The Foresters Arms, Bagshot — Restaurant in Surrey Heath

A Full Circle Moment at The Foresters Arms Tonight I found myself unexpectedly transported back two decades. As I stepped into The Foresters Arms, I was greeted by Charlet and her trainee, Ethan — who appeared to be just starting out in his first job behind the bar. Watching him nervously pour a pint brought back a wave of memories from my own early days in the UK.

In 2005, I arrived in the UK to join my wife, and before beginning my degree at the University of Wales, I took on a job that was completely new to me — a barman. I'd never even set foot in a British pub before, but I took a leap of faith and applied. To my surprise, I got the job. My training took place at “The Bear Hotel “ in Devizes. I still remember serving the mayor and his entourage, the local funeral directors, and a cast of regulars whose stories were as varied as their drink orders. My trainer, Katie, was incredibly patient. At first, the job felt overwhelming, but within a few days, I found my rhythm. I learned not just how to pour the perfect pint but how to read people — to recognize moods, to remember regulars’ preferences, and to manage the chaos of a busy bar with empathy and poise. Though the pay was modest, the experience was rich. I had a front-row seat to the human experience — meeting people on good days, bad days, and everything in between. That job gave me invaluable insight into everyday British life, in all its complexity.

Watching Ethan at The Foresters Arms, I felt a quiet moment of nostalgia and pride. Just like me, he’s starting out unsure, but with the right support — like the guidance Charlet was offering — he’ll find his confidence. Soon enough, he’ll be the one making it look easy.

Life has a way of surprising us with small, beautiful reminders of where we’ve been. The evening at The Foresters Arms was one of them — a simple night that turned into a heartfelt journey through memory, wrapped in warmth and...

Booked a table for 7 and it went downhill from there. Shown to the table and drinks bought out and we placed our order. This was done within 15 minutes of arriving. Only one starter was ordered and 4 portions of garlic bread to begin our evening of dinning. The one starter was a goats cheese tart which had spent just a bit too long under the grill and the 3 semi heated cherry tomatoes on tired rocket set the food tone. The garlic bread didn’t arrive at all. The mains were equally as disappointing taking close to an hour and a quarter from ordering to arrive. A pasta dish with prawns had at least a half a cup of oil/ butter in the dish so it was greasy and inedible. When I complained I was offered another dish and was told the oil/butter was the way the cook makes it. Delia for Xmas for the cook! The Coc Au Vin chicken was drier than Ghandis flip flop and again was not able to be eaten. Another pasta dish featuring wild mushrooms was also unable to be eaten. The mushrooms were not bought back to life from the packet for long enough so they could not be chewed or cut. The salmon was cooked in a very oily pan and smelt like the potatoes. The 3 burgers didn’t come with the onion rings nor the spicy fries. The vegetables were awful and over cooked. The server did refund the pasta meal swimming in oil but we paid for the others. She even added 10% service charge to the bill probably to cover the cost of the oil used to create these dishes. The dinning room had 6 other people spread across two tables so they were not busy. Such a shame that this place puts up food not anywhere near good enough. Perhaps sandwiches and ploghmans might be a better bet given the depth of talent in...

Great Sunday roast not cheap but as they say you get what you pay for. Just an update enjoyed our last visit so decided to go again today for a full Sunday roast. Unfortunately the experience today left us very deflated ordered a vegetarian nut roast and beef both turned up together however the nut roast meal had no nut roast on plate just vegetables? Took back they apologized had to wait around 10/15 minutes only to be served a leek and cheese deep fried croquette? My partner was so hungry at this point she ate it. We commented to manager who apologized but we were left with the feeling it was all our thought? No offer of any drinks or reimbursement for meal just smiled and walked off. This was our 4th time eating there but will not eat there again. Should have informed us when ordering they no longer did nut roast and all the above would have...