Wheatsheaf Inn, Axbridge

Recently re-opened after a prolonged spell of closure, it is now run by the owner of the Chew Valley Smokehouse on the top of Dundry, who will also be relocating this here at some point. It doesn’t obviously look like a pub from the outside, with only a small sign on one wall of the pub, so it’s easy to drive by without noticing. Currently the entranceway is a small door around the back of the pub next to the kitchens – whether this is permanent, or still work in progress, I’m not sure. Internally it’s a bit of a mixture of old and new, and you can almost imagine that it was some type of barn at one point. There are old flagstones on the floor and some of the walls are exposed stone or brickwork. Elsewhere though, they are freshly plastered and painted, as is the ceiling, although there are also old bits of timberwork still visible. I actually quite liked it and thought it struck a good balance between the traditional and contemporary. It consists of a couple of main bars at the back of the pub, and beyond this is a passageway/seating area running the length of the pub with plenty of glazing giving good views over the garden. A stone fire-place was at either end of the pub, and there were a farming implements and colourful pieces of artwork on the walls, such as a hen and a duck smoking a pipe, as well as on old dresser and a couple of shelves of books. There is also a further room with one very large table filling it. Food wise, the menu was chalked up on a couple of blackboards and seemed to offer a bit of a jumble of starters, mains and sharing platters with no obvious way to distinguish one from another. As might be expected from a business that also owns a smoke house, a number of smoked dishes such as duck and salmon featured, although I didn’t spot any smoked haddock which was a shame as I have bought that from them a number of times and always found it very good. Prices were anywhere from about £6 to £14. We opted for the mixed charcuterie platter to start which was a very generous portion of cold meat, tasty hummus, olives, a selection of bread and an oil and balsamic dip. For £8 I thought it was very good value, being plenty for two to share. A main course of dauphinois potatoes with smoked salmon and poached egg was somewhat unusual, but decent enough. If I were being critical I’d say that a bit more salmon and a bit of extra cream and garlic with the potatoes would have made it better still. Beer choices were chalked up on a board next to the bar and dispensed from barrels racked up behind it. On this occasion the choice was Cheddar Ales Potholer and RCH Firebox. Ciders were well represented with Thatcher’s Gold, Thatcher’s Haze, Millwhite’s Hedge Layer and Somerset Snuffler from the Shepton Mallet Cider Mill. All in all, I really liked this and wish the new owner well.