BITE user comments - Moses
Comments by Moses
Popped in twice over the weekend on my annual "stag" weekend with friends.
Thatchers Gold and Dry cider as well as Otter, Doombar and Cotleigh ales. All well kept and tasting good.
Magnificent and reasonable burgers kept hunger at bay.
This pub is a rare thing these days- an independant, small-town pub that still appears to be thriving. Not stuck in the 1700's, but also accepting it's West Country heritage. It successfully caters for it's older regulars as well as the Wivvy cricket team in for a pre-match pint.
I can't help but love it.
I wish it had Exmoor Gold on - it always used to - but you can't have everything.
10 May 2011 11:02
Ate and drank with a group of friends at the weekend after a long absence. Good local (Quantock) brewery ale on tap as well as Thatchers dry cider. Enjoyed by all, but I would really like to see Exmoor or Cotleigh represented. Food was very good - my steak was succulent and well cooked to order. Three of my friends had the monkfish and all agreed that it was excellent too. Desserts hit the spot.
The service was great and the atmosphere was relaxed and conducive to a lovely evening. I shall return with family.
Please try this pub.
10 May 2011 10:52
Open again after refurb and change of management and I had to try it!!
A partnership of 4 now run the Boars Head. The new interior decor isn't quite my bag, but it is clean & fresh.
Staff were attentive and friendly. Free tasters of wine & beer were offered without hesitation. Ale is H & W faves plus Weston's Stowford press cider. All acceptable. The wife said the wine was fine.
Tried the Charcuterie platter for lunch, designed to be shared between 2. More appropriate as a starter for 1.
Food not cheap, but the new owners are pitching a locally sourced, home cooked, rustic-menued eatery rather than an boozeer with food. Having said that, it never was a boozer, it is LESS of one now however.
I wish the new owners well and I will probably return for a pint now and then, but might avoid the food - for cost reasons, not quality.
18 Aug 2010 13:41
Hello all.
I was tempted back to the Tanners by the recent Beer Festival, which was very good, but also made me think how frustrating it must be to sell such fantastic local beers for one weekend and then have to return to the usual Hall & Woodhouse fodder. Anyway, thanks to Lindsey(sic?) for arranging it. Stunning Mild from Arundel was the winner.
Lindsey has been the landlady for 14 months and whilst I can't claim to be her biggest supporter, I do try to have a pint whilst out with the dogs most nights and she really has made a difference.
No longer is the Tanners the domain of local oiks and wideboys, her passion for creating a place to relax in is evident as soon as you walk in. Good background music, as well as the aforemetioned "open mic" night on Wednesdays and a band on Saturdays.
A very novel and welcome attraction is the abilty to order a takeaway for consumption on the premises, with cutlery & crockery supplied, your washing up done and at NO COST!!!
Well kept Sussex and Lemony Cricket on currently, as well as Stowford Press cider. Most of the H & W bottled offerings are in stock.
Much improved, keep it up Lindsay.
10 May 2010 15:49
Also now closed, along with the Blue Ball at Triscombe and Notley Arms in Monksilver.
14 Apr 2010 12:37
Whilst it is sad that this pub has closed, if the manager didn't see it coming he shouldn't be in the business. And now he isn't........
14 Apr 2010 12:33
Dropped in (against my better judgement) for a swift half on a Monday afternoon. All the teenage bar-staff were on th ewrong side of the bar, having a drink and slagging off the boss.
No ale "on".
Never again
25 Mar 2010 14:30
No comment about the pub, but the previous landlord who built a house in the pub garden did exactly the same in Halse when his mum owned the New Inn. Spooky!!!
25 Jan 2010 15:17
No Exmoor Gold and Cotleigh will soon follow suit!
Probably the best pub in Wivvy witn NO Wivvy beers???
Scandalous!!
28 Sep 2009 14:43
If you like real ale, there is a good pint of Cotleigh 25 to be had.
However, the restaurant food is sadly lacking. Not bad, just too pricey for what it is.
The wine (both Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc) is awful.
This pub is going in the right direction, but must try harder.
28 Sep 2009 14:32
Fairly average and I must say a bit of a disappointment - maybe my expectations were too high?
This pub holds an annual beer festival, so I expected great things. There was the usual Hall & Woodhouse ales, I didn't see a guest ale - my wife enjoyed her wine and the food was OK (but I suspect it was not home-made as described).
Nothing wrong - just average.
6 Jan 2009 12:31
I love this pub because it is still a pub - not a restaurant. Great selection of beer, staff who like to chat, simple but tasty bar food. Locals, cosy fires in winter, conservatory and garden in summer. If only it was in walking distance of my house.....I'd be a ruined man!
6 Jan 2009 12:20
Visited one Sunday afternoon with some friends. Not overly busy and bar staff were friendly enough. Beer was a trifle expensive but my big gripe was the state of the toilets - smelly and really dirty. I certainly wouldn't eat anything from the kitchen based on the level of housekeeping.
6 Jan 2009 12:17
The landlord, Paddy Groves, comes with an impressive reputation, having previously owned and managed the Blue Ball @ Triscombe and the Fitzhead Inn.
With Woods, he treads ever nearer the restaurant side of the business, but has still retained a lively bar, with good beer and great wines. His staff are always attentive, friendly and polite - Will the waiter being a long serving legend.
One criticism - the food, whilst excellent, tends to be moving toward "poncy". One of my party's dishes included some form of "foam" - keep it real Paddy!!
