BITE user comments - JoWard25
Comments by JoWard25
The Old Corner Cupboard, Winchcombe
The Plaisterers is more of a drinkers pub though, and the beer is considerably better.
18 Aug 2013 16:30
The Old Corner Cupboard, Winchcombe
The pub is ok. More a restaurant with a bar, but the public bar is reasonably pleasant. The beer was a bit below par when I sampled it, but a pretty good, if slightly knocked through and adulterated pub experience.
18 Aug 2013 16:29
Freehold has literally just changed hands, not sure what the future holds. Hopefully will yield something quite interesting, Winchcombe is certainly a place which will support two or three good pubs.
18 Aug 2013 16:27
Looks to be a gastro-pub now. Looks vaguely interesting, will pop in and report back.
18 Aug 2013 16:26
The Plaisterers Arms, Winchcombe
Have to concur with the previous comment. The landlady is of the proper Irish variety, speaks her mind and does not suffer fools gladly. Be polite, and when needed give as good as you get, and you will unlock a fantastic pub experience. Genial banter quickly flows from both mine host and the regulars, and an afternoon will quickly run away with you. The beer is utterly flawless, both the Tribute and Landlord were pure nectar, while the Butty Batch and HPA were also in fine form. Will certainly be paying a return visit to what I believe to be Winchcombe's best pub.
18 Aug 2013 16:24
Quite simply the best pint of Bass I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. The Landlord is also an excellent character with a well rehearsed set of stories and jokes to entertain both new and regular custom. A great little gem.
13 Apr 2013 12:15
Been recently taken over by a new regime who used to keep the Dolphin in Gillingham and in conjunction with the owners The National Trust, have spruced the place up a bit and undertaken some pretty serious repair. A new and interesting menu has appeared and the range of ale and cider is said to expand beyond the Butcombe and Cheddar Valley monopoly. Really friendly and talkative couple who let myself and a friend in for a drink, about half an hour after they shut the pub for the afternoon! Great for a drink or some food and infinity more interesting than the near by Trust owned Spread Eagle, which is perennially infested with geriatric diners.
5 Feb 2013 10:36
The Spread Eagle Inn, Stourton
Been recently taken over by a new regime who used to keep the Dolphin in Gillingham and in conjunction with the owners The National Trust, have spruced the place up a bit and undertaken some pretty serious repair. A new and interesting menu has appeared and the range of ale and cider is said to expand beyond the Butcombe and Cheddar Valley monopoly. Really friendly and talkative couple who let myself and a friend in for a drink, about half an hour after they shut the pub for the afternoon! Great for a drink or some food and infinity more interesting than the near by Trust owned Spread Eagle, which is perennially infested with geriatric diners.
5 Feb 2013 10:33
A really authentic London local. Interesting place, the last fragment of what would have been the old Victorian Paris Gardens and Colombo Street, not left marooned between rather barbaric 70s office blocks. Rugby was showing on their small and unobtrusive screen in the old public bar, and the service from smiling bar maid and chatty Landlady was excellent. Only slight downside was, as the Landlady explained, they had had a huge party in on the previous night who had cleared them out of all their fine Shepherd Neame ale, and the dray wasn’t due to Monday morning. We had a Guinness and moved on, but will most certainly return.
5 Feb 2013 10:17
A very nice locals pub, filled with real Londoners (a bit of a rarity for somewhere relatively central). Good selection of beers on handpull, friendly staff, a beautiful Truman’s tiled exterior and an interesting C1979 interior. A grand old place, worth seeking out.
5 Feb 2013 10:04
Perfectly nice, though rather trendy pub (not that there is anything wrong with that). Good beers and some good live music now and then. Better for a lunchtime session than the evening when it can get packed out.
4 Feb 2013 15:49
Oh, and note the traditional opening hours, 12-3 and 6-11 weedays and 7-10:30 Sunday.
4 Feb 2013 15:43
Cracking little pub. Bit on the pricey side, for a country boy like me, with London Pride and Doom Bar weighing in at £4.00 per pint. But the near by Curtain Up charges £3.85 for its Doom Bar and the Colton is most certainly worth the extra 15p. Excellent beer dispensed into proper dimpled mugs, to the reassuring lack of a forest of commercial lager taps, and the crowd of great locals make this place, even the brasses in the gents are well polished. Top marks.
