ReviewA popular Butcombe pub located in the picturesque village square. Once you’re through the throng of smokers congregating outside, it’s suitably “olde worlde” inside as befits the area, with a sagging, beamed ceiling, plenty of exposed stonework and lots of old fireplaces around, some no longer in use but others with wood burners in.
The front bar seems to be the one that’s popular with the locals and was pretty rammed early on a recent Friday evening. The bar counter itself is an L-shape, but the layout is not ideal and service can be tricky. The bottom leg of the “L” is in the aforementioned public bar, but quite close to the tables and chairs, so there’s only a limited amount of room to squeeze in to. That combined with many of the locals who seem to like taking up space at the bar can make it difficult to get yourself noticed. The upright leg of the “L” is pretty much in a corridor, so this too is not ideally positioned to get your drinks in.
The front bar also has a table skittles game which you don’t see too often these days, and the bar counter itself is an interesting feature, the base being made out of dozens of bottles set in to the plaster. Above the bar is more old timber, with plenty of horse brasses around and glass tankards hanging from the ceiling. Staff all seemed pleasant and helpful.
At the back you’ve got a couple of rooms that are again laid out with tables and chairs, but although the food seems popular it doesn’t dominate. Only the small snug at the very back had tables laid up for eating. The menu was a decent selection of pub grub, with your usual chilli, lasagne, ham egg & chips, etc, plus a few more adventurous dishes and a few specials chalked up on a board, along with an appetising selection of deserts. Most of the mains were around the £9 mark and this seemed reasonable value with our Butcombe Pie and “curry of the day” being pleasant enough (although nothing spectacular) and generous portions.
Beers on tap were predominantly Butcombe, with their bitter, Gold and Blond. There was also Fuller’s London Pride. Ciders were Ashton Press and Thatcher’s Dry.
All in all, well worth a visit. Note that parking in the square is very limited, and most of the nearby streets have double yellow lines. There are however a couple of public car parks within about two minutes walk, and these are free after 6:00pm.
