BITE user comments - Twelveman
Comments by Twelveman
The Plough Inn, Upper Boddington
Drove to the Plough just after xmas it appears the friends that took it over a year or so ago have ''handed back the keys'' and returned to their previous lives.
7 Jan 2013 20:10
Went back in the Countryman again this weekend(xmas week) it was very busy & the car park was over full which is always difficult to get in or out when its busy. The food was good & not totally over priced and the bar[ still with it's thatched edging which I have caught my head on many times over the years] seemed to be well stocked & well tended.
Along with open fire in the bar all in all a welcoming place to attend.
23 Dec 2012 10:36
Alas the pub apppears to have closed down once again & for sale/lease signs on the upper wall once more.
One must fear the worst for the place this time having only been open this time for little more than 12 months
23 Dec 2012 10:28
The Kings Head, Napton on the Hill
Met up with friends the other Saturday night found the Kingshead warm and welcoming possibly say it took quite a while to be served at certain points during the evening. When the bar tender chose to move our side of the bar to talk to his friends leaving a female who did not appear up to the task.
Appeared to be a well stocked bar & I gather there a restaurant on the other side of the building. There's a pool table and a juke box which held several hundred track so some thing for everybody's taste's I'm sure. Plenty of room in the large carpark and a beer garden for better weather with ample seating
19 Oct 2011 20:55
Open once again !!!!!!!!!!
I have Not been in since but thought it best to renew my last review
9 Jul 2011 21:19
My previous report is a little out of date what with there being Another New landlord in the Carps. It still appears busy & the clientele still sit on their stools in the area better left for others waiting to be served
( But it's a small village pub & that's what country folk seem to do !! ) The clientele still appear to be the Horsey type so expect to see green wellies instead of Reebok trainers
Their restaurant / room seems possibly even busier than before so something must be right with the place
24 Mar 2011 13:15
Totaly boarded up several months ago with for lease signs on the upper walls. There is talk of some of the villagers getting together and taking it on !!
But can not see that ever happening the pub was just not busy enough over the last few years to interest many to take it on never mind form a co op to do so
24 Mar 2011 13:01
The Plough Inn, Upper Boddington
The Plough is under new captaincy and they have cleaned the place up and made it warm again. They have several new ales & lagers to choose from & they do food again.
They appear to be quite busy with people eating but the numbers of people doing so appears to be dropping off from its opening first few weeks. There are several people stood behind the bar looking able to serve but in reality only one appears to be doing so
There are still several little rooms & the bar area is still to small to swing a cat because the locals still like to stand in bar making getting served a bit of a srum at times. But its always been that small around the bar & making more space would need knocking walls down.
The New landlords have kicked the skittle team out of the pub because they could not see it paying for them to make a few sandwich's & chips every over week. The table was still there we we last visited but I guess its only a matter of time until it ends up in the back garden
So summing up it appears to have improved and the beers are all drinkable now. Its warm & clean again & the food although rather dear is edible but not always the best
23 Mar 2011 20:21
Saturday night a live band in the Bar playing blue's ( which makes getting into the place a bit of a rat run then you finally pop up behind the bar briefly )
In the open plan restaurant try and sit in the middle of the room because the coming and going of people trying to find the bar/toilets/restaurant required most of our party to sit with our coats on because of the constant door openings. Served by more than capable lady with an accent from the u.s not oxfordshire that's for sure.
The food was well cooked & presented if a little more Bistro than I really like on a Saturday night after a few pints of best ??? ( But hey time's they are a changing or atleast thats what the duo sang during the evening & atleast the Brasenose is not an Indian take away )
7 Nov 2010 10:04
The Rose and Crown, Chipping Warden
All change at the Rose & Crown once again !!!!!
No longer an English restaurant at this pub. It's became like so many others in the country a Indian take away / restaurant.
So all previous reports OUT OF DATE.
