Poachers Barn

It’s a pub, and fine as that. The food is cheap, but not very good, though it isn’t awful either. You get what you pay for, I suppose.

There’s lots of seating indoors and an outdoor area where kids can play. It looked like there were a lot of tables reserved for later, so I’d guess it gets busy in the evening. The place was clean, mostly on one level, with just a couple of small steps between the front and back bars. It seems to be an old building with plenty of original features. We had a lovely meal. The food was amazing, and the staff were friendly and helpful. They even came back after bringing our order to bring trays for our three dogs. It’s clearly dog friendly, with a pet treat area for well behaved poochies too.

The drinks were nice, and friendly staff served them well. The food was a bit of a letdown. One dish had to go back because it wasn’t hot enough. The rest was okay, but nothing special.

The £4.85 pint of Guinness was reasonably priced. I found this place online while looking for a traditional country pub, but the atmosphere was missing for me. It seemed aimed at laborers after work, and looked like a converted barn surrounded by a low grade housing estate after the farmer had given up. I’d hoped it might lift my mood about a very depressed country, but I was bound to be disappointed. I can see why it would appeal to some people, especially those born into Britain’s decline who don’t remember better days. If you have fond memories of a better land, it probably isn’t for you. After 25 years in Devon, it bothers me that standards in Yorkshire have fallen so far.