please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Dreadfully slow and poor service at the bar. Food not available on our visit.
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Really nice pub both inside and out - probably the best pub garden (or at in the top 2 or 3) within a 10 mile radius. New landlord and landlady since late 2010/early 2011 have turned the place around.
Fullers range of ales always in very good condition in my experience, and a good menu. Lots of varying events taking place throughout the year some of which are very interesting and different e.g. annual ferret racing competition each August raising money for a ferret charity. Beer festivals, murder mystery nights, quizzes, astronomy nights...you name it.
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Attractive pub, good beer, friendly landlord. Let down badly on my last visit by the bar maid - thinks much too much of herself. It's not rocket science love - pour the beer. That's all you have to do.
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Not that nice a pub. won't go again
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What a change, a proper pub with proper beer & a proper warm welcome. Really good food, fresh & tasty with generous portions. Came on a recommendation & will definitely tell others to pop in & check it out. Met some real character, warm, friendly & the atmosphere was relaxed both inside & outside on the incredible balcony/verandah. Can't wait till Winter when the 2 fires will be lit. At last, I've found my local!
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This place has gone downhill recently.
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Very disapointed with this pub.
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Didn't like this pub.
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Not a nice pub, food not good beer not very special.
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Alas I have had similar experiences here to the post below in relation to food. It is a shame as it seems the new Tennants are trying to make an effort and there seems to be plenty of events going on here. I'll certainly would say go down for a drink, use the large beer garden and enjoy the special events they hold. I'll probably hold off the food side keeping an eye on how that side goes.
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Well not a happy bunny,dont bother with this place if its food you want. We had Fish and Chips, chips were stale(reheated, yesterdays? as were the peas) and some tired looking green salad , what the fish was ie cod, haddock was not specified and foolishly I didnt ask but it was tasteless,and we waited 40 minutes to be served and there were only 5 people eating including my wife and I. The whole place could do with a good clean. And I had a strong feeling the staff knew the meal was substandard, no apology for the long wait. Good? The London ride was nice but it really should be. A very poor effort, someone took there eye off the ball and if this is the standard this couple wont last long in trade. I ask you Fish and chips easy peasy nmot rocket science.
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I have a soft spot for this pub - and it is so pleasing to see it coming to life again.
Been for lunch this week and the food knocked ny socks off. really tasty and the atmosphere in the pub is like the old days. Its a proper poub with with really excellent beer - what is what really matters.
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Recently made first visit since new management - Nick & Hazel - took over. Have to say I was impressed by the efforts made so far. Decor and seating improved. Good menu from which I chose and enjoyed the lunch. The London Pride was truly excellent. Looking forward to more visits with friends & family in near future and can only wish Nick & Hazel all the very best in making a success of their new venture. cheers!
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A young couple called Nick & Hazel run the place now. It was early Saturday evening when I went in so not surprisingly there were few customers. Three Fullers beers on offer and I opted for the Pride. Very drinkable, but my word - what a price! �3.30 a pint!
It continues to be a pleasant country pub and I'm sure will be popular in the summer months. However, the new owners will have to offer something very special in terms of food, entertainment or atmosphere if they really want to make a success of it. I wish them well but I'm not holding my breath.
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been taken over again this place - there's a couple running it now. Thewy seem allright. pub was full last night and the food was really tasty. encouraging
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We went and had a Sunday lunch at the Flowing Spring. It's clearly been tidied up a bit, though without losing any of the cosiness. We took advantage of the Sunday lunch deal, main course and either soup or desert. It was good value and decent food, to the point where we will be coming back sometime to try the main menu. The beer was well kept Fullers fare.
Warm fire, friendly welcome. Good stuff all round.
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Went down here last friday. They had a music night on. The place was packed and the beer - what really matters - was excellent, tasted fantastic. There's a new landlord who is putting a lot of energy into turning the pub round, so one of the locals told me. Don't really know about anything else but the beer was as it should be. The atmosphere was like what it used to be as well - it was like a pub. well in. The nine is for the Pride, it was that good
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I agree totally with the new landlord's comments.
