Star Inn, Tickenhamback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Spotted this place on the way to Tyntesfield country house advertising an 'exciting new menu', so decided to stop on the way back as we'd be hungry for some lunch after doing some walking.
From the outside the pub looks like a typical cosy country pub and we were hopeful for some decent country pub nosh. The inside looks like it had been recently refurbished, although it certainly didn't have any rustic charm. It's difficult to describe, but the tables, chairs and bar area looked like they'd better belong in a working man's club, or village hall hosting a WI coffee meeting.
There were no menus at the table, instead the food was posted on a chalk-board attached to the wall adjoining the bar so we stood gawping for some-time in order to decide on what to have. Although it appeared to be slightly overpriced, the food looked enticing and we were both hungry after our morning exploits. We decided to get a drink, have a seat and decide what we were going to have to eat.
I went to the bar and ordered two Coca-Colas (as I was driving and my wife doesn't drink) and a packet of dry roasted peanuts. The cheerful barmaid poured the Cokes, plonked them in front of me and said
"that'll be �4.80 please".
"sorry, what?" I replied.
"Four eighty".
So I paid over the �4.80 and duly noticed that I hadn't been provided with my peanuts.
"Sorry, forgot. That'll be 65p"
"Extra?"
"Yes, they're 65p".
So, for two Coca-Colas and a packet of peanuts the Star Inn robbed me of �5.45. Let me reiterate -- that's Five pounds and forty five pence for two Cokes and peanuts. The Cokes were �2.40 EACH! Just to put this into some perspective -- as I realise that the ravages of inflation may cause someone to swing by this review in several years time and think "blimey, that's cheap" -- at the time of writing a two litre bottle of Coca Cola is for sale in ASDA at �1.78. For the price I paid for 2 Cokes in this pub I could have bought 5.4 litres of Coca Cola from the supermarket.
I sat down and decided that the Star Inn wasn't going to garner any more of my money ever again and we decided to leave (the fact that the only other people in the pub -- a family who were having dinner -- were allowing their child to loudly and repeatedly bash the table football table also added into our decision, but it wasn't that I was particularly annoyed with).
So, I don't even know whether the food is any good as, for the want of massively overcharging for Coca Cola, the Star Inn lost out on the �20.00 we were going to spend on lunch. C'est la vie. A nearby indian restaurant with excellent food and excellent service was more than happy to take the money that had been set aside for the Star, and I was happy to give it.
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Gypsiewoo has said it all,sadly
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my partner and i and his mother went to this pub for sunday lunch
21-11-2010. we found the menue very poor but settled for roast dinner
and if you had a sweet when you order you get it for �10. When the meal was brought to our table i was quite shocked with what was on the plate, there was this little mountain of meat which was hard and dried up all round the edges and not much better in the middle, then i was curiouse as to what was under the meat that made this little mountain,it was 3 little roast potatoes, except they were not roasted they had been deep fat fried,and on top of that it was cold. I was going to hand the meal back and ask for my money back, but my partner and his mother said lets just eat it and we now not to come here again, so we tucked in as it happens one of the staff came over to ask if everything was o.k. so we told him no and what we thought of the meal, he went and told chef, then one of the bar staff came over and said the chef has got another beef out and it wont happen again so just to let you no your complaint has not been ignored and something is being done about it.Chef did not even come out of the kitchen to apologize,there was no offer of refunding any of our money or a coffee or tea on the house we were not the only ones to complain i over heard anothr table saying pretty much the same thing, also the place was freezing when i commented about it they said the heating had been put on but it takes along time to heat up.this was about 12.30 mid day. surely it makes sense to put the heating on to warm the place up before they open the doors to the public, who wants to on a cold day go into a pub for lunch and have to sit ther freezing cold with ther coat on while there eating. would definitely not recomend this place to anyone.
