I don’t like wasps very much and if they try to involve themselves in my food I swipe them away with whatever I have to hand: in this case, the pub menu. It all happened so slowly, to be honest we should have seen it coming as we were both sat on the same side of the park bench. There I was wafting the wasp away getting more and more ferocious with each swish and before I knew it I was harnessing my inner gymnast as I realised the bench was falling over. We were both desperately trying to stay afloat of the bench and at the same time stopping our drinks from tumbling to the floor. We must have looked ridiculous as somehow, when the bench was righted, it immediately fell over with us on it. I grabbed my cider as it flew towards my face but the beer, most unfortunately, covered us both.
The menu is quite considerable; sandwiches, baked potatoes, pizza, pub grub and daily fish specials on the blackboard. One thing I noticed was the real lack of vegetarian food, if you’re a vegetarian and don’t want a cheese and pickle sandwich or a four cheese pizza then I’m afraid it’s crisps for you. Carnivores however have a wide choice of classic pub food like a burger, steak and chips etc. and also some more bistro-y fish and meat dishes.
I’m not sure what they do to their chips but they are probably the best chips I have ever had. Gloriously golden on the outside, almost sweet with a wonderful crisp outer and fluffy middle; these were excellent chips. The fish batter was lovely and crisp but the fish was a little dry. There was ample tartare sauce which is great for someone as caper obsessed as me. The mushy peas were tasty but had pretty obviously been microwaved because they were far too hot and also quite dry. The burger was a good size; not that ridiculous skyscraper tall style but a burger with a lot of meat and generous accessories. I think their deep fat fryer has a secret because the onion rings are as immense as the chips.
There was a wide selection of puddings with quite a few ice-cream or sundae based choices. I opted for a Mr. Whippy ice-cream, how could I not? Due to the ubiquitous nature of the Mr. Whippy there’s not much I can tell you about it that you don’t already know. It was nice to have something sweet that wasn’t too filling and gave you a chance to embrace your childhood again.
Overall I think that The Bell is a nice place to be. It’s a sweet little pub with all sorts of knick-knacks decorating it and a fireplace which I’m sure will be lovely in the winter. The food was good pub food and there were some interesting choices that I would try if I went again. There is some room for improvement on the menu and a few glaring spelling mistakes but a good choice of things to order. As I mentioned, not a great place for a vegetarian but somewhere which is not too expensive, with friendly staff and a nice atmosphere. You never know, if you time it right you might even get some spontaneous outdoor entertainment if you see two people on the same side of a park bench.
A new review of this pub. The food certainly looks lovely.
I prefer to eat in pubs rather than restaurants. I love the warmth a pub has and they are generally cheaper than restaurants.
Ah the British summertime; wasps and cider! This looks like a lovely pub, but yes, it doesn’t surprise me that the vegetarian option extends to a sandwich, it’s the case in most pubs sadly.
A pub with ” Live entertainment”, no less!
Classic pub food is hard to beat. I would have gone for Mr. Whippy too!
Oh wow who can beat the pub eats – I love the atmosphere 😀
Although the wasps may be a tad not my style 😉
Cheers
CCU
sounds like a lovely place! wonderful write-up!
What a gorgeous place for a meal and drinks!
Ahah, sounds like a right farce! I hate wasps, i really really do. They hate me too! The pub sounds lovely, there’s one very similar to that just outside my nans village, it’s lovely there too and they put so much effort into making their classic dishes the best =]
I’m a big wuss when it comes to wasps – I flap like crazy. I’m sure the locals had a giggle! The outdoors look very pretty – esp on a late Summer evening
Beautiful looking place. Seems so laid back and relaxing.
Funny story. It’s a good thing you didnt accidently swallow the wasp! That would have been awful. Sounds like you may have provided a little slapstick comedy Nice to know you brushed it off and went about your evening.
I love a good wasp story – tip here cover your drinks with a beer mat in between having sips:( Not so much fun though as wasp wafting.
Sounds like a great pub and good pub food. Love your dessert!
Never heard of Bell but the try out seems great. I would have gone for the beer too and the ice-cream of course is a must when I travel.
Sounds like a wonderful place and the food looks delish! Blessings to you my dear, your friend, Catherine xo
Deep fried giant chips and onion rings! This is my type of pub! It is not easy to eat good quality and well fried chips. The surroundings look lovely.