The Wheatsheaf, Bath

Official site of The Wheatsheaf - www.wheatsheafcombehay.com

Official site of The Wheatsheaf - www.wheatsheafcombehay.com

An attractive stone built pub in an idyllic country setting. Sitting on the terrace at the front of the pub, there is not another building to be seen, just rolling fields and trees. Certainly well worth stopping for a pint on a sunny afternoon. There is also further seating on two garden terraces below the patio. Once inside though, you find that it’s very much a gastro-pub with limited seating for those wanting just a pint. There were a couple of stools at the bar, and a small snug at the front with two leather sofas. That aside, the place is very much geared up for diners and I suspect you’d be unwelcome sitting at any of the tables without eating. First impressions of the service were not good – I was stood at the bar for several minutes without any acknowledgement from the two barmaids. This, despite the fact that there was only one other punter at the bar - the second barmaid was presumably getting drinks for somebody at a table. After that things looked up though, and they were all helpful enough. The landlord in particular seemed friendly, and was interested in what we thought at the end of the evening. There was also a friendly dog wandering around, and whilst this might be fine in a pub, it seemed slightly less appropriate in what is effectively a restaurant, especially when he rests his head on your knee hoping for some titbits. The main bar has striped pine flooring and whitewashed stone walls and white painted roof beams. A number of tables are arranged in front of the bar, on inlaid matting. A small dining room is off to the left as you come in, and a larger one round to the right. This had parquet wooden flooring, some large black wooden beams, aqua blue plasterwork, an unusual upright floor standing clock, a large collection of wooden bird houses in the window and some photographic art on the walls, much of it for sale. The harsh acoustics made it somewhat noisy as it started to fill up. The small snug at the front with the sofa’s had a flagstone floor and a large fireplace that had a few little candles at this time of the year, but plenty of logs were stacked up ready for the winter. Food was very much of the gastro variety as expected, with starters being anything up to a tenner and mains in the £15 - £20 range. On top of this a small pot of greens was another £2.95. Overall the food was decent enough, but I’ve had better for less. Beers on tap were Butcombe and Butcombe Blond. Good choice of ciders though with Ashton Press, Cheddar Valley and the local Honey’s Midford Cider served straight from a barrel at the end of the bar. A tricky one to mark this. Location would be 10/10, food maybe 7/10 but as a proper pub only about 4/10.