The New Inn, Priddy

Ooh la la.  It’s Sunday and it’s busy - locals and outdoor loving geology student types, it’s a bit late for food – this was an afterthought after all, but the cider, ohhhhhhh … the cider.

How many varieties are there? Goodness ... six on draught, 10 in boxes and about another seven bottled. Every product produced by Bristol based Original Cider Company and Glastonbury based Orchard Pig is on sale here. So much choice – so little time and then there’s the driving home to consider …

I settle for a half of Bristol Port (rich, ruby and with the slight port taste that comes from standing in old port barrels for a while) and scan the bar area, to my left is the entrance to “The Cider Barn” – an area of the pub set aside for cider drinkers, complete with straw, barrels and decorated with shelf loads of empty cider bottles. Over the other side of the bar the geology students are finishing their lunch before embarking on another outdoor pursuit and behind me a bunch of locals are discussing their hangovers from the night before. 

The chap I assume to be the Landlord must have had a heavy week – he certainly seems to have had a sense of humour bypass and has the air of someone who can’t wait to close up for the day. Which is a shame, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for today.

A glass of  InnCider next – well it seemed rude not to, after all this is a cider created especially for the New Inn by Orchard Pig. It’s not bad, but it soon becomes apparent that I’m really not going to be able to sample everything on the cider menu – the chauffeur is complaining that he hates being in a pub and not being able to drink …

Well, we could always return for The Priddy Folk Festival I suggest – except there is a slight snag with that idea. I don’t do camping. And I’m not allowed to buy the VW campervan that I covet … maybe if I bring him out here a few more times and he realises that he’s still not going to be able to sample all the ciders he might relent and the VW will be mine …

Score

Cider – 5  Tuna – (0) not sampled this time! Atmosphere – 1 (grumpy landlord today)

Well worthy of a second visit to up the score methinks …

The Bear Inn, Wiveliscombe

It's another cold January Saturday. I'm totally fed up of being indoors and so we decide that a car ride is in order.  It's my turn to choose the destination.  I think about local places I've never been to. And settle on Wellington. It's not far and it might be interesting ...

It's not. It reminds me of my home town, charity shops, cafes, supermarkets and boarded up town centre shops - although they do still have a couple of gift shops which is more than we do!  There is a lovely looking fish and game shop, but I'm not allowed to buy the Arbroath smokies because I won't have time to eat them in the morning.

We walk around the town centre, admiring some of the buildings and reading the plaques adorned to some of them detailing the history of the property.  However, when we seem to have seen everything it's still a bit early for lunch. We head back to the car and decide to drive to Wiveliscombe.

A short time later we park the car and wander up the hill to what I assume must be the centre. There's a co-op, a library with empty book shelves, an antiques shop, a butchers, a gun shop and The Old Courthouse - a small three storey department store which looks both outside and inside like a mini version of Liberty.  It seems an odd combination of shops, but then this is Somerset and when I think about it all needs are covered!

Wiveliscombe is home to two breweries - Cotleigh and Exmoor and it was once able to boast that it had 28 pubs.  Some of the previous 28 sites form The Brewery Plaque Trail, and these premises are marked with ceramic and glass tiles to denote their previous existence as a pub - The Anchor is depicted by a fish, The Bristol by the SS Great Britain and so on. Spotting the plaques makes for a great game!  But the wind chill is getting up and it's time to decide which of the three pubs to visit.

The Old Court House has a cellar bar, The White Hart is big and ... white and The Bear Inn looks to have a higgledy-piggledy feel to it. The Bear it is then! Locals are sat playing crib, reading papers, chatting and availing themselves of the cheap-to-pensioners lunches. It's really busy in here and so nice to see people partaking of the old-fashioned form of entertainment. I try to remember how to play cribbage, I used to play with my Grandfather when I was younger, but the rules and aims of the game have sadly completely slipped from my memory.

As befits a freehouse set twixt two breweries they offer both Cotleigh and Exmoor Ales, but when it comes to cider it's Gold on offer.  Not to worry. One day I will find a pub with something different on sale.  The menu is proper pub food - ham, egg, and chips, steak and ale pie and proper steak and kidney pudding and the specials board includes pork and leek sausages with mash.  Amongst the jacket potatoes and sandwich filllings I spy tuna and mayonnaise and choose to have it in a granary baguette.

It arrives with a very small salad garnish and I commence cutting it into manageable pieces.  The bread is delicious, the filling less so - the tuna has not been drained fully and there's not enough mayo to disguise the brine.  I set to work with cucumber and salad cream to try to take away some of the salty taste. It works!  I save half for later and have a chat with the pensioners to my left about the fact that due to Somerset County Council's threat to close of the library (in common with several libaries in the county) the residents have checked all the books out, hence the empty shelves!

