The Oakwood, Gloucester

At one time this was no doubt a pleasant village local, situated as it is directly opposite the attractive church. Now unfortunately, it’s been amalgamated by the adjoining Premier Inn and as such has little in the way of any character or individuality. It looks as though it’s recently been refurbished, and is pleasant enough in a corporate, mass produced sort of way. I don’t make a habit of going in to Premier Inn pubs, but the decor is remarkably similar to the other one that I have been in. The flooring is a mixture of wood strip, slate tiles and carpet and there are various pseudo-traditional touches around such as piles of logs that will never be used on the fire. From the outside the main building has a New Orleans appearance, with it’s wrought iron railings, but this part of the building appears to be unused at the moment, unless perhaps it’s a function room of some sort. The food menu is basic grub as would be expected, with the menu divided in to sections such as Burgers, Salads, Pasta & Risottos, etc. The barman was a friendly chap, and there are a number of tables outside in the garden to sit and watch the traffic whizzing past. Beers on tap were 6X, Butcombe and Woodforde’s Sundew. The solitary cider was Strongbow, unfortunately.