George Inn, Mere

We stopped in Mere on the way down to Plymouth and found this hotel pub right in the village. It has its own car park and both indoor and outdoor seating. The menu isn’t huge, but there’s a good range of wholesome meals and snacks at reasonable prices, neither expensive nor dirt cheap. The decor is old-fashioned, and most of the lunchtime diners on Thursday seemed to be over 70. It was quiet, with easy-listening music in the background. The waiting staff were helpful and friendly, and the food was tasty and filling. The hot chicken wings had a little kick. The homemade soup was more like a purée, but hot and full of goodness. A good place to stop for a bite instead of having a nasty service-station sandwich.

We were on our way home from visiting relatives when we stopped for Sunday lunch, and we’re so glad we did. Lee and the team were friendly and gave great service. The pies were the best ever, with generous fillings and buttery pastry. We enjoyed them so much that we took some home for dinner the next day. The bread and butter pudding was lovely too, with a jug of creamy custard and a surprise pistachio sauce, my favourite. We’ll definitely come back with family and friends.

We walked in at 8:30 on Saturday without a booking, after working in the industry ourselves, so we know that can be frustrating. It had been busy, but they welcomed us and seated us without any fuss. The service was excellent and really quick, and they handled an item change without blinking. Saturday is steak night, and the special was amazing. There were four or five kinds of steak on the specials menu, with lovely sides like asparagus and tomatoes, plus really good French fry-style chips. We also shared a surf-and-turf-style shrimp and prawn side, which was really good. Everything was presented beautifully and cooked to a very high standard. It’s under new ownership, and the new people are delightful. If you’ve seen reviews about grumpy old staff, they’re all gone. We’ll definitely come more often now.

New manager Lee and the staff were really friendly and helpful. Lee went above and beyond to accommodate me and my dog. The pub’s aim is good home-cooked food with rooms, though I only tried the breakfast, which felt like home. My room was extremely clean, with a kettle and tea and coffee. The curtains could use an upgrade. The old building makes modern bathrooms challenging: the macerator was a bit noisy, and a light above the basin would help. The shower was large. I’d recommend this as a good local place to stay.