Neeld Arms, Chippenham

A pleasant and traditional looking pub in this attractive village, there is a small beer garden at the front with a few picnic benches. Internally it’s a good size, and whilst there does seem to be quite an emphasis on food, it didn’t strike me as a gastro-pub and there was certainly no problem just getting a pint. The main bar area is at the front of the pub, and this was a U-shaped room wrapped around the bar counter. There was much exposed stonework on the walls, whilst the floors were a mixture of very old carpet, wood strip, parquet and a few quarry tiles. A number of pewter tankards hung from the black beams on the ceiling. There were a few stone fireplaces around the pub, and whilst a couple contained wood burning stoves, these looked to be gas rather than the genuine article. A village notice board was adjacent to the door and there was a small trophy shelf in one corner, next to a shelf containing various local magazines and tourist info. Beyond the bar area were further rooms on each leg of the U, although these both looked to be more geared up for dining. The décor here was broadly similar, although with different colour paintwork on the walls making it a little more contemporary, as well as a number of black and white animal prints in one of the rooms. A chalk board on the wall listed a number of dishes, both “favourites” such as scampi & chips, ham egg & chips, pie of the day, burger, etc., and these were mostly priced around a tenner. There was also a good choice of specials which looked tempting and these were a little more expensive in the £10 - £15 price range. In addition to this, there were various meal deals on different days, such as pie, steak and curry nights. Beers on tap were Flying Monk Habit, Tribute and 6X, whilst a fourth pump appeared unused. Ciders meanwhile were Stowford Press and Thatcher’s Gold.

Wadworths 6X & Henry's IPA, Ramsbury Bitter, Oxfordshire Ales Pride of Oxford. Low beamed bar area, pewter tankards hanging around the servery, large inglenook with ancient wood lintel to the rt, coal burning stove to the left, 2 recessed window seats with pine tables, rear left of bar is rustic dining area, to the right a larger room decorated with aforementioned land tools on bare brick walls, dark wood furniture, horse brasses. This area also serves as the breakfast room, but was quiet fri evening, unlike the bar which was a positive buzz of local chatter, thinning out ~20:00. Food is all listed on chalkboards in bar area and was very good eg (our selection) mushroom ‘pepperpot', smoked chicken & bacon salad, pork tenderloin stuffed wi black pudding, wrapped in bacon, homemade neeld burger, starters ~£6, mains £9-£12, separate veggie options. Good accom too, our room (#2) had probably the widest bed I've seen, spotless bathroom, £80 b&b (for 2), & breakfast was good (v tasty sausages). Grittleton is a very attractive looking village & Neeld Arms a good place to break a journey.

Official site of the Neeld Arms, includes menus and wine list - www.neeldarms.co.uk

Official site of the Neeld Arms, includes menus and wine list - www.neeldarms.co.uk