This is the sort of place that I'd like to return to on a warmer day, to spend longer strolling around the street admiring the buildings, if I run out of places to visit I'll be back.

Score:- Cider - 2   Baguette -  2 Atmosphere - 4

George Inn, Nettlebridge

It’s Sunday again.  Time for a walk … And this week it’s off to Nettlebridge for a stroll through the forest and surrounding countryside before popping into a nearby pub for lunch!

The walk through Harridge Woods follows a stream which flows past caves, ruined water mills, cottages and dormouse conservation areas. I love the sound of running water and also exploring old ruins so I was in my element. After two hours we were back at the car and ready for the short drive to The George. 

The George was until recently known as The Nettlebridge Inn.  It’s been rebranded and the menu offers fare akin to a Harvester – “All meals include free salad” pronounced a chalk board at the entrance to the car park.

As I approach the bar my eyes scan the pumps – Thatcher’s Gold? Check. Oooh Rich’s on draught too!  And what’s this? Lilley & Sons Apples and Pears? I’ve never heard of that one before. And that’s not a cider-making name I’ve come across either.  I’m not really an apple and pear lover though, so I decide to order the Rich’s.  “Are you sure?” says the barman, “I saw you looking at the Apples & Pears – would you like to try a bit?” Now I’m not one to turn down a free sample, so I acquiesce.  It’s a different taste – reminds me a bit of nail varnish (not that I’ve ever partaken of nail varnish, what I mean is, it tastes of the smell of nail varnish) but it slips down easily and I’m thirsty! The barman tells me that it is produced “down the road” and I make a note to check it out later. 

I order a pint and consult the menu. The chauffeur laughs, and tells me that he knows what I'm going to have. I huffily tell him that I have to have the thing he knows I'm going to have because I'm doing research for the book I'm writing "I'll have a pint of cider and a tuna baguette please". I explain (or make up on the spot) that this is the reason we have been visiting so many pubs and I have been mainly choosing the tuna baguette for lunch ... it hasn't been, it's just I think I'm addicted to tuna baguettes, but I like the idea. And so here we are ...

No baguettes on offer here though, but I can have a tuna and mayonnaise sandwich on granary bread.  And so I do! I take a seat at a table and wonder if “All meals” includes sandwiches.  The place is reminiscent of a Harvester inside as well - it’s packed with people having lunch and seems very popular.  But it’s not really a pub anymore. I wonder if there is another bar elsewhere, but a quick look seems to indicate not.

My sandwich arrives, thick bread and served on a bed of tortilla chips (bleugh).  I take a mouthful and decide that what this sandwich really needs is some red onion.  I sneak to the salad bar!  Putting a few bits of red onion, cucumber and sweetcorn on a plate I return to my chair and set about customising my sandwich. Delicious. (Although half goes into the handbag for later!)

When I get a phone signal I google Lilley & Son. Hmmph. They are actually the distributor for The Original Cider Company range (Broadoak, Bristol Port etc.) and Apples & Pears is made for them by The OCC. I feel a little cheated, because I thought I’d found a new cider farm to visit …

Cider – 3   Tuna Baguette – 3 (in original form, 4 after I’d souped it up!) Atmosphere - 1

The Chapel, Cotford St Luke

For those that don’t know it Cotford St Luke is a relatively new village built on the site of the former Tone Vale Hospital. Some people must still feel that there is some sort of stigma attached to the name “Tone Vale” (it was the Somerset County Asylum) for the new development has been renamed “Cotford St Luke”. I’m not sure where the Cotford bit comes from, but the hospital chapel in the grounds was known as the “Church of St Luke”. 

The hospital was built in about 1895 and closed its doors 100 years later; remaining empty for a few years (if like me you have an attachment to wrecks, ruins and relics you can still find some fascinating photos taken whilst it was empty on sites such as www.whateversleft.co.uk and www.urbexforums.co.uk) until building work started around it. The hospital itself has now been (and in parts is still being) renovated and remodelled as apartments as have many of the other original buildings, plenty of modern estate houses have sprung up in and around the site and after driving around for a bit we reach our destination - The Chapel itself.  Now transformed into a pub/restaurant and surrounded by little boxes it makes a change from the normal “XXth Century Coaching Inn”.

