The Eagle Tavern, Chard

A large roadside pub, independently owned rather than the usual chain. It feels a bit 'retro' (ie backward) – a throwback to earlier times before corporate chains ran these places, and is a bit shabby around the edges. There is a car park at the front, from which you enter the pub through a sea of litter and fag ends. At the back is a garden with a pleasant lawn, furnished with neat rows of wooden benches and tables, and there is a children's play area. Inside, the rooms have been conjoined to form a single L-shaped space, though they forgot to level the floor when they did the work. The rear is laid to table, and a sign indicates that you have to wait to be escorted to a table rather than sit down. The left hand side of the bar – the apex of the L – has a very welcoming woodburner and some comfy sofas, while the other side is largely open and makes for a decent drinking area with a large open fireplace. There are large picture windows at the front giving wide views over the countryside. There were several young waitresses hovering like the eponymous raptor, while the barman was friendly and pleased to serve us. Two ales on, Otter Bright and Quantock Pale Ale, both in good condition. Not a bad place to stop for lunch when passing.

With a prominant roadside location on abusy junction on the A303 you would expect this pub to be an awful motel diner type establishment. Fortunately it is not that but a rather surprisingly sterile, brighly lit bistro style interior. Real ales were Otter bitter and Exmoor Gold which was in good nick. Very quiet on the night we visited the bowl of chips were obviously grilled to death from frozen; crispy on the outside and raw inside.

Large pub just by the A303. Having missed lunch elsewhere, I only came in due to sign advertising food served all day. I expected it to be dreadful, and on entering I found a modern, clinical feel that was not to my taste but indicated a pub that was trying harder than I'd expected. Service was welcoming and I enjoyed a pint of Otter (Otter Bright also available, and a third hand pump empty). A tasty stilton-topped burger @£8.75 from an extensive menu came with chips, a bowl of salad and a bowl of coleslaw. There is a large garden and children's play area to the side and extending up the hillock at the back of the pub. Not a great pub by any stretch of the imagination, but a comfortable enough place to stop off en route.