7 Nov 2010 09:42
Dropped in here the other Saturday evening although not overly busy it took an age to get served by the female behind the bar. Still have several boards outside with food deals ( pie & pint �5 ) large steaks & the likes. No one appeared to be in the restaurant whilst we waited to be served or whilst we sat on the outside tables
18 Jul 2010 20:48
Back under the stewardship of Mark Higgs after several months of a number of others !!
It's not so busy which is not such a bad thing because your able to get to the bar without pushing your way through young farmers / yuppies sat around the bar area not just at the bar ( see other reviews )
The staff seem quite helpful even if the older female appears to leave alot to the other making out she is to busy to serve by rearranging the crisps & the likes
Ok for a couple of drinks not somewhere I could stop all night but probably still the best one around for several miles( Give the Plough a wide berth )
18 Jul 2010 20:41
The Plough Inn, Upper Boddington
Looks like I am the only person using this pub ?? And I only pop in every few months or less.
If this place was an animal it would have been put down long ago to stop it from a painful death.
Again 8.00pm on a Saturday night and we were the only customers in the place. In an attempt to make up for lost earnings the landlord short changed one of us which when picked up was returned without any trouble. Which tells anyone who knows him that he knew what he had done
Lager tasted off & �1.50 for a can of multi-pack coke & I was wondering why no one uses the Plough ???
18 Jul 2010 20:30
We seem to use this pub early in the evening on a Saturday one night a summer. The bar is clean and tidy but there is always qute a wait because people waiting to eat seem to be flathing about at the bar. It is not a pub that makes you over welcome unless you are eating & the menu appears rather flash & other priced. There are numerous table / bench's to be sat at overlooking the carpark where you could sit with a family if you so wished. All the tables in the bar only seem to acomadate one or two people
I think a quick visit once a year is more than enough too be honest !!!!
31 May 2010 20:26
Holly Bush Inn, Priors Marston
Back under the control of someone who appears to know what they are doing the Hollybush once again seems to be busy. The place is clean & tidy with several bar maids / waitresses working between the bar & restaurant alas the busier the latter is the longer the wait to get served at the bar. The bar appears to be well stocked having several lagers to choose from and numerous ales.
The car park remains a pain because of the way people park getting blocked in is always a possibility even though they have stopped parking right outside the doors which is a vast improvement & all entrance is now through the lounge doors which helps when its busy in the barnot having the fear of the door being opened into you whilst stood waiting
12 May 2010 20:33
The Rose and Crown, Chipping Warden
Revisisted this pub for the first time in many years at the weekend. Have passed it often but never felt the need to go back in. Until friends arranged to have food in the pub so our hands were forced.
On the side of the busy A361 the car park is thru a stone arch in to a small courtyard ( did I say it was small ?? ) with only room for an handful of vehicles alas it was full over full in fact with one car parked in the only pass to turn around once you have driven in. So it was necessary to reverse back thru the tight arch back on to the A361 without being able what was coming in either direction. ( Not a task for the nervous !! ) Forced to find somewhere else to park ( I guess I would have given up at that stage if it had just been a spur of the moment visist ) The bus stop opposite was full so down into the village in search of car parking we went finding some 200 - 300 yrds away. Which left us to make our way carefully along unlit covered in Mud & Dirt lanes ( or atleast I hope it was only Mud & Dirt ?? ) back across the main road to the pub.
Greeted with a rooms to either side we went left and found the place over full but the people we were meeting were in this side so stayed there. Thru the bar I could see the other room was full also. There was only one person serving both rooms from behind his bar so the wait was more than one may have hoped for.
The rooms were clean tidy & warm and the food was both good & inexpensive and I would recommend the use of the rear restaurant to anyone. It will not be long before we return for another meal.
8 Nov 2009 19:08
The Plough Inn, Upper Boddington
The Plough what a same it used to be such a nice place to visit.
Some may think it still is IF they like to be the only people in a pub. It was Saturday evening / Night & there was Nobody else in their except the Landlord & his wife who were both sat this side of the bar looking out the window.
