I visited the Hand and Flower on Mothers Day this year as I always do, we made our booking 3 weeks ago and were advised that there was a special Mothers Day Menu and a gift for all Mothers.(no gift, not even a flower on the table) We booked our table for 6 people at 15:00hrs. You can imagine our surprise at being told that they had sold out of 2 of the 5 or 6 starters and 2 of the 4 or 5 sweets that should have been on offer. I could understand the situation if we had booked the table for early evening or had just turned up the day. We did try and speak to one of the waitresses (who has worked there for quite a long time) and she couldn't have cared less, I got fed up of waiting for a drink so went to the bar myself, this took 10 mins to get served as there was only one barman. I made a comment to the barman who stated that the other person who should be serving was having his diner! I only hope that they hadn't run out of what he wanted! Has the Hand and Flower got new owners? I use this pub on a regular basis and have never come across such bad service. After leaving I went to the Cardinal on Tudor Drive who had 140 people for lunch and the place was buzzing, we had our sweet in the Cardinal! All tables had a red rose and complimentary chocolates on them.I fully recommend the Cardinal to anyone who wants good food, great atmosphere, and can serve what is on the menu. The Hand and Flower will have to up it's game or it will continue to loose customers. Regards, A very dissatisfied local....

As promised I took all my family back to The Hand and Flower,well we were spoilt rotten, yes we know it's Christmas. We were made to feel so special the food was great, service a tad slow, but they were full, It's almost cheaper there than to eat at home, and far less hassle!! I am looking forward to summer in their garden the kids will love it. John Dufton

I had lunch in the Hand and Flower today 15th December, the place was full as one would expect so near Christmas the food was really good and excellent value, the service also was really first class, I talked to the people on the next table an they thought the same and explained they were there most weeks and so were many of their friends. I will take my family again, thank you Hand and Flower. J D

Dear Sirs On Sunday 22nd November my wife and I ate at the Hand and Flower. Our visit was basically based on the write up and review from the local Kingston Leisure magazine. Upon ordering the meals on arrival firstly the meals were incorrect as were ordered by another table, , secondly , when the meals arrived they were both cold and both meals were then returned and reheated. Once returning the meals the meat covered the over cooked and burnt potatoes which were well and craftily hidden by the meat. Understand the restaurant was busy but staff on the day were very unhelpful and the service was very, very poor. Rather than a proper Sunday roast was basically meat that was prepared and simply heated with vegetables which appeared out of a frozen bag rather than the normal fresh veg . Yorkshire pudding was definitely not freshly made

What looks like a small and unassuming local from the outside is actually an eclectic mix of diverse areas catering for all ages. For a traditional pub with a difference look no further than the restored Hand and Flower.

The Venue
Nestled cosily between the Ham, Petersham Cricket Club and the local shops of Ham Parade, the Hand and Flower has been restored to its original name after a brief sojourn as the Legless Frog. With views and outdoor tables overlooking the idyllic Ham common, the venue offers a large garden complete with pond and children’s play area, a small traditional bar and two slightly more formal dining rooms in the back.

It offers an unusual mixture of styles but the casual approach to both the decor (there is something very comforting about the cricket memorabilia decorating the uneven walls) and the layout seems to work - laid back and old fashioned in the front, modern and ordered in the back. It’s a bit of a hike from Kingston or Richmond stations but the 65 bus flits regularly between the two.

The Atmosphere
You get the feeling that the Ham locals are very pleased to have their old pub back to how it once was. While this is by no means the old man’s pub that it undoubtedly was way back when, there is a definite whiff of the traditional and homely about the Hand and Flower and it is this that marks it out from others in the area.

The clientele are mostly over thirty and the regulars who prop the bar up on a weeknight are considerably older but the young affable staff and the families who come in at weekends make it a friendly and pleasant place to while away many hours with no pressure to drink or eat huge amounts.

The Food
The menu here changes daily and all products are sourced locally. The Sunday Roast is so good and with such a choice (chicken, lamb, beef or a combination of all three for £7.95-£10.95) that it seems a waste to go for something like fish and chips or risotto.

Main dishes are reasonably priced from £7 for a linguini arabbiata to £9.50 to for a pan fried red snapper and there is much to choose from including three different steaks between £12 and £15.50. Starters are few and mainly vegetarian (all at £4) and platters to share are priced at £7.

The plentiful and mouth watering dessert menu is a better bet than the starters and everything is homemade. Desserts like sticky toffee pudding, orange and cointreau cheesecake and pear and almond tart all come in ridiculously generous portions at a mere £4 each and certainly don’t disappoint on flavour.

The Drink
The Hand and Flower stocks over sixty wines and isn’t badly priced at £14-£40 a bottle. Many of the wines are available by the glass and they offer the rest of the bottle free if you order two glasses of the wine of the month (red, rose and white). Just be aware that these bottles do sell out quickly.

Being a good old fashioned kind of place, pint drinking is popular and the locals favour Timothy Taylor, London Pride, Doonbar and Heineken. Becks Vier and Staropramen are also on tap alongside a guest ale like Tanglefoot. Budweiser, Corona, San Miguel and Peroni are available in bottles and there’s an impressive selection of Fruit Shoot drinks for younger patrons.

The Last Word
This sort of country style pub is a dying breed in London. The expansive garden is a great pull in the summer months and the restaurant in the back ensures the Hand and Flower is an ideal place to take the family with the guarantee of fine wines and a top quality roast on a Sunday.