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I think it�s perhaps a little unfair to call this place a hole. It might be lacking a bit of character and not be to everyone�s taste, but it�s tidy and up together, so I don�t think a hole is an accurate description. It must be a difficult pub to make a success of. Although notionally in the village of Tickenham, it�s a very long village and some of the residents are two miles away. In any case, it�s actually out past the end of the village, and anyone walking there is going to have to go about half a mile along a busy, unlit road with no pavements. As such, they need to really concentrate on something that�s going to attract driving punters in, and that I guess means food. I know that BITE regulars, including myself, despise pubs turning in to restaurants, but I am just trying to be realistic as to what yet another set of relatively new owners can do to make a success of the place. The only time I�ve seen it really busy is on sunny afternoon�s when the large garden gets packed, but you can�t really base your business proposition around the weather.
So, that aside, what�s it actually like? As I said in my previous post, it�s lost some of it�s character since it�s refurbishment and is now perhaps more wine-bar like than pub like, but it�s nonetheless pleasant enough. There�s been some publicity in the local press about the new owners Craig and Francesca, and I really hope they can make a go of it. Since they�ve taken over there have been a few minor alterations, like the fireplace that bobbiepetta has mentioned and a pool table, but on the whole it�s pretty much unchanged. There�s a plasma in the corner opposite the bar, along with a fruit machine and quiz machine, and a couple of comfy leather sofa�s in the corner.
It was fairly quiet on a recent Tuesday evening with seven or eight punters in, but they were all part of one group. The only other customer seemed to know the barmaid as they spent the whole time chatting. It was difficult to tell what drinks were available, as for some reason both sets of font rails had towels over them. I�m not sure if this indicated many of them were off or not. The food menu looked to be traditional �pub grub� at reasonable prices, although we didn�t try it on this occasion. The laminated menu doesn�t obviously suggest all home-made food as has been suggested, but I may of course be wrong.
There were four beers advertised on the board, namely Doom Bar, Gem, Tribute and Butcombe Gold but only the first two were available. Ciders were a very pleasant Thatcher�s Gold and Stowford Press. Mrs. Blackthorn was none too impressed with the lager selection being only Stella and Foster�s, so I had to fork out for a bottle of Corona.
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this place is a hole poor beer poor service avoid
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New owners are now at the helm, food was fantastic - all homemade menu there now! the place was heaving when we turned up on a friday night. They have also put ta fireplace back in.
There seems to be alot of the locals back in the pub. Its about time this pub was busy again, thanks to the new owners for a lovely night 10/10
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i stopped here for some food last weekend and i wish i never. the best thing about this pub is the playground, the service was terrible and prices were way too high. i will be driving past from now on not stopping
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Now under new management, so hopefully on the up. Four beers on tap (Doom Bar, Gem, Courage Best and Otter Ale) which seems a good sign.
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I can't believe this place is still open, it always seems completely empty! The refurb is actually quite nicely done, although as others has said it may be not to everyone's taste. It's more trendy wine bar than country pub.
Plus points are the huge garden with kids play area (if you've got kids anyway...). We haven't, but some of our friends do! There is also a dedicated kids play area inside the pub, which is failry unique in this area.
Food was failry average when we tried it, and they do seem to have problems with staffing levels.
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I beg to differ with the comments below, my visit to The Star Inn was thoroughly enjoyable - great food, great beet, friendly staff. The refurb may not be to everybodies taste due to the fact that it lacks 'tradition' but we can't all live in the past, places are becoming more and more modern - cabot circus...the refurbed bar in clevedon for example, which I find far too modern myself.
Give it another go, the food now is magnificent.
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Called in here some months ago with parents in hand,was just like going into a nursery,drinks were poor/service poor/food appalling,definitly woudn,t reccomend this place,A big fat zero in my opnion.
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A great big kids playground, noisy and uninviting to the sprogless.
Efforts to get staff to organise a clean table were in vain, place was a mess and clearly understaffed.
We left, pintless and hungry!
Wouldn't recommend!
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Dont go there , it is now dreadful. Uncaring staff and inedible food.
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friendly service and a great tasting pint of butcombe gold, nice clean atmosphere too, 8/10
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