The Black Dog, Dorchester

A really pleasant village pub, popular with a wide variety of customers. This includes grockles, but that hasn’t spoiled it at all. Indeed the pub staff go out of their way to cater for all age groups and customer types. It does B&B as well as restaurant-style food, there are play apparatus in the garden for energetic children, and they serve excellent ale. The layout is as described below, and includes a pool table, TV screen and gaming machines. The ales were Exmoor Ale, in perfect condition, Dartmoor Legend and Directors, which we didn’t have time to test. They also had on 6 different Thatcher’s ciders, Moretti, Guinness, Sam Miguel and Carlsberg. Well worth a visit, and if I lived here I’d be happy to have this as my local.

Official site of The Black Dog Inn - www.blackdogbroadmayne.co.uk

Nicely positioned country pub with a central bar, pool table and dartboard past it to the right and restaurant area to the left, large garden to the rear, and rooms above seem to be good value to let. The pub was very quiet initially, which changed quite suddenly when the Wessex Morris Men and their entourage arrived. After they’d finished dancing in the garden there was a bit of a standoff between the musak-blaring television, which apparently someone wanted to listen to, and the morris men wanting to play their instruments and sing along inside. Weight of numbers inevitably settled it in the end. On the drinks front, there was the usual tap stuff plus four hand pumps, but only serving Tribute and Doombar, with an Old Rosie pump clip turned round on the third and the fourth vacant. Wasn’t impressed with the quality of the Tribute, and noticed a couple of undrinkable pints of Doombar being returned and used as plant fertiliser, though in fairness the barrel was changed straight away. I sought assistance from the top shelf in the end. I didn’t have a chance to try the food, which locals tell me is good and reasonably priced. I understand this is a Punch lease with new tenants only a couple of weeks in. I’m not going to post a rating now, but would come back here to see what it’s like once they’ve had a chance to find their feet, as this could be an excellent pub.

Official site of The Black Dog Inn - www.blackdogbroadmayne.co.uk

Open square interior with a central bar. Dining area to the rear and bar with pool table to the front and side of the pub. A small beer garden is situated at the side by the entrance but a larger one with a lawn is at the rear of the building. Customers seemed to be locals rather than tourists but it had a relaxed atmosphere (I visited in the early evening on a Thursday). It reminded me of my local – you wouldn’t travel more than a few miles out of your way to get here but certainly good enough if you’re based nearby. Casque mark pub with Sharp’s Doom Bar, St Austell Cornish Tribute, Ringwood Boondoggle and Old Rosie cider on handpull. 4 pint flagons are available for £10 – not bad at all. An array of handpull badges stuck to the ceiling beams suggest a changing guest offering.