25 Nov 2008 17:14
Visited in order to compare with the Seven Stars at Leigh, on a Sunday afternoon. A less luxurious feel, but none the worse for it. I had the draught French cider, which was excellent. The bar staff (two guys - one of whom I assumed to be the aforementioned landlord) seemed friendly enough. A good selection of ales was available. Nothing exceptional, but good enough!
1 Oct 2008 13:56
Popped in one sunny, weekday lunchtime for a couple of beers. A beautiful building, in beautiful surroundings. Staff were attentive and polite. The selection of ale & wine was good and both tasted great. This is the sort of pub that really comes into it's own in winter, with it's low, beamed ceilings and fireplaces. I will return to try the food.
1 Oct 2008 13:41
Called in early on a Monday evening - some locals at the bar. Bar staff (Emma)was friendly and attentive. Selection of beer was great. Tasted better. Only to be let down by dirty glasses. Booo!
Will go again on a Saturday and try the food - and crockery!
22 Jul 2008 14:14
Like the Fitzhead Inn down the road, this pub needs a good landlord to turn it around. Friday nights used to be packed with locals drinking, eating and playing cards. Not so anymore. Had a brief run of success 2/3 years ago but it's gone very downhill since. Next time I'm down there I hope I am pleasantly surprised.
14 Jul 2008 16:53
10 years ago this pub was soooo good that it breaks my heart to see it now. No cask ale despite it being 3 miles from two of the best breweries in Somerset. Food is average. Please someone buy it and treat it and it's customers with some respect.
14 Jul 2008 16:48
I have been visiting the Black Jug more over the last few weeks and it definitely seems to be improved. I think this is mainly down to the staff, who seemed more focused on customer service and less focused on having fun with each other.
Ale selection is very good. It is still expensive, but not much more than the Bedford and without the Sky Sports experience.
Much better!
23 Apr 2008 14:45
The George and Dragon, Shipley
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.
20 Mar 2008 13:13
Returned last Friday - all of the admittedly large selection of ale tasted of pipe cleaning fluid. Not good, but will try again soon.
21 Jan 2008 12:54
One of the last true town pubs left in the World. What you see is what you get; it's not flash, or garish. There is no jukebox, just Rdaio 2. TV sometimes on, but the sound is always off. well kept Hall & Woodhouse ales, plus their offerings of Lager. Barry the landlord is a real character and malkes a cracking bap at lunchtime. Best in class!!!
16 Nov 2007 16:24
Without doubt, THE most expensive pub in Horsham. Normally a good selection of ales, but not all well kept.
Staff can be very snooty, but some are genuinely helpful.
Gets very busy on weekend evenings and can be a nightmare to get served, but on the plus side - you don't get any idiots/oiks un there.
Food is overrated, but better than most pubs in Horsham (that's not saying much!)
I don't think it deserves to be Horsham's (only) entry in the Good Pub Guide. It's OK, but not wonderful.
Did I mention it is expensive???
16 Nov 2007 16:09
Lovely food if a tad pricey. Beer well kept - 3 real ales on when I visited. Service was good but slightly let down by one waitress who seemed rather pre-occupied.
Well worth a visit, especially of you like fish/seafood.
16 Nov 2007 16:02
Visited this pub after the awful Boars Head and what a contrast. Good beers, good food - fantastic!
5 Nov 2007 14:27
Fan-dabby-dozy!! Great beer (Exmoor Gold always on!!)and great food. Fantastic atmosphere. Beautiful interior - shame smoking has been banned as you feel the urge to light up a pipe as soon as you're in the place.
5 Nov 2007 13:46
Not really the pub it used to be as teh ex landlord moved it from where it was to the barn where it now is! More of a restaurant, but very good nevertheless. Good local ale, and some un-expected dishes on the menu. Worth a visit.
5 Nov 2007 13:42
Excellent town pub, serving great local ales and good reasonable food. Can get crowded at the weekend but that is surely a good sign? A must of you're in Wivvy! Try the Exmoor Gold.
5 Nov 2007 13:23
Very Poor! I have been going to this pub for several years now and was initially encouraged by the new landlord (David). However, went for lunch yesterday (Sunday), pre-booked and informed the pub that we would need two vegetarian roast dinners. All was agreed on the phone - roast butternut squash offered. However after we had waited at least 45 minutes for our dinner, what turned up was less than impressive. The non-vege roast dinners were pitifully tiny and the vege roasts were exactly the same - minus the meat, so even smaller. No butternut squash as promised. Even the waitress seemed embarrassed, offering more bread to make up for the lack of food. Without exaggerating the meals were at least half the size of the roast dinners we have previously seen in the pub.
I had to find the acting restaurant manager to complain too as she was hiding. She offered more veg and money off the bill. We were subsequently billed for the full amount - in the case of the vege menu, �9.50 for to halves of roast potato, some peas and two small florets of cauliflower.
They finally agreed not to charge us for the vege- meals, but only after a very lengthy negotiation. The new landlord, who we had been told was out, appeared but did not speak to us or offer an apology and let his staff take the rap whilst he skulked around the bar. Unforgivable!
Awful dining experience, ruined an upto then beautiful Sunday afternoon. We shan't be going again whilst this landlord is in charge and will be advising as many people as possible to avoid this pub. As will the other two parties of diners who were sharing a similar experience - if their comments were anything to go by.
One good point - the waitress who served us was very good and deserves a much better boss!
AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
5 Nov 2007 09:46
The Royal Oak Inn, Luxborough
I've heard this pub / owner maybe bankrupt. Anyone know for sure?
9 Jan 2013 12:52