The Kings Arms

My wife loved her Ploughman Lunch, which made lunch a real treat. We both thought the food was excellent, and the service was just as good, very friendly. Highly recommend.

There was a great choice of beers, and we had a lovely evening by the fire. The chilli was really good, though I’m not sure I’d agree that it “isn’t spicy”! Friendly, helpful staff added to the welcoming feel.

I didn’t go into the Kings Arms today. A couple of years ago I paid over £3.50 for half a pint of weak lager in Bridport, so I’ve not wanted to do that again. This year, in 2026, I got a pint of Worthington at the Greyhound and Royal Oak for 99 new pence. These days most beer is made with chemicals, since hops and malt are too expensive to use. In the 1960s the only food at the Kings Arms was Smiths crisps, one flavour, with a little bag of salt inside. As a child, my daddy would give me glass bottles of real Coke there. I imagine it’d be sugar-free stuff from a tap now. I used to spend my birthday at the Kings Arms in the 1960s, putting little boats in the stream that ran across the garden into a field. One year I found a bull head in it. I came back today for the first time in 30 years, and the garden is half the size it was. Nearly all the big trees are gone, half the garden has become a car park and road, and the field beside it is now a housing estate. There’s decking where the grass used to be, which I’m not keen on. The stream is overgrown with weeds and has hardly any water, despite a week of rain. It used to be well kept, with fast-flowing water. Maybe the hundreds of houses and flats built in the village since the 1980s use the water that once flowed in the stream. I hope the Kings Arms can dig up the road and car park to bring the garden back, and do something to restore the water. Some marsh marigolds and loosestrife planted along the stream instead of the weeds would look lovely. The green telephone box is still across the road from the Kings Arms, but there’s no phone inside. Some people carry mobile telephones around with them these days. The two railway bridges near the pub that were there in the 1960s are gone, as is the petrol station next door. At least there’s a bus shelter outside, so you can get there by Jurassic Coaster. The other pub up the road closed in the 1990s. I can see why so many pubs have gone.

The deal was £20 for a main and dessert for two, and we figured the portions might be small for that price. We were very wrong: both dishes were delicious, the servings were generous, and it was great value. We had scampi and chips, a Belgian waffle and Eton mess. We ordered dessert along with our mains, and I was stuffed by the end. After a morning out, we stopped for lunch in a beautiful area worth looking around. The pub garden was lovely and well kept, and the young lad behind the bar gave us a great welcome. Highly recommended.