pumpkinstrokemarrow

Wetherspoon's the usual good value, with the only novelty being the quite decent pint of something called Googly - having taken pot-luck among the strange-to-me brews on offer. See http://www.teignworthybrewery.com/. Nice that Wetherspoon's are sufficiently decentralised to accommodate local beer. Unusual for a big chain.

Harvester offered nothing fancy but was also good value. And one could fill up on salad, a reasonable proportion of which came without oily or other flavourings. We spent a bit more than at Wetherspoons's, being quite taken with their Red Rioja at £10 a pop (bottle that is, not glass), which went some way to compensating us for the total absence of warm beer. We were surprised to find this near-road service area establishment more or less full early on a Saturday evening: the cheerful & energetic waitress told us that the split between locals and aliens was about 50-50. Oddly enough a fellow TB'er was there at roughly the same time as us. Perhaps just as well that we did not run into him or we might have been even more taken with the rioja.

We ate in the dining room part of the White Hart. A room which was roughly cubicle in shape, with the length of side perhaps 20 yards; I guess a sort of 1920's fake-up of a medieval hall, but decorated very plainly. Mainly white masonry with heavy brown timber trim. Service very good, Otter beer very good (rather spoiled by my being on the steering wheel), food adequate, bread (of which there was quite a lot) not too good. I think they might have done better to keep the food a bit simpler. But one of our number was very taken with a pudding called Honey Bavarois. I was very taken by the grounds outside. Some very fine trees, terraces and at least one good bit of sculpture (above). Henry Moore certainly knew how to do sculpture which sits on its plinth OK. A trick that many sculptors & sculptresses do not manage at all. Worse, I suspect they do not see what I am on about.

Drewe Arms very village pub, not far from the delightful Fingle Bridge and nothing at all like the White Hart. Thatched roof. Steps down into the pub from the road. Jumble of small, low ceilinged rooms. A moderately gastro menu, ambience very good. Half a dozen or so real ales, served off the settle. Various village boozers, young and old. I stuck to the reliable Otter. Leaving aside what other people had, I went for Giant Prawns, of which I got five, which were very good, but the first of which doubled as a water pistol and squirted red goo over the new to me lightly linenned and lightly coloured jacket from M&S via Exeter Oxfam. Very nice it was too before this little accident. I took a chance and followed up with something called Torbay Sole - which turned out to be excellent. Along the same lines as a Dover Sole but rounder, half way in shape to a Lemon Sole. Sadly, rather than being served with proper green vegetables, perhaps spinach or mange tout, it came with oily mixed leaves, which at least had the decency to come on a side dish. I could probably fix that on another occasion. I wanted to finish up with bread & cheese without the trimmings but this was too much for the prevailing system. The best they could do was bread & cheddar, boarded with all the trimmings - which was two better than the mixed cheese platter with biscuits which was on the menu. Bread OK but not good. Cheese quite good but far too much of it. Maybe a quarter of a pound. So for once I bagged up two thirds of it for sandwiches the following day (made, as it happens, from a Tesco Coburg loaf from Sowton. What one would expect from a big store bakery). Beverages other than beer - wine & water - good. All in all a good place; we will go again should occasion arise.

And then we had the Poulett Arms, which got off to a good start with a very louche looking Adam & Eve draped around the arms. Smaller selection of settle beer. I continued stuck to the Otter. Nice dining room and with a bit of bar left. Smoking den umbrella and seat free. Perhaps people don't smoke much in Somerset. Sticking again to what I had, kicked off with a starter confected from broad beans - which meant that I had to have it. Good to try, but a little disappointed with the flavour of beans a little lost in a yoghurty/minty sauce. Followed by a very decent fillet steak, served with, amongst other things, chips in a white mug. Very good chips they were too. They could manage green vegetables of a sort; that is to say not cabbage and well oiled with butter. Followed by bread & cheddar. Bread far and away the best of the lot; cheese a bit odd. Room temperature but oddly creamy/crumbly for a cheddar. Quite eatable but not really the real thing. White wine good (described as summery, name starting with A and not very long but that is about all I am sure about. Possibly Alois), port & whisky good. All in all another good place; we will go again should occasion arise.