Food for Thought
Hot, freshly-prepared food is served every day at the Bankes Arms Studland (see opening & serving times below) and our ever-changing menu reflects seasonal availability with mouth-watering salads, freshly caught fish in the spring and summer and casseroles, game and pies in the autumn and winter.
Wherever possible we source from a wide variety of local Purbeck and Dorset suppliers so you can be sure your food is fresh and well nurtured as well as helping to sustain the local community. Our seafish and seafood is caught and supplied by Dorset fishermen who safeguard existing stocks, our meat comes from organic farms where the animal’s welfare is reflected in the quality of the meat and our game comes from well-run Purbeck estates. Our suppliers are always providing innovative ingredients and suggesting inventive recipes and we like to think that their inspiration is reflected in our menu.
We offer a menu for all tastes and appetites, from simple bar snacks and pub favourites to gourmet dishes to accompany a bottle of wine. We have a children’s menu and high chairs and families are always welcome to eat with us. Well-behaved dogs are also welcome anywhere in the pub so we’re ideal for those wanting to refuel after or before a walk along the Dorset Coastal Path.
We have a diverse range of wine to accompany your meal including some affordable fizz for those special occasions. We also have nine draught ales, including several brewed right next door in the Isle of Purbeck Brewery. In the summer we’ll invariably have ice-cold Pimms on the menu or, in the colder months, you can warm up with a hot mulled cider or wine.
Sample Menu
Our menu options are available on the chalkboards as you enter the pub and they change regularly according to both seasonal availability and local supply. Below is a sample menu showing a typical range.
PLOUGHMANS
All with dressed salad, apple, Isle of Purbeck Brewery chutney, pickled onion & locally made granary bread:
- Mature Cheddar
- Dorset Blue Vinney
- Brie
- Dorset Honey Roast Ham
- Gala Pie
- Chicken Liver Pate
BAGUETTES
Locally made white baguette with a dressed side salad and a variety of fillings:
- Mature Cheddar
- Brie & Cranberry
- Ham & Mustard Mayo
- Chicken with Caesar dressing
- Sausages: pork & chorizo flavour
SALADS
Baby leaf dressed salad with local granary bread:
- Oven roasted goats cheese with sweet chilli sauce.
- Smoked salmon.
- Chicken with Caesar dressing.
FISH & CHIPS
Traditional fish & chips; fresh haddock fillet in ‘Isle of Purbeck Brewery’ beer batter with chips, peas & salad.
FRESH TUNA
Panfried tuna steak, on a balsamic drizzle with tomato salsa with chips & salad or vegetables & potatoes.
FRESH SEA BASS
Panfried fillets of sea bass with a chilli & garlic butter with chips & salad or vegetables & potatoes.
FRESH SALMON
Poached fillet of salmon, garnished with baby prawns & marie-rose sauce with chips & salad or vegetables & potatoes.
SCAMPI & CHIPS
Breaded whole tail scampi with chips, peas & salad
TRIO OF SAUSAGES & CHIPS
Trio of local butcher’s sausages (pork & leek, pork, sage & onion, Cumberland) with chips, peas & salad
LAMB SHANK (GF)
Slow roasted, minted lamb shank with a red currant & red wine jus, served with chips & salad or vegetables & potatoes.
SPICY CHICKEN & CHORIZO PASTA
Strips of chicken breast with chorizo sausages in a slightly spicy sauce of onions, peppers & tomatoes mixed with fusilli pasta, topped with cheese. With a dressed side salad.
BEEF BOURGUIGNON (GF)
Slow cooked pieces of beef in red wine, with herbs, celery and button mushrooms, served with chips & salad or vegetables & potatoes.
CHILLI CON CARNE
Minced beef, flavoured with crushed chillies, herbs, garlic & tomatoes, finished withy red kidney beans & jalapeños, served with rice & salad.
LAMB CURRY
Pieces of lamb in aromatic spices with red peppers & potatoes served with rice & salad.
BURGER
Prime, locally made beef burger in a floured bun, with baby leaf, tomato, topped with cheese with a chilli jam and chips on the side.
FAGGOTS (GF)
Locally made faggots, on creamy mashed potato with red onion gravy & garden peas.
THAI RED CHICKEN CURRY (GF)
Tender pieces of chicken breast, marinaded in red taxi spices, cooked with peppers, baby corn & green beans, finished with coconut milk & fresh coriander, with rice and dressed baby leaf salad.
VEGETABLE & BEAN CHILLI (GF, VEGETARIAN & VEGAN)
Courgettes, onions, peppers in a spicy tomato sauce with herbs, finished with red kidney beans, butter beans & jalapeño chillies, served with rice & salad.
VEGETABLE PASTA (VEGETARIAN)
A mix of peppers, onions, courgettes & aubergines in a herby tomato sauce with pesto, missed with pasta, topped with parmesan, served with a side salad.
VEGETABLE CURRY (VEGETARIAN)
Sweet potato, chick peas, peppers & baby spinach in madras curry sauce, served with rice & salad.
CHILDRENS MENU
- Pork Sausages
- Breaded scampi
- Fried Egg
- Honey Roast Ham
- All with chips and peas or beans