Royal Oak, Fritham

Simply the best in the Forest. This pub is superb. The beer is great - straight from the barrel. The food - all locally sourced - ranges from enormous ploughman's lunches to delicious homemade pies and quiches. For a pub which, according to one contributor, doesn't welcome children, there were a quite extraordinary number around on the several occasions we went. Only one set of parents walked out because QUOTE he's only four and won't eat what he hasn't seen before UNQUOTE. Clearly fresh salad vegetables and local cheese were not on his menu at home! Unlike those of a family of locals who packed out the table next to us. These is a real country pub in the way I remember it and very welcoming. and it must be one of the few pubs that has a pony park instead of a car park - but there is a large car park nearby. If you want to get the feel of the Forest - and I speak as one who comes from an old Forest family - then you must not miss this pub. But beware - it gets very busy at weekends.

3 Sep 2011 12:05

The Bridge, Topsham

This and the Tom Cobley at Spreyton are my two favourite pubs in Devon. Devon has some good pubs - but these two stand head and shoulders above the rest. Here at the Bridge, the beer is always in superb condition, and though the menu maybe limited, the portions are generous and everything is fresh. I particularly like the smoked chicken sandwiches. And as for the interior of the Bridge - it's like stepping back into the past. The old Malthouse at the back is full of mysterious relics from a bygone age, and sitting in the main bar is like being in a cottage living room. Pubs like this are so rare, it's no wonder it's the only pub to which the Queen has ever made an official visit. It's well worth following in her footsteps.

11 Jun 2011 20:26

Somerset Arms, Semington

This pub gets better and better since coming under community control. Food is excellent and if you want restaurant ambiance, you can have it in the rooms at the back. But the bar is still very much a pub bar. Started off with a few local real ales, and now it has won the local CAMRA Country Pub of the Year, all the staff seem really interested, offering tasters, and wanting to know what you think of the beers. Well worth the trip.

21 Nov 2010 17:05