The Star Inn, Winscombe

A large pub on the main A38, although one that seems to concentrate on the food side of things more than the drinks. We went in the side door from the car park and you’re immediately confronted by a large L-shape stainless steel carvery counter which I always find slightly off-putting in a pub, especially when it’s not in use. To the right the pub extends some way back but this is very much a restaurant area, seating about 80 according to some of the blurb that I read. Other than the carvery counter, the entrance vestibule is pleasant enough with a slate tiled floor and a small bar, although it seemed to have a slightly musty smell to it. The landlady was friendly and suggested if we were just drinking we might like to go the front of the pub where there were some comfy sofa’s. This we duly did, passing another snug with some diners in on the way. The front bar is definitely more atmospheric, with a low ceiling, white paint on the walls with black wooden beams, and an impressive fireplace at one end. However, there were two problems to my mind – all the tables in this bar were laid up for food, even though there was nobody in there. True, there were some sofa’s as mentioned, but right next to this was a large plasma with the volume up far too loudly. It wasn’t even showing any sport as you might expect, just whatever rubbish was on ITV. I turned this off and we sat on the sofa’s which was then a pleasant enough spot. Next to this is a smaller bar with a pool table. We didn’t check the menu, but it seems to concentrate on “2 for 1” deals judging on all the flyers around, which in my experience does not usually bode too well in terms of the quality of the food on offer. The solitary beer on tap was Butcombe, although there were two more pumps not in use. Ciders were Thatcher’s Gold and Blackthorn. Unfortunately by the time we left at about 9:30 on a Saturday evening, there was not a single customer left in the pub. Obviously this cannot bode well for the future of the pub and I fear it may not be long before this goes the way of so many others.