie served cold with accompaniments of cheese, English mustard, pickled onions, gherkins and piccalilli. The pork pies are the real thing, made by Tony Wensley, who managed one of the most prestigious bakeries in Melton Mowbray which regularly serves the Queen.
The home-cooked food more than meets our expectations. The hugely generous Beef and Guinness Pie is served in a charming ‘Simple Simon’ pie dish, the crestfallen face of the child visible in the crockery dish.
“Oh no, she stole my hat,” you can imagine him saying.
Of course, I did! I whip the pastry off, as crispy as it is, taking only a bite because the pie filling is steaming and scrumptious, made rich by the Guinness, the slow-cooked cubes of beef tender and juicy with a tasty sauce that I mop up with forkfuls of mash.
Likewise, the Pork ribs are smothered in sauce and packed with flavour. They fall off the bone at the touch of the fork. It’s a hearty meal, the rack of ribs accompanied by excellent beer-battered chips and coleslaw. This is ‘fine fayre’ indeed!
With an extensive range of British and Irish beers and ciders available on tap or by the bottle, the Fox & Hounds brings us bucketloads of nostalgia, all only a short drive away from home. Pop in for a Greene King IPA or a London Pride at the British bar, a Kilkenny or Guinness from the Irish bar. This cosy pub may soon become your British home away from home.
NOTE: Marj Osborne dined as a guest of Destination Gold Coast.
