BITE user comments - Johnnytheboy
Comments by Johnnytheboy
Can't really review the place - it never seems to be open!
25 Feb 2017 18:31
Other reviewer s are right to say that a previously excellent pub went badly down hill in recent years. However I popped in today to see how the new landlord is getting on and it looks really promising.
Landlord: friendly, engaging local chap, not trying to do anything pretentious with the place just run a good pub.
Food: at that nice level between too posh and pub grub. Tad pricy at first glance but all local suppliers.
Drink: freehouse so a nice mix including Doombar and a Sheppeys cider on the cusp between fizzy and scrumpy, I had this and it was cracking.
Note, closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
10 Aug 2013 14:26
The Somerset Arms, Maiden Bradley
Just changed hands - looks like a young family in charge of the place. Really nice modern décor.
Nice pint of Thatchers Gold or three ;-), pub is Wadworth so all the usual beers.
Sunday roast was nice, not as cremated as usual - looks like they've got ideas for guest ales and some interesting menu items.
Note: not open on Mondays. What's that about?
9 Jul 2013 19:57
The Lord Poulett Arms, Hinton St George
Great, great food, still a pub by the skin of its teeth. Seemed to be a single beer (Branscombe Brewery) on tap.
But 8/10 as the food was superb and not silly money (starters £5-6, mains £10-15).
23 Mar 2013 08:55
Good food for the price, plentiful car parking ~2 miles of the A303 Podimore roundabout, and set in lovely countryside.
Free house with a preponderance of Butcombe ales.
Not sure what the comment above meant about small bar, it's big enough for a country pub like this.
16 Feb 2013 07:29
Seems to have changed hands, decor slightly less like someone's house, more country hotel-ish.
Excellent service, including the (I assume) very daughter of the proprietors as waitress.
Pints included Martsons EPA - never had before, very nice - and good old Thatchers Gold.
I initially had reservations when I saw the menu as it was short, pretty basic, and suspiciously cheap... but it was great. Generous portions and all home made.
12 Jan 2013 15:30
OK so finally went last night.
It's a gastropub/restaurant as much as anything, but the bar is equipped with some very nice sofas.
Well equipped bar had a couple of beers I've never heard of one (sure one was a bespoke beer with the pub's name) but I was on the lovely Stoford Press Cider. Also a strong flat cider I've not seen before on draught.
Food was fairly safe gastro pub fare off the main menu - IMHO too expensive for what it was.
However, the lunch menu at £9.99 for two courses looked pretty inviting - I'll go back and try that.
29 Nov 2012 19:07
Proper old-fashioned pub, heaving on a wet wednesday lunchtime but they fit us in for lunch.
Staff very friendly, and the man that makes the pickled onions for the ploughmans sat at the bar.
Will go again.
2 Nov 2012 14:11
Recently re-opened looking more gastro from the outside, haven't been in.
N.B. also renamed the Gamekeeper.
30 Oct 2012 20:19
Stalbridge Arms, Stalbridge Town
Local rag says this place - which was briefly shut - is reopening on November 3.
30 Oct 2012 20:12
Yes, all closed up when I drove past today.
Nearly moved to this village 10 years ago, this would have been my local.
:(
20 Oct 2012 18:45
Still closed and boarded up - shame as a lovely looking pub in a good position.
9 Oct 2012 17:30
Further to the above, went back for food yesterday. Food excellent - mid range pub grub but very well done/good value and generously sized portions.
For the record this is a Marstons Pub so beers are Ringwood Best and 49er at present plus Thatchers Gold (so I'm happy!) amongst other drinks.
16 Aug 2012 16:05
Good food, somewhere between chain H&W grub and posh pub in pitch.
Big portions.
16 Aug 2012 16:00
Ship Inn and Hotel, Gillingham
Excellent food, great cider selection. Not over-priced.
Landlord - as mentioned above - remembers you even if you only go twice a year.
Plenty of parking, what's not to like?
14 Aug 2012 07:11
Just popped in here on hearing that the pub has been taken on by the chef from another excellent pup nearby.
Clearly a pub that has previously been allowed to decline, but has excellent potential in its layout (nice big bar, dining room and garden). If anyone can turn it round, Matt can!
22 Jul 2012 18:09
Currently closed, claiming to be an available business opportunity according to the poster in the window, but has now been stripped of anything that made it look like a pub.
2 Jul 2012 19:39
The Queens Arms, Corton Denham
Wow, what negative reviews for such a great place, some would appear to be based on chippiness as much as anything.
1st, the location: Yes it's hard to find. thank goodness as it stops it being any busier. View from the outside seating area is wonderful.
2nd, parking: Yes, it's terrible. Just keep driving along the road to the north into the village and there's virtually limitless parking alongside a long wall a good 200 yards tops from the pub.
3rd, food: I eat out a lot and this is my favourite in the area, despite some very stiff competition.
4th, service: never been anything but excellent.
5th, beer: Yes, very pricy but you don't come to a pub like this for a cheap beer. Apart from all the wierd beers/ciders on draught they have a truly bonkers selection of amazing bottled beers from all over the world.
30 Jun 2012 18:27
Griffins Head Inn, Nether Compton
Great olde worlde pub. Like going back in time. Love it.
30 Jun 2012 18:21
The White Horse Inn, Sherborne
White Horse? This is the Hunter's Moon and has been for at least ten years!
30 Jun 2012 18:06
Very nice.
Very good - no, excellent - food. Bizarrely quiet on a sat lunchtime.
Nice scrumpy from Lulworth Cove and a Lyme Regis bitter which was ok too. Seems to be Marstons other than that.
Landlord personable, waitress charming.
