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The Cricketers, Blandford Forum, ENG

The Cricketers

4.6
4.6
284 Reviews
£25 and under
Pub

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 1 time today
Experiences are available.
  • Charming
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
Soak up our friendly service and homely charm when nestled in the impressive roadside pub in the picturesque village of Shorton. Here at The Cricketers, we are the perfect retreat to sit back, relax and indulge in our delicious food with the perfect drink in hand.
Situated at the foot of Hambledon Hill, home of an Iron Age hill fort, and just off the Wessex Ridgeway footpath, a right of way passes right through our garden, making it a delightful spot for walkers to rest and enjoy some well-earned refreshments!
Here at the Cricketers, we see ourselves as being a real village pub - delicious food, a great selection of drinks and the warmest of welcomes. Well behaved dogs are also welcome!

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    £25 and under
  • Cuisines
    Pub
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu 12:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 12:00 pm–11:00 pm Sun 12:00 pm–8:00 pm
  • Phone number
    01258 268107
  • Website
    https://www.thecricketersshroton.co.uk/
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Location
    Shroton, Blandford Forum, ENG DT11 8QD
  • Area
    Poole
  • Parking details
    You may be required to park on the road due to limited spaces in our car park
  • Public transit
    1 Bus stop opposite to pub
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeaway, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • The West End Performance Faulty Towers

    GBP 60.00 per person

    Prepaid

    12 June 2025 only
    7:00 pm
    Last year we gave you the Las Vegas Strip... In June were turning Main Street into the west end... Come and Join us for what can only be described as a fun packed evening taking you back to the 70s! 2 hour show which also includes 3 courses for £60 per person The Cricketers Shroton, DT11 8QD Thursday 12th June Arrival from 7.00pm Seating and show starts at 7.30pm Book Online or Call 01258 268107 Book now before were fully booked as we wouldn't want you to miss out, limited spaces available!
    The West End Performance Faulty Towers photo

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 284 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.6Value

Noise • Energetic

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Cricketers is a charming country pub known for its "excellent lunch" and "wonderful Sunday roast." Guests appreciate the "warm welcome," "great service," and "friendly staff." The menu offers unique options like belly pork bao buns and prawn curry, adding a "fabulous" twist to typical pub fare.

284 Reviews

  1. Jane

    London

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 2 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Nice welcoming pub . Good price for Sunday lunch. One suggestion would be to use hot plates , food was really cold very quickly which was a shame.

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  2. David

    Dorset

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 21 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent lunch at a great local country pub! Thoroughly enjoyed our time and will definitely be back!

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  3. Jez

    London

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 15 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Have to say the beef was excellent... nice and rare, not tough at all. Sirloin beef is worth the extra cost..... Lovely meal. Great service and very nice people. A wonderful Sunday afternoon roast after a long dog walk with muddy boots...

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  4. John

    Dorset

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 11 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The Cricketers always offer a warm welcome and an interesting menu. My sister had the belly pork boa buns to start followed by chicken supreme with couscous. I started with the spicy buffalo wings with Dorset blue dip and then onto the prawn curry. We both the food was absolutely fabulous and certainly very different to most pub fares. Highly recommended!

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  5. John

    Dorset

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 16 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always a warm welcome here at the Cricketers! The lunchtime menu is good with special mention for the burger and ham, egg and chips. Timothy Taylor Landlord seems to be a permanent option and it is very rare to encounter it this far south in the country and all the more of a pleasure to enjoy one of the UK’s finest ales.

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  6. Samantha

    Lancashire

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 21 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The lady who served us made our evening. She was an absolute delight.

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  7. Bernard

    Dorset

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on 14 September 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Unfortunately although we have eaten here before and had a nice meal, on this occasion it was not good. There were 6 of us and whilst the main course for 4 of us was ok the shepherds pie that both my son and I ordered was frankly awful. There was small amount of sort of liquidised carrot on the plate which was ok but not exactly wonderful but the pie itself consisted of a small dish of diced meat which was full of in edible gristle, a small amount of gravy topped by a small dollop of mashed potato which wasn't even fully covering the dish. Together with the inedible meat I also had 2 pieces of string in my pie.The pub did however take the cost off the bill when my son paid but as it was supposed to be family celebration it was rather spoilt by the meal.. However, the waitress was friendly and efficient and the deserts were nice but I feel that the pub should not have accepted bookings for individuals when they had a large wedding party as the chef clearly couldn't be bothered with our shepherds pies.

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  8. Val

    Dorset

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 10 September 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A lovely, warm and friendly pub. We enjoyed a delicious lunch which was chosen from an excellent menu - spoilt for choice! Loved the play on words referring to cricket. I'm very much looking forward to my next visit.

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  9. Jennifer

    London

    9 reviews

    2.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on 2 September 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    Friendly service but staff very inexperienced/untrained? Food tepid - no reaction when staff informed. Good desserts. Overall disappointing.

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  10. Jez

    London

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 1 September 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A great Sunday roast and a very good price. Wonderful staff.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Cricketers offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at 01258 268107.

The Cricketers is rated 4.6 stars by 284 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 1 time today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for The Cricketers

Shroton, Blandford Forum, ENG DT11 8QD

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Area
    Poole
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu 12:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 12:00 pm–11:00 pm Sun 12:00 pm–8:00 pm
  • Price
    £25 and under
  • Cuisines
    Pub
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    You may be required to park on the road due to limited spaces in our car park
  • Public transit
    1 Bus stop opposite to pub
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeaway, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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