Plume Of Feathers, Rickfordback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Popped in for Saturday lunch after our weekend walk. As ever, friendly welcome, a good selection of ales and ciders (Cheddar Potholer and St Austell Tribute were tasty) and the food generous and delicious. There were some noisy young kids came in, but they soon quietened down after some admonishment from the parents. Happy!
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A great place to visit hadn't been for a while, but never the less still as good as before. Plenty of meals being ordered still and plentiful plates came past. I tried a couple of the different ales as usual and both on form. Always a nice place to visit
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First drop-in here for me, courtesy of the usually-reliable Good Beer Guide. The times I've driven past this particular fold in the Mendips and never realised this pub was here; it's a real shame because it's absolutely worthy of attention, both in terms of its charming location and splendidly-kept cask ales.
Four local beers featured on my visit on Monday last; these included the evergreen Cheddar Ales Potholer and the equally-alluring Butcombe Mendip Spring which really was on song. The dismal clouds that have plagues the country lately had miraculously just cleared, and it was the perfect opportunity to lounge outside on one of the seats at the front, to enjoy these beers, and a decent portion of ham, egg and chips which filled a rather large hole internally. The menu I should say wasn't the most broad in scope, but I liked the options and there should be something available for most people despite diversity of tastes.
The pub building itself is a charmer, set back from the busy A368 in a green valley, and resembles a terrace of old rural workers' cottages. The interior more-or-less fits with what one would expect, and the bar area is generous, without the clutter of seating and tables which sit to the left and right of where one stands at the central bar. Toilets were in a reasonable state and can be found up the stairs to the left of the bar - don't assume it's a private area! I should also add that service was good, from both licensee/manager and the barmaid.
Clientele-wise, a mix of 30-something ramblers, couples and a couple of very well-heeled 'ladies wot lunch'. Dogs were ever-present but not intrusive, and frankly added some extra character on an otherwise relatively quiet lunch time session.
Definitely one to watch when next in the vicinity, and if you happen to live or work nearby and haven't sampled the Plume's Wares yet, then it's in your interests to do so at the soonest convenience. Granted, parking is tight, but then I tend to find that sort of thing usually works itelf out in the end, with a spot of perseverence!
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First visit here for about 34 years. Tried the Butcombe Mendip Spring and it was good. Also had their excellent burger with chips. Can't knock at all. Only downside is the lack of parking.
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My first visit to the place in well over four years and its not changed one bit (thankfully!)three ales featured were moles "tap",butcombe bitter and cheddar potholer .friendly service and a nice log fire was a bonus 8/10
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This looks a great pub, plenty of people passing must see it and be attracted in. It�s brightly illuminated in an otherwise completely dark area and clearly visible from the main road. Unfortunately many of those people being attracted in, may give up as there is very limited parking. There�s not even the option of parking nearby and walking. I have in the past attempted to park, given up and gone elsewhere.
Having managed to find a space on this occasion and squeezed past the half a dozen smokers congregating in the door way, I then found that the next obstacle was getting to the bar. The bar area itself is quite small, and there were a couple of people sat on bar stools at one end plus another half people dozen propping up the other end of the bar. I literally had to squeeze in between them to get to the bar. This was all the more frustrating as the rest of the pub was completely empty and I find this creates a rather unwelcoming atmosphere.
The pub itself is quite spacious with a long central bar, cosier bar off to the right with a beamed ceiling, parquet wood floor, church pews and an attractive, large stone fireplace and another room of to the left with a pool table. All the essential ingredients of a decent pub in fact, including a friendly barman. There was a chalk board menu with a reasonable choice of pub dishes, plus a separate board listing ten or so pizza�s � obviously a speciality. The food seemed quite decent and reasonably priced.
The one thing that put me off was the noise coming from the bar area. There were lots of farmer types standing around in wellies, all chatting at a loud volume and (occasionally) using some colourful language. Now I�m not a prude and I�m sure if I�d been in there with a few mates I probably wouldn�t even have noticed. But the pub does decent food, and so needs to provide an environment where that can be enjoyed. Most people dining will sit in the cosy area next to the bar, but that�s right next to it and quite open, so does nothing to attenuate the noise. As it was, squeezing past the smokers, struggling to get to the bar and having a less than relaxing meal due to the noise did spoil the ambience somewhat. The locals may well claim that it�s their pub, they support it regularly and like it as it is � I wouldn�t disagree, and if it was purely a drinking pub I probably wouldn�t even have mentioned it. But if they�re going to try and attract people in for the food, they need to try and do something to make it a bit more relaxing. If it hadn�t been so noisy, the pub would have been a completely different atmosphere and I would be giving it a couple more marks.
Unusually there were two beers on tap (Butcombe and Tribute) but four ciders � Thatcher�s Traditional, Weston�s Traditional, Thatcher�s Gold and �Bee Sting� pear cider.
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Great country pub set in beautiful Rickford next to a stream, great for supping a few outside on a summers evening. In the winter, great for supping a few inside, a real countryside feel to this pub with flagstone floors, wooden beamed ceilings and a log fire ( usually in).
Beers & ciders include: Doom Bar, Butcombe, Thatchers & Old Rosie, Lager Louts: Fosters & Stella. Great freshly prepared homemade food made by landlady. Also has games room Pool table & darts plus B&B.
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Great beer plus traditional Sunday lunch roast beef excellent but why serve it on cold plates? Would have rated a 9.
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Today ,i finally got here, having passsed it on numerous occasions.A great feeling was had ,as the lady writing the blackboard,had the Knowledge and confidence to declare the source and cooking method of the food..The Doombar and Butcombe preceeded,with thumbs up allround,closely followed by the HOMEMADE gastronomic feast,"pub lunch" 1 x Ham egg chips.1 x Beefburger,and 1 x Onion tart etc,all were excellent i know, i tried each and all.And Homemade a truer word ever spoken.Local and fresh just what the real pundits of public house gastronomy want..Thumbs up all round,well done.....
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A decent pint, a nice lunch of locally-sourced food and a pleasant welcome - just what we wanted in the middle of a walk.
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Beautiful little pub,fantastic pint of st austell tribute too, 9/10 without a doubt!
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Wow! Fantastic location, surrounded by amazing scenery and a pretty little stream. Cider's not bad either.
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