Bottle Inn, Bridport

A barely-alive roadside pub which has recently reopened, though you’d be forgiven for thinking it hadn’t. There is a large unmade carpark at the front, and an enclosed, lawned garden with tatty furniture and a few children’s toys. Inside, there are three bars, two of them sharing a servery. The bar on the left has exposed beams and an inglenook with a woodburner, while the one on the right still has its beams covered and a ghastly 1970s electric fire in front of the rendered brick chimney breast. The third bar room, behind, is entered through a fabric hanging flap. The whole thing feels damp and hasn’t been decorated in several decades. Food is basic pub grub, very basic, cooked from the freezer by the landlady on request. There were 4 handpumps on the bar but only one ale, Otter Bitter, which was not that well kept. There were also 3 boxed ciders which were a much safer bet. Could be so much better.