The Litton, Radstock

Facebook page of The Litton - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Litton - www.facebook.com

Previously The King’s Arms, this large village pub and dining venue is as described by others, below, but without the bugs that Blue Scrumpy mentioned. The young staff were welcoming and enthusiastic, and the atmosphere was convivial. Ales on were their own Litton Ale (actually brewed by GWB), Quantock QPA and Cheddar Potholer, plus there were three dry pumps. The bank of taps behind the bar was dispensing Veltins, Grolsch, Clear Head, Independence, Kicking Goat, Milk Stout, North Street Cider, Jubel Peach Beer and Blackbird. There was also a good selection of gin, for those who like such things. A decent beer line-up, amicable staff and a pleasant atmosphere make this a good place to seek out, and I’m sure I shall be back, maybe to eat next time.

Large and popular village pub that has been heavily refurbished. There is a large car park, with a grassy area adjacent to it, that appeared to be popular with families. Steps lead down to a covered patio and the pub entrance. The bar is in front of you, as you enter, with a large dining room to the right and a "whisky room" to the left. Also to the right-hand side, is another patio area, alongside a brook. Despite all of the available space, toilets are up a flight of stairs. Staff are young and plentiful, offering quick service. But this is a trendy sort of place that people will head a fair distance to. It's not your typical village local. So, prices reflect its popularity. The pub now has a house beer, which was Great Western Brewery The Litton Ale. They also have Cheddar Potholer & Quantock QPA as regular beers. There was no real cider. Craft beers served from the rear wall of the bar included Bristol Beer Factory Independence & Milk Stout, Jubel Peach & Wild Beer Wild IPA. They also had a North Street Cider. We chose to sit in the covered patio near the entrance, where a family and their dog were eating, one guy was reading a book and there were another 2 couples, one reading newspapers. Sheepskin rugs provide a bit more comfort for bottoms on the benches. However, they do appear to have some sort of bug infestation. They were practically all over the tables and benches.

Since my previous review this has been closed for some considerable time and has now re-opened under a new name after another extensive refurbishment. This time the refurbishment has included the grounds with much renovation going on, and it is now largely unrecognisable. Even the steps leading down to the pub have been relocated as far as I can recall, and there was a small patio area here along with an outside gas fire pit, as well as further seating on the well-manicured front lawn. A small “riverside terrace” is at the rear, although in practise it’s more of a stream and you need to peer over the fence to actually see it. Inside too it has changed considerably, with the main bar counter being directly opposite you as you enter with what was the restaurant in a separate room to the right now being opened out to be an integral part of the pub. The bar counter itself is quite impressive with a very solid slab on wood running along it’s considerable length, and the overall look here is very contemporary with a white plastered ceiling and very modern oak beams. The flooring was sanded wood boards, whilst much of the lighting was exposed filament light bulbs which of course is an essential ingredient of any pub renovation. Kilner jars were being used as lamp shades, whilst seating was padded benches around the perimeter as well as a few church pews scattered with goat skin rugs. A large stone fire-place off to one side housed a wood burning stove, and a couple of Chesterfield arm chairs were clustered around this. To the left, the older part of the pub is now known as the Whisky Bar, and they have done a good job here of retaining some of the pub’s more traditional charm. There are old flagstones on the floor it was divided in to a number of separate areas, although not distinct rooms as such. There were a couple of further fire-places, some painted wood panelling on the walls and a small, curved bar counter in the corner. Presumably this was the whisky bar, although it was unmanned and I did not inspect it. A band were in the process of setting up their gear on a recent Wednesday evening visit. Both a bar menu and restaurant menu were available, and in the restaurant at least you could choose from either. There were a few traditional “pub grub” dishes such as fish & chips, burger, ham egg & chips, etc., although these were certainly at the premium end of pub pricing with the fish & chips coming in at £13.75 for example. There were also a few more unusual options. A salted beef hash with spinach, fried egg and a mustard sauce was a decent enough dish, although at £12.50 this too felt a little expensive for what we got. There was a good selection of beers on tap, all from small and local breweries – Cheddar Ales Potholer and Crowning Glory, GWB Hambrook Pale Ale, BBF Nova and Wild Beer’s Bibble, whilst a sixth pump appeared to have run out. There were also a few more “craft ale” taps behind the bar. Cider’s meanwhile were the excellent Orchard Pig Reveller along with Caple Road. All in all, I was really impressed with this, they’ve done a sympathetic refurbishment of a lovely old pub, a good choice of beers, great location and friendly staff. With just a bit of a tweak to the food pricing, it would be very good indeed.