The Enmore Inn, Bridgwater

This roadside country pub was closed for several years, and it reopened in the last few weeks after a refurbishment. There is a gravel car park with a fantastic view over the surrounding countryside, from which you enter the pub through a pile of litter and fag ends. It feels aa bit cramped as you go in through the back passage, then you come into an open plan area made from three original rooms and a more recent extension, all conjoined and informally demarcated by low walls. There is a large brick inglenook with a woodburner, though this wasn’t lit. There was some confusion when we went in – told we couldn’t eat as there was not table for us, yet we were shown to a table where we waited for a table, until a young waitress came over and said we could now eat as we were at a table. There was a carvery on, good ingredients very well cooked and reasonable value, though not the cheapest. The whole inside was carpeted in brown, which made it feel gloomy. Two handpumps on the bar, one clipped Doombar, one Butcombe Original, but neither capable of serving beer. We opted for bottled beer which they just happened to have as ‘samples’ so we had no idea what we were drinking. The staff were friendly and helpful, and it was amazingly tolerable given its proximity to Bridgwater. Fine for eating but far too chaotic to be a boozer.