Still atleast this time they had Lager which they did Not the previous time I popped in some months ago I guess they do not sell enough to stop it turning in the barrel.
I can Not see this pub continuing to stay open for much longer unless someone else takes it over.
24 Aug 2009 19:31
It was a nice summers evening so I thought it was high time to visit the Carpenters Arms again.
The first thing that became obvious as we walked towards the courtyard / carpark from the road was the Smell of old chip fat coming from the ventilation unit on the side of the building & then the trails of grease running from it down the wall. Once in the bar area Two things struck us one being the smell of Fish & the second being how empty the bar was for a Saturday evening there being only one person stood at the bar.
The other end of the building was packed with people eating ( all of them fish I would think ?? ) We moved to the garden at the rear of the building to get away from the Fish & with the wind blowing the Chip fat in the other direction the area was quite pleasent.
The Pints of Hooky & Lagers were all top quality & the Lady behind the bar was cheerful enough. We were soon joined by other couples who mentioned the Fish smell so it was not only us.
24 Aug 2009 19:17
The Plough Inn, Upper Boddington
My previous review is Now out of date !!! The Plough Inn NO Longer does food on Any day of the week they knocked it on the head around christmas time when it was due to change hands which unfortunately feel thru
24 Feb 2009 18:53
Although I have not been in this pub for some time I pass it daily and it is NOT CLOSED that I can assure anyone using the A361 between Daventry & Banbury. From the signage out side they appear to be doing deals on food most days.It also appears to be open all day Sundays
24 Feb 2009 18:31
The Butchers Arms, Priors Hardwick
Following on from my last review of the Butchers Arms I must NOW agree with later reviews on this restaurant.
Recent renovations to the old bar area where in times of my youth stood a pool table & juke box have turned the area in to a coffee lounge for after dinner mints & latte's with comfortable seating & waitress service.The rest of my first review still stands.
But I would no longer call the Butchers Arms a public House from where one would feel at home just ordering drinks without a meal.
( Should it be removed from these listings ?? I hope not or all my efforts would have been wasted )
24 Feb 2009 18:24
Visited this Lloyds bar on a Tuesday evening (yesterday) it was far from busy but the place did look like a bar that had been open all day. There were empty glasses on most unused table & those table that were ready to use needed wiping down to look more inviting.This is a large Pub / Bar & the wait to be served was far longer than one would expect for the amount of punters @ the bar.Each bar staff seemed to be holding their own private conversations with the small amount of people stood in this area.
We did order food & that arrived far quicker than we had expected & we found the food to be both palatable & inexpensive in keeping with most Witherspoon houses.
This is the only bar I have used in Worcester so it's hardly a comparision on prices. But there are several low beams & even lower light fittings which claimed one or two heads during the evening.
5 Nov 2008 21:06
On the A425 between Daventry & Southam it's the 1st village pub you come to when leaving Daventry & one I can recommend for either a quite drink or a very inviting meal. There are the compulsory specials boards with meals of the day which are a little hard to view until pointed out to do so.But the food is of a good quality with good service & does not cost the earth.The bar seems well stocked but being a Lager drinker I could not say wether they carry Real Ale or the likes. The Bar has a thached roof which taller people seemed to have to duck whilst waiting to be served.And there's atleast one open fire in the bar.
All in all the Countryman is a good village pub and a welcome Oasis from the local town pubs & one we use regularly. The only down point is the strange carpark which is Difficult to judge when busy !!!!!!
28 Oct 2008 19:58
What a Bland boring pub !!!
It's been some years since I last visited this place & it's gone so down hill.Yes it's right on the canal and there is a restaurant which we never used on this occasion ( nor did anybody else by the looks of things!! ) The decore is set for people to enter staight from the tow path covered in sh*t without causing damage to the pub.
We drove there and met friends with a boat who had mored near by. But never again. It was over priced and freezing cold with large metal radiators the kind that used to be in hospitals and schools which were Not on. I had to go to the car and get a coat from the boot to wear whilst in this place. There was an open fire which was Not lit.
