Bull, Newport Pagnellback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
A traditional looking boozer located a few minutes walk away from the town centre and past the site of the old Aston Martin factory, this seems to be a popular local’s pub and was fairly busy on a recent mid-week evening visit. However, they also offer quite cheap B&B and I think a number of the punters may have been staying there, including one guy I got chatting to who had apparently split up from his wife and been there for six months!
It’s a two room pub with the lounge to the left. This is quite attractive and has an old country inn feel to it with a wood strip floor and a low beamed ceiling with a few of the obligatory horse brasses dotted around. The walls have dark wood panelling on the lower part with rough white plasterwork above and black timber detailing, as well as some exposed brick work. A large brick fire-place is to one side and it looks as though a log fire is lit on occasions. The bar counter was fronted with old beer barrels and there were hops hung all around the ceiling. A small alcove up a couple of steps at the rear housed a plasma and this was showing a football match although the volume was off so it was not too intrusive. The public bar to the right has a tiled floor along with both a pool table and a darts board.
A menu board outside the pub listed a number of “pub grub” dishes for £6.50 and I enquired before ordering my pint if they were doing food. I was assured that they were so duly ordered a drink and then asked for the menu. I was then told that there was no menu, the choices were Chicken & Chips or Sausage & Chips. To be honest I was quite annoyed about this, it’s certainly not what I had in mind. And what if I had been vegetarian? I don’t know why I couldn’t have been told when I asked if they were doing food that the choice was so limited. Perhaps it was because the barmaid seemed very distracted, I didn’t even get the change from my food order. To be fair, the (three) sausages, pile of chips and peas were a generous portion and at £2.99 it would be churlish to complain even if the gravy was conspicuous by it’s absence.
Beers on tap were Everard’s Tiger, Bengal Lancer and Spitfire. A fourth pump for Abbott Ale appeared to have run out. Ciders were Strongbow and Scrumpy Jack. In many ways this seems quite a decent pub and if you’re just popping in for a pint then I’d probably recommend it, but for me the misleading lack of food left something of a sour taste.
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A proper unpretentious english pub.
Well kept and cheap hand pulled beers together with excellent value food.
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Visited at teatime to find quite a few friendly locals in the bar area. The beer range was reasonable if unexciting, with four draught ales on offer including Everards Tiger, Adnams Bitter and Cornish Tribute (which was off).
Close to the M1 at Junction 14 and worth a stop if you fancy a decent pint in a nice enough pub.
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A small family pub does very good B&B too! Real Ale, nothing more than you could expect from such an old pub in such an old rural area..... good neighbours too! Not far from Aston Martin's and local riverside walks! Reasonably near to Town Centre and many other things!
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A little cracker. Excellent beer from a range of about eight, a comfy chair and the Sunday papers. Bliss.
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How well I knew The Bull. I used it as my local for about 5 years, Trevor Smih was the landord in those days, can't remember the guy before him though.
Used to drink in the lounge bar had some good mates in there then sad to say 14 odd years have passed and I can't recall any names so if you read this give me some hints please.
Perchance you have not seen me in there for a bit it's because I live and work in Bangkok Thailand and have done so for the last 12 to 13 years. Pubs here a little different I tell you !!
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Great little local. Friendly staff and good beers - Batemans on tap, which is always a good sign. But couldn't get food Saturday lunchtime
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Pub of choice for workers at nearby Aston Martin factory. At least 7 real ales. Extensive (and reasonably priced) food menu - you can even fax your food order and a table will be reserved for you.
DaveDimo - 23 Sep 2004 14:14 |
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