BITE user comments - Florrie
Comments by Florrie
Can't say much more than the previous reviewers really. Would just like to reiterate their praise. This is a charming place, well run, comfortable and welcoming. Excellent real ale and very good food indeed. It's a relief to be able to choose from a menu without wondering where the meat came from. Superb.
9 Feb 2007 13:44
This pub has real potential. It's spitting distance from Cheltenham and the garden overlooks a cricket pitch. The building itself is quite attractive and it's always full of dogs - a definite plus in my book. However, that potential has never really been fulfilled either under the last landlord and definitely under the new one. Cosy seating areas have been re-arranged - awkwardly. The space now seems uncomfortable and somewhat lacking in warmth. The food has always been poor and that certainly hasn't improved. Staff are friendly and the beer's not bad, but it doesn't make up for a certain lack of professionalism and imagination that a good pub needs. It's a shame. The dogs seem happy though.
9 Feb 2007 13:31
I can't believe that nobody has recommended this splendid little pub before. Standing on the banks of the Severn, and reached by passing a group of medieval buildings (a tithe barn, church and manor house) it makes a wonderful setting for a summer drink. It is probably even more splendid in the winter though, when the river is high and dramatically fleet, as it was yesterday. It is very 'local', but is also frequented by cyclists who use it as a final and welcome destination after a long ride from Cheltenham or Gloucester.
It serves a variety of guest beers which always vary and it has a small beer festival in the summer.
There's no food except well-filled rolls at lunchtime. The bar is very small and can get crowded when the weather is bad, but in the summer most people sit outside and watch the boats go by. Idyllic.
22 Jan 2007 13:25
The Golden Heart, Nettleton Bottom
Well, if the beer's horrible and the food is certainly horrible, let's not go! When I recently read my last comments about this pub I thought that I had been less critical than I should have been. Last meal there consisted of cauliflower cheese (odd bits of cauliflower swimming in yellowish swill that might have had cheese in it) and carrot cake which had obviously been knocking round the kitchen for days. It was so stale that only the topping was edible. Still in the Good Pub Guide - whatever has happened to the GPG? Used to be so reliable. I think this is why I have revisited this review - I just couldn't believe that it was still an entry!
19 Jan 2007 13:48
The Black Horse, Cranham Village
My son and his girlfriend took me out here last night. They have been going on about it for ages. Really nice little pub with excellent well-priced, unpretentious food. This won't be my last visit!
12 Jan 2007 11:21
We made a long detour to visit this pub, as it was so well reviewed in the Good Pub Guide. (Has been in same family for 40 years, really friendly and welcoming, excellent food etc. etc.) We were too late for food, but asked if we could have a sandwich -but nothing doing. This is what you expect in rural UK, so we weren't too unhappy. We then asked for a packet of crisps with our pint. The landlord seemed delighted to tell us that they didn't sell crisps (good heavens - how common!) Presumably if you aren't eating his food at his stipulated times, you deserve to starve. The beer (Rev James) wasn't as well kept as you might expect in a place that has had glowing reviews.
I think it was the complacency of the landlord that really irritated us and this was compounded by his handling of two respectable looking gents who walked in just before 2.45 and were told "Sorry! We're just shutting." Pardon me, but when a pub is supposed to close at 3.00 shouldn't it be welcoming to customers until then? Is 15 minutes too short a time to have a drink?
We downed our mediocre pints and left.
12 Jan 2007 11:15
A very nice pub indeed. Very professional staff who know their beer. Eight real ales on tap. Comfy seating and congenial atmosphere.
20 Nov 2006 12:05
I think the previous reviews are a little unjust. Perhaps it's not the best place for real ale, although the London Pride was good yesterday and there were some interesting lagers. The food, however, is very good indeed with steaks done just how you want them instead of regulation leather. Staff seemed friendly and efficient. Perhaps it is more of a restaurant than a pub, but I don't have any complaints. Don't most London pubs have stripped wooden floors these days?
30 Oct 2006 10:50
This is the sort of pub that you walk into and instantly feel comfortable. It's quiet, with just the slight buzz of haphazard conversation that is so relaxing in an English pub. I wish I lived nearer!
11 Oct 2006 12:56
I visited this pub for the first time yesterday. It's a friendly, comfortable place which serves Uley ales (of course) - Bitter and Pig's Ear - all well kept. The food looked pretty good but, food service didn't dominate as it seems to in some pubs. All round very satisfactory.
9 Oct 2006 11:49
This is one of the best pubs in Gloucestershire. It's very small, so if the locals descend, it can be a bit irritating. Locals here are hardly rustic (or literary) but tend to be loud, confident and rich. Hardly the pub's fault though as they're not going to turn them away! Go - and crowd the 4x4 clique out!
3 Oct 2006 12:45
More of a restaurant than a pub, really. If you just want a drink you feel a bit of a spare part. Nice place though.
3 Oct 2006 12:30
The Nobody Inn, Doddiscombsleigh
I have always found this pub impeccable. Did Simmel not notice the great wine list and the huge variety of local cheeses available? It's always so comfortable and, frankly, I don't go to a sleepy Devon village in the middle of nowhere for fast food. I have never had a bad meal there and I think it's just one of those pubs which are special. We always get lost before we finally arrive - but that's Devon lanes for you. It's worth the effort.
3 Oct 2006 12:21
The Jolly Brewmaster, Cheltenham
Very nice pub with good selection of beers. They apparently do a very good Sunday lunch, but I haven't tried it. Good mix of people.
2 Oct 2006 17:09
In need of a bit of a face-lift. Not too much - a good clean and a lick of paint perhaps. Wouldn't want to ruin it. Congenial atmosphere, friendly landlord and good beer.
2 Oct 2006 16:33
The Golden Heart, Nettleton Bottom
This is a very attractive pub that, to a certain extent, relies on its proximity to Cheltenham and Gloucester - it can be easily reached after work or for an extended lunch hour. The beer is fine, but I have always found the food expensive and disappointing, despite the wide choice. I wouldn't go to eat, but it's ok for a drink, especially in the summer as the garden is pleasant.
2 Oct 2006 16:19
The Plough Inn, Cold Aston
Isn't that typical? At last a pub serves really good food, and the British are grudging! We'd far rather have Cajun Chicken and Thai Curry. Yes, the chef uses cream - why not? We're not eating this stuff every day. Went on Saturday and had perfectly cooked bream and my partner had the most delicious oysters I've tasted in years. There was no cream in the vegetables, but there was great variety and they were delicious. The beer is well kept too.
I know that some people (and I do sympathise) regret that many pubs have become quasi-restaurants, but if they do go this way, they might as well be good restaurants - and this one is. I've paid more money for much worse meals. I wish them luck.
18 Sep 2007 11:08