The Worlds End, Blandford Forum

This roadside pub claims to be Dorset's best known, but it is by no means the most enjoyable. It is currently operated by Hall and Woodhouse and caters primarily for passing tourist trade. The large 17th Century longhouse sits on its own plot, isolated on the old main road by the re-routing of the new A31 about 100 yards to the North. It has a huge car park, a seating area at the front and a terrace garden at the rear with a rural feel. There is also a children's play area. Inside there are flagstones and oak timbers, some original. The ground floor has been knocked through and extended to form a single long bar which is primarily furnished with small dining tables, many of them marked 'reserved' but unoccupied during the busy period. There is no local spirit or family atmosphere here. The management is distant and unengaging, while the waiting staff look miserable and overworked. They claim to employ a team of professional chefs, but the Romanian slop-jockey was unable or unwilling to meet simple requests from diners. There were three ales on – I had Tanglefoot, which was in very good condition. This isn't currently somewhere I'd make an effort to visit, but it wouldn't be the End of the World to drop in for a few beers and a formulaic snack if convenient.

An atmospheric pub, serving excellent First Gold, Fursty Ferret and Tanglefoot. If you like your food served on a block of wood, your peas in a toy colander and your chips in an empty bean tin, this is the pub for you! Apart from this silly way of serving food and the fact that my scampi & chips only contained nine pieces of scampi, we all enjoyed our meals. Certainly worth a visit.

Stopped in here at around 4pm for a very late lunch one weekday afternoon just after Christmas. Waited 45 minutes for food to be served, despite a complete lack of other diners. Thankfully the food was, on the whole, pretty good. Two Badger beers on offer at the bar. I tried the 'Pickled Partridge' which was very good, whilst the 'First Gold' was also available. The interior of the pub has been revamped since I last visited several years ago, and thankfully the main bar looks a lot more welcoming as a result, even if it is now unashamedly in the gastro-pub territory its location suggests it is best suited to. This is exactly the same sort of Hall and Woodhouse outfit as the St Peter's Finger and several other local pubs, but it's still worth a look if your focus is food rather than drink.