Decor of bar like being in someone's house.
30 Jun 2012 18:04
Great location, the westerly view is stunning. And the road from Maiden Newton is a cracking driver's road. Plenty of parking too.
The dog (big, dopey St Bernard bitch) is a sweetie.
I've only been for sunday carvery lunch - twice - gets pretty busy and operates a two sitting system, i.e. you book for either 12:00 or 13:30.
The sunday lunch, however, is excellent. The 'normal' menu looks more adventurous than the fact they do carvery for sunday lunch would imply.
Can't recall the beers, I was on cider, which was fine.
25 Jun 2012 19:25
Went back here having gone in on a whim about 20 years ago and been made very welcome. I was really expecting it to have closed as it really is out in the sticks on the Broadwindsor to Chard b-road.
I also had to knock on the door - admittedly bang on midday but on a Saturday - to get them to open up.
Inside were a selection of the landlady's kids treating the bar like a playroom - not a good first impression - but they were soon hustled upstairs.
However, a nice selection of drinks (I had cider - Thatchers Gold I think), and the landlady - who was charming - sat and chatted to me for most of the time I was there.
Decor didn't look tired to me, just bog standard country pub, I imagine it would be a nice place to stop when there were a few more punters in there. I'm going to give it another go.
25 Jun 2012 19:19
The Tippling Philosopher, Milborne Port
Correct, it is the TIPPLING Philosopher. Was previously the King's Arms/Head (?) in living memory but was apparently the Tippling Philosopher a long time back.
Don't go often as the Gainsborough is much better.
The main problem with the Tip is no fault of its staff/landlord of the moment: something about the layout/acoustics sucks the noise out of you. You can go in there all hale and hearty and end up whispering.
Also, to be fair, there's usually a handful of sullen regulars at the bar - which is in a little recess - meaning you don't feel particularly encouraged to buy drinks.
25 Jun 2012 19:12
The Castle Of Comfort, East Harptree
Great location on top of the Mendips.
Been once or twice, excellent variety of beers and cider (including the delightful Cornish Rattler).
Portions enormous, food ok. The ploughmans seems expensive at �8.something until you see it.
Staff young & friendly but busy - as someone else says, you order at the bar.
Don't turn up for lunch on a sunday without booking! Was utterly rammed yesterday.
25 Jun 2012 19:04
Just reopened after a refurbishment, not doing food but that's imminent, so we thought we'd have a look.
Young couple running it were really welcoming and obviously giving it 100%. There's some nice Thatchers ciders (Cheddar Valley and Gold), but not much choice of bitter yet. Landlord said that was coming soon.
Friendly locals too, got a friendly goodbye from the people round the bar when we left, not bad for a first visit.
23 Jan 2011 15:47
Great pub. Very traditional (read: scruffy) but I found it very welcoming. Small beer garden caters well for smokers (well covered seating area and caustomer-controlled heaters).
As above, real ales ok (Yeovil brewery?), the ever reliable Stoford Press cider and Thatchers scrumpy excellent as ever. Particularly the red one (Cheddar Valley) which may be too dry for some palates.
A note of caution, Thatchers is even stronger than its 6% suggests, I would not recommend driving after even a pint.
18 Aug 2010 15:16
Fantastic pub, by far the best in Sherborne - price of both beer and food has to be seen to be believed. Being a freehouse, beer range is plentiful (usually 4) and changes frequently, often a Cornish beer bias.
Food is no-frills but clearly home-cooked. N.B. food is only served at lunchtimes and it's wise to get there early as it fills up rapidly.
If it has a fault it's that it doesn't take that many people to fill it due to the layout being less than ideal. Tends to be very busy early doors, with the kind of people that think the best place to congregate is around the bar.
One more thing, opening hours are deeply traditional despite its town centre location.
14 Jun 2010 19:15
We ate here today having been at Avebury and been widely advised to give the Red Lion a wide berth.
Good selection of ~4 Wadworth beers (if you like Wadworth) and Stoford Press (definite thumbs-up!). Didn't have high expecations of the food, given the tourist trap location, but the fish platter (for two) was an utter bargain at �7-8 ish, and the banoffee pie (in a glass...banoffee sundae?) was nice too.
Staff also very pleasant and service was very swift.
14 Jun 2010 19:03
Good, unpretentious village pub, more an eatery than a drinkery but not exclusively so at all.
Of interest because Palmers Brewery tried to close it and a posse of villagers bought the lease (or similar, a Google search will get the full story) and installed an ideal landlord, who is friendly and seems to remember you even if you go in very rarely.
Beer is Palmers usual stock (better kept than Palmers often is), plus Thatchers Gold Cider. Food is mid range (gammon, fish pie, etc.), quite pricy for what it is, but not majorly so for this area, but very well executed.
12 Apr 2010 18:26
The Gainsborough Arms, Milborne Port
Gainsborough has just reopened after a cosmetic refurb, a lot nicer looking in and out and no name change!
Booze selection is fairly basic, two lagers, generally only one bitter but there are plans to have guest ales shortly. There are presently three draught ciders - this is Somerset after all - from a gassy clear one to a proper cloudy one.
Food has just started being served with a full time chef. On first night of food I had pork belly served with a whole roast apple and sage mash. Mrs Theboy had rump of loamb. She is a great cook herself (so not easily pleased when eating out) but was very complimentary about how the lamb was cooked just right. If it's this good on day one it can only get better, providing this well hidden pub attracts enough business to make food viable long term, so give it a try. Much more welcoming than the other two in the village.
10 Apr 2010 13:33
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The White Hart Hotel, Sturminster Newton
Closed. Not really mourned, to be honest.
13 May 2018 10:16