Paul and Sally Shipley picked up the reins of this pub again in July of this year. They have transformed it from a desolate, dingy wasteland into a warm, vibrant, thriving business. Paul is often seen as the affable boss behind the bar and Sally does much of the cooking.
Resident Timothy Taylors landlord is always a good ale and the other usual suspects are there too.
The newly opened private function room will seat up to a max of 14 people and is tastefully decked out for a good time for a private works or family do.
On my first visit I did not eat but the restaurant was full and looked promising. Standard pub fayre with specialities in steak and home made pie. On my second visit I ate in an empty dining room. My starter of mozzerella and tomato salad with a balsamic dressing was good as was my partners generous prawn cocktail. What I did not like was the ubiquitous garnish of green leaf and yellow pepper. Sadly this garnish appeared again with my main course of sirloin steak. Quite what a salad garnish is doing on the same plate as a rare steak is beyond me. The steak was cooked to my liking but it was not a good piece of meat with lots of gristle taking up about half of its 8oz weight. My eating companion had Gammon which was fine. accompanying the meal were generous portions of veg and chips.
The dessert was extremely disappointing and inedible. I had to send the bread and butter pudding back as it appeared to have curdled. There was no drama though and I received a full refund. wine list limited and expensive with cheapest red at £15.
All in all this was a disappointment to me and gets three stars purely because of the staff and surrounds. I shall revisit soon as I have since found out that the night I went the regular chef Sally was off and a stand in chef was in the kitchen. I would love to be able to give it another star or maybe even two. Taxi from town costs £9 so go with as many of you as you can.
UPDATE - I have been asked to point out that there is wine available around £10 a bottle. an oversight