It’s 2.00pm on a Saturday. Outside the place is a little untidy but inside The Chapel is huge – and practically empty. A family of five (including granddad and grandma) are finishing a meal, and there’s one other person at the bar.  The place has been tastefully modernised, a mezzanine dining level has been put in and there must be seating for about 100 people both up there and down in the bar area. I sneak a look at the evening menu (no tuna baguette here – the kitchen is now shut), it’s all chicken stuffed with brie, slow roasted belly pork, lamb shank, grilled sea bass and three different types of steak - the sort of thing that seems to depressingly be becoming standard evening "gastro" pub fare nowadays.

All is not lost. The Chapel prides itself on being a CAMRA pub and offers a selection of beers and ciders from the Cotleigh Brewery.  Sadly the beers may be real, but the cider offering is dire – Swedish (what on earth do Swedes know about making cider?) – two different fruit flavours or an alcohol free (?!?!) variety … But good old Gold is also on offer, so I settle for a half.

After having a really good look around, trying to work out which of the interior fittings are original (the tiles) and which have been reclaimed from elsewhere (practically everything else!) I take a seat in the squishy, comfy chairs near the fireplace and avail myself of the pile of magazines on a nearby coffee table.  The place is eerily quiet – but then most of the local residents are probably out shopping and I would imagine that this place really wants to be a restaurant rather than a pub.

Seems a bit unfair to give it a score since it was standard Thatcher’s cider, I didn’t sample any food and there was no atmosphere because it was empty!  Maybe I should return for an evening meal – although to be honest the idea depresses me.

As I leave I take a quick look around the outside.  The building really is beautiful but its new setting amongst all these identikit boxes make me feel quite sorry for it and the depressed feeling increases ... maybe it's actually quite apt given the location.

The Red Tile, Cossington

It’s mid-week again and I’m struck down by another bout of “Can cook, but won’t cook”-itis. I suggest a trip out for a meal and am asked to choose a pub.  The outlying villages in this part of the world all boast a decent pub with decent food – it’s just the town that doesn’t! Axbridge, Bleadon, Burtle, Cross … and that’s just villages starting with the  first three letters of the alphabet … I choose Cossington.  It’s a while since I’ve been there and the last time I went I had the most delicious Lemon Sole.

The Red Tile is a popular pub with foodies and locals alike.  Many of the tables are already reserved when we get there, but we squeeze in on the remaining one in the small dining area (there’s a larger area too, but it’s a bit more out of the way).  From my seat I can see through into the ordinary bar where the local skittles team are gathered. It’s a busy night.  And it’s going to get busier … my eye is drawn to a sign telling me that tonight is “Acoustic Night” – I love a bit of music.

Now … this is where I deviate from my quest slightly … I’ve not been feeling well for some time – a general lack of energy, tiredness and some other symptoms we won’t go into! A friend suggests I try cutting out the carbs in my diet for a while and to see how I get on.  I've tried it for a time at the weekend and felt better, so I thought I'd really try and stick to it for a couple of weeks. Trouble is, no carbs means … no bread … and no cider.  And so tonight I’m going to have to order a glass of dry white wine instead (compared to cider wine is practically carb-free!). And due to the no bread rule I won’t be able to have a tuna baguette either … Please don’t be too disappointed dear reader … I can still give you a feel for the place!

So to go with my white wine I order a bacon-wrapped chicken breast and salad.  The chicken breast is HUGE, quite the biggest I’ve ever seen – they must breed massive chickens out here on the Somerset levels - much like us girls when it comes to breasts.   The salad offers more than the average "garnish" – mixed leaf, peppers, cucumber, tomato, beetroot and a splodge of coleslaw.  The menu here is large and varied – the specials board actually runs to six boards – including one for starters, one for fish, one detailing the two pies of the day  and one for puddings! A large menu tends to worry me – how much of it can really be “freshly prepared”? But despite my misgivings, I have to say I’ve never had a bad meal at The Red Tile.

As I finish my meal the band (The Polden Ridge Mountain Boys) strike up a rousing version of “The Gypsy Rover” and I join in … well, by now my glass of wine has turned into a bottle and a glass … Forty-five minutes later the chauffeur practically has to drag me out to the car.

So how to score The Red Tile? Since I can’t give my usual mark out of five for the cider availability, another mark out of five for the tuna baguette, and a further mark out of five for the general atmosphere of the pub ... I shall have to put the marks for wine and food in brackets instead …

So The Red Tile scores ... 0 (3) – 0 (4) - 4

The Carew Arms, Crowcombe

Now this is what I call a pub!  The sort that some people whould say needs of a good lick of paint – both inside and outside! The only problem is we are now on the way home after having lunch at The Ball Ball Inn … not to worry, we can sample a drink and the atmosphere surely?