4 Feb 2013 15:41
The Three Kings Inn, Hanley Castle
Speaking as a ‘Real Ale Romantic’ I would suggest the gentleman below heads to one of the many thousands of pubs around the country which have been steam cleaned and smartened by their brewery and pub-co masters, or indeed one of the many thousands of giant multi-national owned coffee houses, if he objects to the standard offered by the Three Kings. Thus the modern man need never suffer the terrible burden of entering a pub which maybe a bit rough and ready around the edges, which may have a bit of grime about the place, where local people may speak to you unprovoked and where there is no formal complaints procedure directed to a head office.
There are plenty of them, sir, you need never again darken the door of this amazing old place, which indeed has a very great deal of ‘character’.
31 Jan 2013 15:24
Just go there. Now. Before it is too late. Sample a piece of living history, and the Landlady’s impeccable Devonian accent.
30 Jan 2013 01:17
The Tuckers Grave Inn, Faulkland
Still as brilliant as ever. Glenda is said to be toying with the idea of bringing in some Otter to break the Butcombe monopoly. Here’s hoping...
30 Jan 2013 01:08
Someone has brought it, all the signage has been taken down. Ominous...
1 Nov 2012 13:27
The Duke of Cumberland, Edford
Keeps going from strength to strength. Happy hour between 5-7 weekdays gets a whole crowd of local drinkers in to enjoy the great beers and real ciders (including one of my all time favourites Thatcher�s Heritage) and when they shuffle out at 7:15 the diners turn up. Had a curry night down there the other week which was excellent, and the menu changes pretty regularly. A great all rounder.
1 Oct 2012 10:25
Popped in yesterday, first proper session under the new regime. Craig the old landlord has leased the pub to a new couple who apparently kept the Rifleman�s Arms in Glastonbury. Pretty much the same apart from a new bar snack menu offering really cheap pub grub and a new barrel of real cider, made just up the lane at Dean for �2.40 a pint. Much nicer than the usual Cheddar Valley, which is too variable for my liking. Great stuff!
1 Oct 2012 10:22
Called in again today on the way home from the station. A couple of pints of Rich's cider and a quick chat with the locals. A really great little locals drinking house.
29 Sep 2012 19:20
Closed, now a house. Sad as yet another pub killed by the Pubco's. Its passing was not mourned by many though.
29 Sep 2012 19:17
A really good solid pub selling their own (Milk Street) beer and admirably, no commercial larger at all. Really nice mix of custom from all over Frome and beyond. Again, I don�t get up here as often as I would like, but always love it when I do.
30 Jul 2012 16:22
If you understand about really good pubs, you will understand and indeed love this place. Don�t get up here as often as I would like as usually have to drive 15/20 minutes home, but goes down with the Seymour in Witham and Tuckers at Faulkland as one of the great pubs of Somerset.
30 Jul 2012 16:19
A very eccentric little boozer which was under the same landlord for years and was generally filled with quarry men. Then went through a number of hands, but ended up with some brilliantly wacky people running a vegetarian B&B and live music venue. They got in some good Rich�s cider behind the bar, and various Blindman�s beer. Pity it didn�t work for them as was a good alternative venue and should have done well. Now sadly closed and up for sale for �200,000 which is surly a steal for such a great little pub?!
20 Jun 2012 10:09
A genuinely excellent pub which proves beyond doubt that a pub can do a great food trade, without banishing your drinkers. Great homemade pub food is served either in the bar or a full menu is available in the restaurant if you fancy a proper sit down meal. Personally, I prefer the bar (very much separate from the diners) which fantastic with a great mix of locals, regular tradesmen and the slightly wacky, well-heeled of Bourton all mingling and chatting. Good range of beers on, including Doom Bar, and a rolling guest cider on hand pull. At last visit, this was Rich�s. Bar staff are also knowledgeable and attentive without being overbearing. Cider, music and beer festivals all regularly feature. A truly great all-rounder.
15 Apr 2012 10:53
A really great little local pub that keeps its different bar areas. Back bar is for locals and front and snug for walkers and the well heeled of Croscombe. Good selection of beer, including some Adnams (unusual for this area) and a decent pint of cider. Only down side is its closeness to the main road, until they by-pass Croscombe though, thats not going to change. Still well worth a visit though.
