George and Dragon, Shipleyback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Believed to have changed hands recently.
First the good bit, the beer was fine although we did not stay to try more, but it was appreciated during the twenty minutes we spent just waiting for a menu to be presented before giving up, stealing a menu that was lying around, and ordering at the bar. It was then an hour from arrival before food eventually turned up. The "roast dinner" was described by the recipient as inedible, and true enough it did all look like straight from the freezer into the microwave (the wafer thin uniform slices of meat gave it away). Fair play, they did not charge for it upon receiving the complaint. The risotto was like par boiled rice pudding with bits of vegetables stirred in. They would have been better using "Uncle Ben's" rather than whatever recipe they had used (Ambrosia Creamed Rice??).
A word about the staff, there is a difference between "casual dress" and "scruffy" (the proprietor was wandering around in jeans with the Backside having down). There needs to be some form of uniformity to allow customers to identify those working there (from whom they might be lucky enough to get service) from other customers. The staff appeared to be operating in a chaotic environment, flitting between bar and table service, neglecting the customers in so doing.
I give them a year before they fail.
maybe - 30 Aug 2015 19:16 |
A decent pub with decent food. Worth hunting out. Beware of the low ceiling in one of the sit down areas.
|
Firstly I will state an interest. I know the new landlady of the pub.
Jenny and Dave took a brave step when they bought the G & D last summer, but they have done very well. A complete refurb and a clean broom.
Visited on the opening day and that was great, but the real test is can they keep it up – yes they have. We have been a few times since then and it has improved and improved.
Firstly for such a small bar, they don’t half do well. A choice of 4 ales, all kept in really good condition, 3 lagers and a draft cider. It’s a free house so they can change as they like but a choice of Harveys Sussex, Doombar and one of the local W J King’s beers, you can’t go wrong. And all in excellent condition.
Also worth a mention - Free House and not Hall and Sh1thouse beer. Can I call not sh... but do they really make beer
Service great. Hosting (and not just for people they know and we are not local local!) is excellent.
Then there is the food. Jenny said she would keep it simple home cooked pub fare, then she hired a French chef. So really the best of both worlds. Pub staples such as pies and steaks (beef and gammon) then add moules and guinea fowl and skate and the best hand made chicken kiev you can imagine. What more can you ask for? All came piping hot with lots and veg. Superb.
Back to the pub. The layout is unusual, so lots of different areas. A small dining room, a smaller dining room. A log fire , another hidyhole - a proper country pub.
Try it yourself
|
Oh for the days when we used to all cram into the public bar on bar billiards league night. Anyone over 6ft would bang their head on the way in!
|
Up for sale now and easy to see why- in order to survive the pub probably needs customers. An outrageously small bar and a smaller snug means you have to rub shoulders with the other two people who are in there- and although quaint, and it is lovely- its a product of a bygone age when english people were no taller than 3 feet. The lack of music meant it was much like having a pint in the local allotment shed. Pint of sussex wasn't at its best...anotoher reason to stay in your own living room and get tesco to do the work......
|
came here for my birthday drinks, was going to order food but the family were away on the one weekend i visit. :( but its an amazingly quaint pub, just brilliant.
how pubs should be in sussex, hehe!
|
Dined in the George and Dragon tried the ales and Stowford Press Cider food was outstanding and lots of it, best Cheese board I have had for years staff were first class cant wait to go back, great country pub.
|
Dinner for 4 on a Friday night hasnt't been this good in a long time! Sussex ales, good range of special meals, plus a decent regular menu, bags of atmosphere, and very helpful waiting staff all add up to a strong recommendation = 10 out of 10!
|
This is a great little country pub which I have visited three or four times. It is very much a rural focal point and you will mix with the country boys and girls when you visit here.
The interesting thing about this pub is the grave in the front garden in which is an albino boy who was refused a burial in the local church. If you visit, you will get the full story.
A few years ago the walls were festooned with witchcraft paraphernalia, but this went with a former landlady - I bet she is cursed now.
This place is up there with the best of them and I wish I lived closer. Well worth a drive for those interested in folklore and good beer. Take your dog too.
|
Lovely old pub with good beer and great food. Large garden.
|
Visited on a Monday lunchtime following strong recommendations from several friends and I wasn't disappointed.
The dining area was 80% full and the atmosphere was friendly and warm. Staff were friendly and helpful. The beer was standard Hall & Woodhouse offerings of Sussex and Tanglefoot, plus the seasonal Hopping Hare, of which I had a pint and appeared well kept.
The food was simple but delicious and plentiful. I will definitely be returning.
Moses - 20 Mar 2008 13:13 |
If you are really, really hungry, and looking for a truly fantastic meal, then the George and Dragon will not disappoint! Really lovely little pub, good atmosphere and well kept ale. Small eaters beware, the food portions in this pub are often very large, (try the steak, stilton and mushroom pie!) but it is home-cooked to perfection, and the service is always friendly. One thing though, the restaurant is very small, and would usually require booking during busy months if a weekend visit is planned. Enjoy!
|
Nice country pub with large garden. Friendly (if a bit slow) service and well-kept beer; the Fursty Ferret I had was in good nick. Will definitely visit again. The only slight negative is that they allow smoking at the very small bar, which is unpleasant for non-smoking customers and staff alike.
|
Sadly, I haven't been back to this lovely pub since moving from the area a while ago. When I was using the George and Dragon it was quite simply perfect. The beer was as good as H+W can be, the landlord was an avid jump racing goer, the food reliable and the garden a delight. Easily the most salubrious pub in the area and worth a special journey.
|
|