The atmosphere in this pub has changed remarkably; many of the old customers and locals are returning and the early evenings on weekdays are fun, although it can be a bit quiet later on occasionally.
The food is excellent and not expensive for the area. A Valentine's menu at under �20 was good value.
There are big coal fires in the winter and once the pub is refurbished (any time soon) it will be great.
The garden in good weather is very pleasant, once you learn to negotiate the stairs holding a tray of drinks.
Been coming here for about 15 years (through thick and thin) and am glad that I battled on!
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Hi
My name is Chris Jacobs and I am the new Landlord of The Flowing Spring.
I took over the pub on the 30th November 2009.
There have been many poor reviews of this pub over the last few months prior to me taking over. As you can see from the most recent comment, I have already improved the beer.
The new menu is now running in full with a new full time chef. This should address the food issue mentioned in the latest post.
The pub was my local for nearly 20 years and I remember "the good old days". It is my intention to bring the pub back to its former glory.
In my opinion this beautiful pub is one of the last 'true pubs' in the area and boasts one of the best beer gardens I know.
Honestly put, there are evenings when the pub is quiet, however I have already seen an increase trade, during the two quietest trading months (Jan and Feb) a pub faces. Most of the locals I remember from the past have now returned and the atmosphere in the pub is great.
Why not pay a visit and see for yourself.
Regards
Chris
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Beer (London Pride was exceptionally good) and the pub was warm with a good open fire. But where are all the customers? No food was available.We were there from 5-8pm and there were hardly any other customers.
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Popped in on Sunday evening and the place was deserted. No atmosphere. Awful. I shan't be gong back there for a while. What has happened to the place ? Looked at the menu which is pretty standard fare apart from the prices that is. �9.95 for Sausage and Mash !! �5.95 for a large glass of wine !!! Worst of all though, the Pride was awful. It tasted old and stale - I guess that's as a result of not getting the through-put without many customers - what a shame.
My friend was thinking of holding his 50th Birthday party there - I've since put him off that idea. We'll probably hold it up the road at the Traveller's even though it doesn't have the big garden like the Spring, but at least it has a lively bunch of customers and the beer is dirt cheap �2.09 for a pint of Pride.
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I have always loved this pub - it was one of the first that I legally drank in.
But where have all the locals gone? Went in two weeks ago for the first time since April and they had all disappeared, as has the darts team and the crib team it seems. I had thought the pub would get a new lease of life under new management. But the bubbly atmosphere that I have always associated with The Spring seems to have disappeared. I remember the mid-nineties when the place was a lively boozer. What has happened?
The only consolation was that the beer was okay.
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Worst pub food and service I've encountered in Britain. �13 for half a chicken breast with bottled bbq sauce with a hand full of oven chips. Other dishes dripping in fat, or missing half the ingredients (the chili nachos with sour cream, guacamole and salsa actually had no sour cream, guacamole or salsa).
Once the manager finally bothered to hear our concerns, she seemed pretty uninterested and didn't seem to understand the problem as it was only "casual dining". Incredible.
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Very poor service and disappointing meal. The chef doesn't speak English and couldn't tell us which pie was which. Won't bother going back.
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Decidedto give it another try but sadly no better. Slow service and cloudy beer is not what we need.
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Great pub and gets very popular on sunny days because of massive beer gaden. Good beer everytime I've been over the last 20 years or so.
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The last time I went was back in the late 90's and the old geezer behind the bar (Brian?) was a great bloke. Very friendly and the beer was fantastic. I used to pop in there several times a week and enjoy a pint of Fuller's London cream ale. I haven't seen the stuff recently so I can only assume that they've finished that line. Shame. The Flowing Spring then was a great pub.
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The previous visitor musy have been unlucky. I went on May bank holiday Monday. No problems getting served full pints of excellent London Pride. A fantastic Fullers pub. It beats the Fish and the Butler in Reading hands down.
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Very poor service as the staff are reluctant to even appear behind the bar. Visited Sunday April 17th 2005, long wait to get serverd even though no one else was waiting. Short measure seems to be a speciality on pints of London Pride.
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