Codrington Arms, Bristol

Official site of Codrington Arms - www.codringtonarms.co.uk

Official site of Codrington Arms - www.codringtonarms.co.uk

A traditional looking pub on the outskirts of Yate, it has a modern extension on one side and has clearly been renovated inside as well with quite a contemporary design. The original part of the pub to the right is fairly small with the extension to the left being used as a dining area. Decor wise it all very contemporary as previously noted, although there is nonetheless still a couple of exposed brickwork chimney breasts. Flooring is a mixture of parquet wood and carpet with the usual shades of Farrow & Ball paintwork. The fire-place to the right housed a wood burning stove, but despite the pile of logs stacked up alongside all it contained was some electric lighting. Similarly, a dual aspect chimney breast separating the pub from the restaurant contained nothing but a Christmas tree. Although there were a few chunky beams on the ceiling, these were clearly decorative rather than structural. A dart board too seemed more for effect than any practical use, being placed right in front of the doorway to the restaurant. The lunch menu offered a decent selection of dishes, with a couple of pub classics such as fish & chips or a burger, but on the whole they were a step or two up from your normal pub grub with other options including lamb shank or confit duck leg and prices ranging between £11 and £19. That said, a reduced menu of four dishes was available as part of a “one course for £6.95” deal, and we opted for the scampi & chips and the ham, egg & chips from here. These were both pretty good, with the ham in particular being thick slabs of meltingly tender meat, with the only let down being the fact that the menu said it came with eggs (plural) but in fact was only one. Despite four hand pumps on the bar, one appeared unused and two had their clips reversed leaving just Doom Bar as the only option. That said, it was only a couple of days after Christmas, so no doubt stocks had yet to be replenished. The friendly barmaid said they also usually have GWB Maiden Voyage, although apparently they had not had the other one, whatever it was, “for some time”. Ciders were better represented with a trio from Thatcher’s – Haze, Dry and Gold.