THE BARLEY MOW - Walderton

My Dad was unable to cross over to the mystical land of pub reviews this week due to being so excited about his upcoming birthday. My desperate need to eat and review was however satiated by my dear sister, who stepped in to the breach for the first time. Though me and Dad, or Dad and I if you are an English student, had previously visited, and knew it to be good, but Emily had never been, meaning that her fresh input would be most welcome.

This is a pretty pub, set in the small village of Walderton. There's a nice little garden round the back which is flanked by a small river. The pub itself is a good size and is on the whole light and offers plenty of seating. Saying that, it turned out we were lucky to get a table. Certainly one of the busier pubs I've seen on a Friday lunchtime, generating a warm and relaxed atmosphere.

After a scan through the menu, I thought I'd go for something a bit different, opting for the nut, root vegetable, apricot and goats cheese roast. This came with chips and a salad. Emily went for good old fish and chips. This choice will bring several questions your way as there is a small and a large version. You can also choose between battered or breaded fish, although my sister wasn't given that option. Most meals here will cost you somewhere between £12 and £15, I believe deserts were under £5.

Before long, the food arrived and we got down to business. My nut roast was very nice, although the apricots weren't forthcoming. The chips were unfortunately not homemade, but the salad was a thoughtful one. What I mean buy this, is that it wasn't just some leaves with a slice of tomato and cucumber. There were peppers and sweet corn and a lovely dressing. Emily's fish was very good with a crisp batter, but the chips were of course from the same bag as mine. After eating all our food up like good children, my sister bullied me in to ordering a desert. She chose the sticky toffee pudding, while I picked the brownie sundae. Both puddings were delicious, and I was particularly excited about having a special long spoon for mine.

This is a lovely pub, not long taken over by the current regime, who are very friendly and helpful, and are clearly trying to do things the right way. It is probably worth pointing out at this stage that they also have their very own skittle alley. It is certainly worth a visit, and I'd quite like to go back in the Summer and sit out in the garden, enjoying a lazy afternoon. I don't want to go on about chips again, my Dad will tell me off, but I do believe that good homemade chips would make a world of difference, especially since chips will often make up a large part of the food you are paying for.

Atmosphere          8

Service                 8

Food                    8

Value                   7.5

Verdict                 5*

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