To say the place as gone down hill would be an understatement !!
18 Oct 2008 23:47
This pub is everything one should expects from a Wetherspoons house !!!
It is clean & tidy with staff that seems to be ran off their feet everytime I have visited(mostly weekends). There is always ample staff behind the bar but that does not mean that there is often not a lenghty wait to get served due to the amount of people wanting to get served.There are lots of seating / tables both upstairs & down but again they are often being used due to the amount of people wanting to use them.Many groups of people choose to stand around the bar area which proves difficult to negotiate with your hands full. The smoking ban helps this situation slightly when smokers use the outside courtyard.
There is a family eating area which I have never used so I can not comment on.I have eaten in the pub once & we found the food of an higher quality than we had expected & at a price lower than most.And hey Wetherspoons keep putting booklets thru our mail box containing vouchers to be cut out and get even more discount off already low prices.
So over all The Saracens head is a busy town pub with lower prices. That others in the town have had to try & match to compete.
28 Sep 2008 13:37
The Carpenters Arms(The Carps)with the present landlord of 2 years has been totally refurbished these last 12 months.By knocking into the downstairs living quarters of old they have produced an eating area which is a little too Gastro/Bistro for my liking. (With it becoming somewhat of a clone of the nearby Wharf or Hollybush). But it does appear busy in that area so they must Be doing something right !!!
The Bar area has been built on two levels(Alas doing away with the Dart board & Skittle table of a passing era).The clientele appears to be of a mixed age group most of whom appear to be Horsy types or Farmers. Many of whom choose to sit in the middle of the bar area on stools making reaching the bar or passing rather difficult at busy times.There are amble seating front & rear of the Carpenters for the family trade & a smoking shed for the neady.
It is still an Hook Norton house and well worth a visit or two if in the area.The staff are cheerful & willing to serve which not all village pubs can claim in this area.
27 Sep 2008 13:55
My wife & I ate at the Clinton Arms last Friday evening after walking from the local Haven holiday camp 1/4 mile up the road.
We found the pub larger than we had expected for a smallish village ( even though Exmouth was offically only 1 mile away ) We entered the bar rather than the Lounge /restaurant & found several groups of locals playing cards & drinking in their working clothes have dropped in on their way home presumably ? If my memory serves be right there appeared to be the usual aray of beers & ciders. Drinking Lager we optied for the 1664 Kronemberg which was served by one of the girls She informed me that they only cooked until 21.00hrs.We had a few more drinks with an hour to spare until the cut off time and on each time was asked if they needed to replace the glasses before refilling.Is that a law ?? It makes No diffrence to us unless the glass is cracked or dirty !!
The food needed to be ordered & paid for at the little counter in the corner of the lounge. Prepaying must cut down on runaways during the busy summer season but must also reduce the tips for the table staff none of whom looked any older then 17. We optied for the steak & mix grill which came with the usual mushrooms which were the tastiest we have had for years obviously being freshly field picked. Whilst we were eating one of the groups of locals did become rather more vocal with the singing of Tom jones's greatest hits and had to be spoken to by whom I took to be the Landlord but it was hard to tell from his jeans & cardigan.
Over all I would recommend the Clinton Arms to anybody passing thru & too those who want to get away from the Haven Holiday park for an evening. It was clean & tidy yet still had an bygone time appeal. But would think it gets busy during the summer peak period.
16 Sep 2008 13:08
It was Last Summer when we last used this pub ( so things may have changed ? espesially after I wrote and complained to Lloyds / Wetherspoons )It was a Saturday evening & we had been told that they would Not allow people in after 23.00hrs but then served until 01.00hrs so we got there around 22.00hrs. The place was larger than others we had used in the quaint little pedestrain area in the middle of Warwick With vast amount of tables & chairs outside being unused. But you could count on one hand the amount of customers in the place prior to our arrival. Infact the bar staff probably out numbered the customers. The beers & wines being the standard kind of offering from a Wetherspoons / Lloyds house at the prices that Normal bring the punters flocking.