22 Jan 2012 19:05
The Bloomsbury Tavern, Bloomsbury
Perfectly ordinary little pub. Good range of beer from Shepherd Neame, unusual for London. As said previously, a cut above the rest in the district.
23 Dec 2011 18:15
A strange little place. Obviously once had a very good Edwardian pub interior that has relatively recently been refurbished, painted over and given an attempted �trendy� feel on the cheap. Nicely optimised by the Georgian recessed door that leads to the bar; now painted mint green with a brushed chrome handle in place of the original brass fitting. Just feels awkwardly done somehow. As does the garish illuminated glass bar-back, with rather nice original 1940s style hand-pulls in front. Always seems to be quiet on the odd occasions we go in, I can understand why. Nothing much to shout about. Average.
23 Dec 2011 17:44
This could, and should, be an amazing pub. Set in the pretty well unspoilt village of Kilmersdon, commanding views of the churchyard and still owned by the Jolliffe Estate, the pub should be the centrepiece of the village and local community. Sadly, it�s not. Only one real beer on in the awkward little bar area (Butcombe, not to my taste) and scandalously for a Somerset pub, no real cider. The pub was badly done over in about 1989, and nothing much else been done since. The mainstay of its trade is vast portions of average pub grub, all for around �10. The best feature of this pub is the large and impressive hall above, currently used for functions, which was built by the Estate to hold the local Petty Sessions Court. However, like the pub generally, it is nowhere near used to its full potential. A great missed opportunity.
23 Dec 2011 17:37
The Duke of Cumberland, Edford
Its always nice to see a pub nearly killed off by the hateful Pubco�s returned to a thriving local venture. More of a food pub than a drinkers place, but the team who operate several other pubs in the area have managed to keep a little bar area for drinkers, without making them feel ostracised from the main pub. Nice mix of people and some very good honest local grub make this a perfectly decent little pub. The river-side terrace in summer is also lovely, and its encouraging to see a broader range of interesting local ciders being offered recently. The Cheddar Valley monopoly can become tiresome.
23 Dec 2011 17:23
The Still and West, Portsmouth
My usual watering hole before departing for the Continent. Beers all from the Fullers empire now, though a rather good imitation of Gales HSB still available. Perfectly good little pub, if a bit sanitised, and a great vantage point over the mouth of Pompy harbour. Best bet in the Sally Port, though more interesting places are available in Southsea.
23 Dec 2011 17:15
Fantastic, good solid example of what an updated pub can be. Best of both drinking and food world, interesting interior without being overbearing or clich�, and one of the best ale and cider selections I have seen. Genuinely a great pub.
23 Dec 2011 17:10
Had a meal in here a few months back and I thought it was a fantastic place. Can�t understand peoples beef with the landlady, I had a long chat with her in the garden and found her to be a delight. She has her ideas about how to run things, and won�t be told otherwise, but its her place so fair enough. Trouble is, I think the name �pub� is a bit misleading. This is more a private restaurant. Only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday for lunchtime and evening service and the staff like you to book ahead, as we did, so they can reserve you a spot in the limited space they have to work with. As a result, the place is very food orientated. Turn up out the blue for a quick pint and you may well be disappointed, especially if the weather is too poor to sit outside as you will most likely have to stand. A bit of forward planning though, and you will have an amazingly good meal, served by very pleasant staff with some very good Gwatkins Cider. Only complaint could be the Hooray Henry set who pitch up pretty often from Hay, but they generally like a drink as much as the next man, so you can usually forgive them.
23 Dec 2011 13:49
The Barley Mow Inn, Kirk Ireton
A real old fashioned drinking hall. No gimmicks, no frills. Landlady is delightful once you get talking to her. Her daughter is a bit savage, but again, I�m sure she is fine if you get to know her. Had several pints of Thatcher�s Heritage (my favourite cider) which I was surprised to see had made its way this far north, and a couple of cheese rolls by the large crackling fire. Bliss.
