ReviewThe legend “Country Pub & Dining” prominently displayed on the outside of this pub didn’t inspire me with confidence – all too often this type of “marketing” means over-priced gastro fodder with little consideration for drinkers. Happily though, in this case I was to be proved wrong. It’s an accurate description in as much that this is a pub in the country, and you can eat there. Nothing more than that, which makes a pleasant change. It’s quite difficult to pigeon hole this pub in to any particular category – they seem to cater equally for diners, drinkers or punters who want a game of pool.
It’s a good sized, “O” shaped pub with the bar being in the centre. Essentially it’s all one big room, although divided off in to different areas with some wood partitions and decor changes. The largest section is at the front, and this has tables in the large bay windows along with a massive old fire place that houses a bread oven, wood burning stove and a large pile of logs. The front part of the pub has an old beamed ceiling, although the pale green paintwork in between the black beams was an unusual choice. Flooring here is red patterned carpet with some red floor tiles around the bar counter, which is clad with what looks like drawer and door fronts from kitchen cupboards.
Around to the right is another, smaller area with tables and chairs, and a smaller fireplace, again with a wood burning stove. A tropical fish tank separates this from the pool table, and this was in constant use on a recent Wednesday evening visit. Beyond this was some pale green wood cladding on the walls and some old wooden pews that had a bit of a country kitchen air to it. The one remaining area is a small snug just as you enter the pub from the car park with a couple of old leather sofa’s and a slate tiled floor. Decor wise, the paintwork is a mixture of pale green and canary yellow with plenty of pictures on the walls, many of generic country scenes. A collection of large jugs was hung around the bar, and there were various other pub paraphernalia such as brass pans and the like dotted around on the wall and shelves.
The food menu was extensive and consisted of a good selection of steaks, regular pub dishes such as fish & chips, pie, etc., and unusually, an extensive oriental section as well. This was reminiscent of a take-away menu where you firstly chose the type of dish, e.g.; Chow Mein, Spicy Stir Fry, Oyster Sauce, etc, and then the primary ingredient such as prawns, chicken or vegetables. In addition to this, you also choose the heat level, from one to three chillies, so there should be something to suit all tastes. Most of the regular pub meals were around the £10 mark, with the oriental options a pound or so cheaper. In case this wasn’t enough, there is a further Thai menu available on Tuesday’s & Wednesday’s, again with a choice of primary ingredient and heat level for each dish. I went for a medium Thai Green Chicken Curry and this was a decent, home cooked dish with just the right amount of spiciness, plenty of flavour and a good selection of vegetables in with the chicken, and was good value at £8.45.
After all that, beer choice was perhaps a little disappointing with just Eagle IPA and 6X and the solitary cider was Strongbow, unfortunately. Overall, I really liked this pub. It hasn’t got quite the “olde worlde” charm of some places, but it’s pleasant enough and has got something for everyone; honest home cooked food, a friendly couple running it and good value food & drink.
