The Phoenix, Chard

A former Georgian coaching inn, originally called The George, the interior is a single long bar, with a pool table and an air of putrification that hits you as soon as you walk in. The bar is beyond scruffy, it feels grimy and unwelcoming. The locals are similar – grimey and inwelcoming, and they too have their own aroma, mainly tobacco and sweat. There is no real ale and no cider, though they did have Hobgoblin and Doombar in bottles. They do apparently have B&B rooms, but I certainly wouldn’t want to stay here. Rather than rising from the ashes, it seems to have sunk into the mire.

After visiting the Cerdic I had to search for the bus stop back to Axminster so I found myself sitting opposite this place with an hour or so wait for the bus. There was a banner outside claiming it was an "Official Pub Of The Carling Premier League" which I read as "Avoid! It'll be a complete disaster". Ignoring the sign I ventured in. It's a long room with a darts area on the immediate right followed by the bar then a wider rear area with two pool tables. There are tiles around the bar and a carpet where the pattern was straight out of the 1950s. There was a TV just before the bar showing a tennis match but with no sound. The woman behind the bar seemed friendly enough and I asked if they did any cask ales. She said they didn't and then reeled off a list of lagers and cream flow crap that made my stomach churn. Thinking about how I was in cider country I asked if they did any real ciders and was given a list of mainstream keg ciders one of which was Olde English which I didn't even realise was still in production. I went for that (£3.20) and it was more like a pint of carbonated apple squash. I can understand a West Country pub that sells a local cider not having any real ale but for one to have just national keg brands of everything goes beyond the pale. I did think that it was indeed a complete disaster.