The toilets STANK of stale p*** and when I brought this to the attention of the Female Manager she would not consider the possibility of me telling the truth say" They are cleaned regularly " May be but a good job was Not being done in the process. Was this the reason the customers had turned their backs on this pub ?? Or was it that shortly after 23.00hrs a mixed number of our group went outsider the doors to have a smoke( No other smoking area made available ) only to be told that they were Not allowed back in to the building by the door staff. Even though they had stood right outside the doors not moving away for a second and well within view of the door staff who had not said anything when they were passed by the group on their way out.They would not allow them back into get coats or handbags or even inform the rest of us of their plight.They had to use their cell phones & ask for their property to be brought to them which in turn resulted in the bringers also be barred from re entry. Like I said I did complain to Wetherspoons who did reply after a few days. But we have not returned to see if the smell or the staff have improved or Not
16 Sep 2008 12:26
The Butchers Arms, Priors Hardwick
Before you enter The Butchers Arms you can tell by the quality of the vehicles in the car park that it is not your normal village pub.A family run restaurant that cater's for the higher price range clientele or people on special occasions.The food is outstanding & the service given by the staff would take some beating at any price.The walls have signed photo's of previous well known users from local racing drivers to film stars & premiership footballers.It is not the kind of place that would keep anything unusual in the beer line. But one would wager the wine & port lists would be second to very few.
I would not think many people go to The Butchers Ams just for a drink being in the middle of no where But for the food & the ambience which comes at a certain price.
The Butchers Arms IS the best of it's kind around for many mile's. Customers travel from all over to use it. So if your tempted to dig deeper in to your pockets ?? Best phone up & book a table.
16 Sep 2008 11:12
We were visiting Exmouth for the weekend & looking for somewhere to watch the Saturday lunch time football on sky.The Bank had more screens around its walls than the local branch of Argos including a number in the garden area for the cancer stick brigade.The venue is vast when added to it's American pool bar next door. The Bank was clean & tidy with umpteen bar staff.But we choose to have a bar meal whilst we watched the game just Burger & chips which should have been well within their limits it arrived in no time at all. The Burgers had a slight Twang to them that I put down to being a cheap economy brand. But when later in the afternoon the stomach upset kicked in & the rest of the weekend was ruined.
15 Sep 2008 19:58
The Plough Inn, Upper Boddington
The Plough appears to past its best at the Moment. Terry & Maggie the Landlord & his wife (even though I think it's her name above the door ?)are well past the standard retirement age & the day to day running of this village Inn seems to be taking its toll.There are still the small quaint rooms & bar area along with the restaurant which is manned by several of the local teenagers most evenings. Where large portions for not a lot of money is still the order of the day ( Rather evening )The Plough only opens during the day on Sunday Lunchtimes when it does not do food.The Plough is up for sale at the moment & new ownership & insperation is much needed.
Rebuilt 3-4 years ago after a fire that gutted the old place. Was rebuilt without the love or care the Plough deserved by the builder brought in to carry out the work.
In its present form I would have to rate this pub below that of not to distant years
15 Sep 2008 14:44
The Plough Inn, Upper Boddington
Called in to the Plough again & what a difference would hardly have known that NOT so long ago it was a right s--- hole. The place was clean & smelt clean (apart from what some of the clientel had on there wellingtons) They have moved the bar from in it's little elcove to the larger room where once stood the skittle table & darts board.
The former bar area been refloored and turned into sitting space but in doing so makes the hight of the celling rather dangerous for anybody taller than 6ft & I wittnessed quite a few people hit their heads.
I heard say there was a different/new cook/chef and people did appear to be awaiting meals but I can not comment on the food or service.
Alas the positioning of the bar encourages people to sit right in front of it making getting to the bar to be served very difficult & the odour of most of those seemed to be horse. I know the Plough is in a village & villages have fields and the likes surrounding them but why anyone would want to go out on a Saturday night wearing wellington boots is beyhond me
13 Jun 2013 08:18