23 Dec 2011 13:22
What a real pity. This was a great unpretentious drinking house, saved from being turned into flats by the present owner. Admittedly, it was out on a limb, away from the centre and with limited parking for those in a car so the foot fall was obviously too small to make it viable, and I was a guilty as everyone in not using it as much as I should have done. The place had a really good ethos and a refreshing approach to the pub trade though, food was also great in here, although they stopped doing that about 3/4 years ago. I just hope the present landlord is not put off the pub trade as a whole, as he had some really good ideas and in a better position, could have, and should have, done well. Tragically, this pub has had pretty well the best chance it could get to survive, I can�t see much of a future for it if its present model has failed.
23 Dec 2011 13:00
This place is a textbook example of an ancient, important, roadside inn that has had every inch of character and history expunged from it by the dead hand of corporate brewery/Pubco interferences. The present building is a mishmash of various badly done extensions to the original structure that once housed the local Foresters Assizes Court for the southern end of the Forest of Arden, not that you would know it now. The pub itself is a distinctly average, board-room sanitised affair. Beers are standard Greene King stable, food is rather overpriced and to my taste, very bland. The only saving grace of the place is the serving staff and managers, who to their credit, are very pleasant, bright, talkative and do an extremely good job at looking after you. All in all though, not a place I would go back to by choice.
23 Dec 2011 12:40
The Blue Boar Inn, Temple Grafton
Drove past this pub about 10 times and wrote it off as a pensioners eating house not worth bothering with, until a read the reviews below and gave it a go. It�s actually quite a little find. Very good, traditional pub grub along with some very nicely done curry stuff as well. Good Landlord/Manager and staff. Very nice, unpretentious little public bar with a good crowd of drinkers and very reasonably priced accommodation, especially if, like me, you�re a contractor staying away for work. Oh, and they have a lovely pint of Banks� on as well as several other guests. Just goes to show, you can�t write a pub off until you have given it a whirl.
23 Dec 2011 12:24
Agree with all of the below. Its a tragedy that a cynical property company only interested in profit was allowed to buy one of Bristol�s last ancient taverns and utterly destroy it. Amazing building, terrible pub. Tragically, if this building had been anything other than a pub, the local authority would have stopped it being bashed around quite so badly but as the idea of listed pubs is a relatively new-fangled invention, the damage was allowed to happen. A great shame.
11 Dec 2011 15:56
Its a cider house on a boat, you can see how that is enjoyable. Good breadth of ciders on offer here, as well as bottles of beer for people who don�t drink the strong stuff. Only fault is that the music can be a bit loud and heavy during daytimes when people are trying to have conversations. Other than this, well worth a go.
11 Dec 2011 15:50
Had a great evening in here the other night, drinking a few very good pints of Doombar, also had TEA and another micro-brew on. Really lovely little Victorian pub, listed in CAMRA unspoilt interiors register, with a good crowd of local drinkers. Forms part of a very good crawl around Temple and Redcliff, including the Cornubia just around the corner and the Seven Stars by St Mary�s. Also a mere five minutes walk from Temple Meads.
11 Dec 2011 15:43
Gordon's Wine Bar, Charing Cross
Expensive, small, damp, crowded and with surly French staff...but god I love this place! Had many a great evening in an epic round system with bottles of wine in this place. All the points people moan about, in my view, only make it better. One of London�s great haunts, so long as you like good wine (asking for anything else at the bar produces the most wonderful sigh of contempt from the staff, I once saw a brave/ignorant Canadian asking for a glass of milk. The response: �Milk? Milk?! This is a wine Bar!�)
18 Aug 2011 00:24
Great example of how many Victorian boozers were once laid out, catering from the lowly peasants (such as my-self) in the Public Bar at the front, through to the wine drinking and card playing aristo�s in the back. Sam Smiths beer is not to everyones taste, but I thinks its fine for the price you pay. Alternatively, switch to their reasonably priced Gin and watch the evening drift away from you! You will still have change in your pocket the next day, even if your head is a bit worse for wear. Really like this pub, though can get busy post 5pm, Day time visit recommended.
18 Aug 2011 00:15
Very decent little pub with a nice historic layout and pleasing exterior. Great collection of beers from the Marston�s empire, always in good order and very nice homemade pork pies! Well worth a stop.
