The Red Lion

Only open Wednesday to Sunday, and food is served Friday and Saturday only. Feels like they’re trying to run the place down, the way they did with th Globe, so they can turn it into flats. The staff look after their local friends as well.

We just came for an evening meal, not a stay. The pub is quaint and checks all my old codger boxes, with a good range of ales and wine, pleasant staff, and a friendly feel. The pooch enjoyed lounging by the real fire, and we had a pleasant time. Food was more mixed. The wife loved her popular-looking pizza, which seems to be their strength, but my chilli con carne was thin and short on flavour. Then dessert arrived: a banoffee “thing” that made me laugh. Skye, our lovely waitress, was very apologetic when she brought it out. You’d have to see the photo, but it didn’t inspire much faith in the kitchen.

After a long journey to a rural campsite, we dropped in on the off chance on Good Friday. It was busy, but the staff welcomed us and found us a table right in the middle of the action, just where you want to be on a Friday night. The live music was great, proper foot stamping stuff, the menu looked brilliant, the food was delicious, and the beer was perfect. The atmosphere was superb. It’s a pleasure to find a real country pub that’s stuck to its roots instead of going all “gastro”, with a friendly local crowd to match. Thumbs up!

We were in Chumleigh for a couple of days and visited the pub. The first night brought one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had. We went back the second night for our anniversary, and had the best steak we’ve ever had, by a mile. It’s a beautiful pub in a lovely village, with great staff and friendly customers.