There’s one space left in the car park … always a sign of a popular pub – but is it popular for the right reason? We walk around to the front and head towards the door, passing a room set out as a “tea room” complete with tables, chairs, and plastic teacloths. Quaint … but at the same time rather ominous. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a pub with a tearoom attached!

We bypass the tearoom and now face a choice of two doors.  I select the left hand one, tentatively push it open and enter the bar.  It’s immediately obvious that this is where the locals gather – and there’s quite a crowd of them.  The serving area here is more of a hatch which was almost impossible to get to, given that two large locals are stood in front of it!  But we manage.  I daren’t ask for a glass of wine, it really doesn’t seem to be that sort of place, so I ask for a half of cider instead. Sadly I couldn’t see what sort of cider it was, because I couldn’t really see the pumps … but it tasted good, which is what counts! 

We took a seat at a rustic table and I surveyed my surroundings.  I love a pub that looks as if it hasn’t been decorated in decades, the paint here is that lovely shade of creamy yellow which you don’t often see now that the smoking ban has been in force for a few years. As befits a pub on Exmoor the décor would offend animal-rights campaigners – plenty of reminders of hunts gone by.  A huge inglenook fireplace complete with roaring fire kept the room warm and the highlight of my visit was discovering that they sold Double Diamond – a real blast from the past!  The locals were trying to recall the date that a photograph had been taken, based on the fact that they were watching a television in the bar – it had to have been brought in for a special occasion, maybe the Royal Wedding? What year as that?  In the quest for an answer they even included us in the discussion, which was lovely, too often you feel a sense of them and us when you visit pubs other than your local!

The smells wafting from the large dining room to the rear of the pub were good – probably a roast was being served, but since we eaten we couldn’t indulge!  I would imagine that this is another pub popular with walkers and cyclists, but hopefully I’ll get a chance to return here to sample the cuisine another day. 

Cider 3,  Tuna Baguette 0 – already eaten,  Atmosphere - 5

The Blue Ball Inn, Triscombe

It’s Sunday.  I fancy a nice walk in the countryside followed by lunch in a pub …

And so we set off for the Quantocks. As we near our destination the weather starts to close in, and by the time we get to Dead Woman’s Ditch it’s misty and raining and I haven’t brought my walking boots or a waterproof coat, so I’m not really dressed for this sort of weather.  Looks like the walk is cancelled … but that doesn’t rule out the pub lunch does it?!

And so we drive around for a bit admiring Quantock villages and houses and eventually find ourselves at The Blue Ball Inn.  This place features in the Good Pub Guide and from the outside it is a lovely old thatched barn (I’ve heard a story that says the place was rolled down the hill to its present location – not sure if that is true or not!) and inside it is all wooden ceilings and stairs. You go up a staircase to get to the dining area and up another staircase to reach the bar. Rows of long benches and narrow tables fill the bar area, and today there’s a dog flaked out in front of a wood burner at one end of the room.  It’s a popular pub with walkers and cyclists, but today there aren’t many of either and instead it’s full of three generation families eating their Sunday roast. Unfortunately the bar area also seems to be populated by some of those over-eager-parents and their offspring – you know, the ones who call their children “darling” and give in to their every demand – the ones I want to give a good clip around the ear … and not just the children. However, I glare at any that think they might like to sit next to me and manage to spend an agreeable hour reading the paper, drinking and eating without having to sit on my hands!

Once again Thatcher’s Gold is on offer (does no one else make a draught cider?).  No, we haven’t booked a table we tell the barman. We can look at the menu but … the place is due to change hands tomorrow and so food stocks have been run right down  … if we’d like to place an order they will check with chef on availability. 

I settle for a cheese/ham ploughmans – unsure if that’s a choice that I haven’t made or if I am going to get both cheese and ham.  And, phew, chef can oblige! And thank goodness for that, when it arrives it looks lovely – a chunk of cheddar, two thick slices of delicious ham, two pickled onions, a small salad, hunk of bread (which I drool at but which has to remain untouched!), two types of chutney and a dollop of onion marmalade! Scrumptious!!  The chauffeur has chosen a beef sandwich – one and a half rounds of doorstep bread with thick chunks of beef  betwixt – luckily for me tuna mayonnaise sandwiches weren’t on the menu, otherwise I think the new regime may just have been given the boot a week early!

The plan is to return here another day to maybe sample the smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich (which wasn’t available today) the nearest thing to Tuna and Mayo on offer here – that’s how posh this place is!

Since I can’t give my usual mark out of five for the cider availability, another mark out of five for the tuna baguette, and a further mark out of five for the general atmosphere of the pub ... I shall have to put the marks for the food in brackets instead … 

Cider - 2  Tuna Baguette 0 – not available so (3) for the food.  Atmosphere - 1