18 Aug 2011 00:08
Agree with the review below, it is the slightly smarter, more �bar� orientated version of the Vaults, with the same friendly staff and family members. Good for sporting events, with a few ales on tap as well. Glad to see it re-opened as a pub rather than another dead local enterprise.
18 Aug 2011 00:04
Great little pub in the historic Market Square, serving up traditional pub hospitality. Food at lunchtimes is all homemade and great value, while the pub becomes a real drinkers haunt in the evenings. Owned and run by several generations of the same family (who have also just taken the Swan opposite) it has a really friendly and welcoming collection of staff and regulars. Had a few lively evenings in here, only thing that makes it better is in the summer months when you can spill out into the Square. Well worth a visit for those who appreciate unpretentious boozers.
18 Aug 2011 00:00
Perfectly agreeable country pub doing a bit of food, while keeping their drinkers. Interior is a tad boring and uniform, but the charming landlady and friendly locals more than compensate. Well worth stopping by for a pint or two.
17 Aug 2011 23:55
The Dog and Partridge Country Inn, Swinscoe
This is, without a shadow of hesitation, the worst pub I have ever been in. I count myself pretty well versed in pub knowledge, and never like to dish out a bad review, but this place is dire. That said, the staff are perfectly pleasant enough, but the beer is nothing to shout about, the food is loads of money for really bog standard/bland attempts at old pub dishes (I paid �12.00 for a plate of Chicken Hotpot that was simply tasteless) and the interior was obviously tackily done in about 1986, giving the impression of a pub attempting to be a restaurant from 20 odd years ago. How on earth there are always cars parked in the grounds of this place, I will never know. Avoid.
17 Aug 2011 23:52
The Seymour Arms, Witham Friary
Quite simply, one of the great pubs of England. A real experience of how this country was 50/60 years ago (including the prices) and I say as a 23 year old, how much I resent living in an age where places like this are no longer the norm. I hear from the locals though that Jon and Jean�s son intends to take on the running of the place, so perhaps the future for this grand old tavern is more secure than people think. I for one, fervently hope so.
17 Aug 2011 23:41
Agree with the last post. A grand old drinkers pub that always has a great selection of locals and visitors. Bravely not serving food, this is a place where conversation dominates...unless the football is on, when everyone watches the game. That said, the landlord Craig has the 6 Nations and Rugby World Cup on as well, along with other terrestrial based sport events, so a broad spectrum is catered for. For those seeking food, its a great place to begin and end a walk to the Duke of Cumberland at Edford (good food pub), the footpath starts opposite the pub carpark and a few drinks in here before and after generally make up our sunny Sunday afternoons. Really great unpretentious local boozer.
17 Aug 2011 23:27
For people who know, understand and love genuine, drinkers pubs, this is one that cannot be missed. Amazing collection of antiques, brick-a-brack and beer memorabilia nestle among the grand old Inn building, that is wonderfully and absurdly juxtaposed by the massive cement works you drive through to reach it from the main drag. Beer is impeccable, as are the home made pickled Eggs and pork pies. The Landlord has his rules and foibles, but for those who understand how traditional landlords run their pubs (it is his front room, afterall) and approach this place with the respect it deserves and savour what it has to offer compared to the hundreds of staid, corporate, uninteresting pretend pubs that are so prevalent today, a warm welcome is assured and a grand old evening guaranteed.
17 Aug 2011 23:18
I have to say, its sad Weatherspoon didn�t get this place/fell out with the administrator. Though they would stamp their corporate authority on the place, for the amount of money needing spending on this old place I fail to see anyone else or a private landlord making a go of it, perhaps the only ones who would would be a Best Western or something equally hideous which would be as good as burning this fine old Hotel to the ground! We stayed here several times on business and its a grand old place, loveably shambolic at times, but its very sad to see it drifting along in limbo, hopefully a more certain future for this fine old place is just around the corner.
17 Aug 2011 22:54
The Tuckers Grave Inn, Faulkland
So glad to see this amazing survivor back for more! Undoubtedly the best local pub in the area, will be there on Thursday again as usual. Cheddar Valley all round!
17 Aug 2011 22:47
The Fountain Inn, Birmingham
Cracking little Irish pub, no frills, basic and honest. Cracking hot pies sold from the bar, and a good pint of Guinness.
5 Sep 2013 22:19