A lovely local pub in Winterbourne Down…read more This has been my family's local pub for around 20 years and it hasn't changed one bit. It's still as charming, still has the same locals, still the same landlord and, I think, still the same roaring log fire. The Cross Hands doesn't do food, but it does do lots of guest ciders, ales and a brilliant atmosphere. The landlord and landlady (Pete and Lesley) are great (Pete is the spitting image of Peter Stringfellow - with open shirt and hairy chest) and make you feel like part of the furniture - which can make leaving quite difficult at times! Friday nights are good fun. Typical local pub style. A bit of cheese on the jukebox and a good mix of young'ens and old'ens to keep it interesting from one end of the pub to the other. But the best thing about this pub isn't its huge back garden. It isn't the fact you can use one of their massive BBQ's and bring your own meat/food. It isn't even the regular events they hold in the summer with live bands and cider in boxes. The best thing about the Cross Hands is the pub dog. A beautiful Staffordshire Bull terrier who has the gentlest demeanour and wonderful personality. She'll pin her belly to the ground and wiggle her way over to say hello. All the while snorting like a little pig. She has her own arm chair and sits with the locals who play cards on the big round table from 4pm every day. This is a lovely little boozer that has a huge garden for the summer and wonderful warm log fire for the winter. As it is out of town, you can knock 40-80p off the price of pint. A must if you're in the area.

They dont do food here mate ! But you can bring your own and cook it up on one of the complimentry…read morefree bbqs ! This place has tons of character and a great choice of beers ciders and ales all at a very reasonable price. There is a beautiful big garden out back or benches out front if you fancy just sitting and watching the world drift by. Pete the barman is one of lifes winners always there with a warm welcome and a joke or two for you to enjoy. Stick a lepord print thong on him and marvel at the way he transform into Peter Stringfellow oh yeah ! All in all a class bozzer in the country.

Booking my wedding reception here and amazed at how easy Andrea has made it for us, really taken…read moreall anxiety regarding the rececption and the anbiance is so friendly, I just know it will be PERFECT!!!! Great that guest can stay overnight and know that they will be cared for-will write an other after 24th September to say how it all went.

The staff were very rude and made us feel unwelcome. They seem to prefer chatting with their…read moreregular customers to serving people who are not locals. The atmosphere ruined the meal which was a pity because the food was actually quite good (once we could finally place an order after being ignored for 10 minutes). No hello when we came in and no response to us saying goodbye and thank you when we left. It seems they don't need any new customers!

After a day spent at National Trust Dyrham Park (which I intend to review as it was an excellent…read moreday), we were looking for somewhere to cater for a party of six adults and four children at very short notice (immediate). I popped in to see if they had any space or if we would need to book and was quickly told that they could serve us as soon as they had rearranged some tables. At the same time, I was reassured to find that they would happily cater for the two Coeliacs in the party and had a decent range of dishes they could provide as Gluten Free. This place is more of a traditional inn than a 'gastropub' and the quality of both the freshly cooked food and the attentive staff underlines that. Our order contained pan-fried salmon, risotto, chicken breast on mustard mash, a home-made burger, ham & eggs, linguine and some side orders of chips. Drinks included, the bill only came to £140 or so, granted we didn't go for starters or dessert as we had to travel back to Manchester that evening, but the prices on the menu looked reasonable for that side of things too. I can only speak for the chicken breast and a spoonful of risotto, but they had plenty of flavour, not too much salt, tender and not dry chicken with a crisp skin and lovely creamy sauce. The risotto was everything you would expect from a good risotto, perfectly separated rice with lots of interesting veg mixed in and full of flavour. The staff were extremely courteous and helpful and they made sure that all the food arrived at the same time so we all had it hot and together, which was really good. The belated side order which was requested as the other dishes were delivered was brought immediately too which is a touch of class. All round a fantastic experience and no complaints from anyone, everybody really enjoyed the food and atmosphere.

This a english country pub dining experience, with a slight bit of fine dining to it - abit more…read morethan pub grub. Reasonable priced for the food as its really nice food and Menu changes regually. Lots of strong tastes on menu such as goats cheese and wild mushrooms etc! Log burner, wooden table atmosphere....and is also nice for just bottle of vino with the partner! This is one to try for a celebration nice 3 course meal.

Firstly, the food is superb. Perfectly cooked steak, and my friend's lamb shank almost literally…read morefell off the bone, it was so good. Clearly, a lot of trouble is taken over the food preparation and then the actual cooking. Would recommend the venue as fantastic value for money. A big shout out to the serving staff, Libby and Emma, who could not do enough for us and had smiles on their faces all evening although the place was full. The ambiance was all one would hope for from a country inn - beams and fires and lovely hangings on the walls. A first class experience.

This is a really nice country pub. Old fashioned on the inside and out. It's warm and friendly with…read morea good atmosphere. However the menu is not very exciting. In fact it's down right boring. They have had the same dishes on there for probably the last 10-11 years. The portion sizes are good and you do get your money worth but it's the same old stuff all the time. For a pub with such a unique location in the countryside you would think that there would be seasonal specials on a regular basis but there isn't. The food isn't exciting or adventurous. Some may argue that it is outdated! Pie and chips, scampi and chips, gammon and chips, steak and chips you see where I'm going with this? I pity the chef that has to cook this day in day out. With no flair or imagination I'd loose the will to live having to cook this all the time. Having said that the pub is pretty much fully booked every weekend so they must be doing something right at least? The food is cooked well although the steaks can be a bit hit and miss? If you want simple food and a menu that is so predictable it would make Mystic Meg look like an ammeter then this is the place for you. If you want somewhere with a bit more flair and excitement then go somewhere else. Personally with so much in offer in the way of food and drink I'd find somewhere else to eat and drink but everybody is different in their tastes.

A proper pub with a warm friendly atmosphere. Food is top notch and the locals will surely welcome…read moreyou !

Stumbled into for Sunday lunch last week, and quickly became a highlight of our week back in the…read moreUK. Great traditional food at reasonable prices, and the people who ran the place were wonderful - worth the visit alone.

What a wonderful pub! On a trek through the Cotswolds, we had the pleasure of spending the…read moreafternoon with the good folks at the Major's Retreat. The food and conversation were excellent.

excellent food and a roaring log fire, plenty of parking and a big garden / outdoor seating area,…read moresafe are happy and there is plenty of space which is ideal for a birthday , wake etc. I've never had a bad meal or experience here and use this pub as one of my go to eatery's when I fancy good food (I don't eat takeaways anymore)

Had lovely Sunday lunch very family friendly. Excellent prices service a little slow but they were…read morebusy, would definitely come again

Very busy pub especially on Friday & Saturday night. The…read moreplace to be on the weekend.

Brooks Bar and Kitchen, is an independent wine and cocktail bar situated in the heart of the busy…read moremarket town of Chipping Sodbury. Now despite the word kitchen in the title there isn't a great deal of food on offer. However my visit was on an evening when they may have stopped serving food? The only menus on the tables where drinks menus. Perhaps there where food menus lurking around somewhere and I didn't see them? The place itself is in what was the Old Jack Russell art gallery, so it is nice and spacious. It has a modern, trendy London feel to it which is nice and the staff appear friendly and polite. Not too sure why they felt the need to plonk a tree in one corner of the room as it does make negotiating your way to the toilet rather challenging. The cocktail menu is fairly extensive with a lot of the classics on there with a few modern twists. No Pina Colada's though! If cocktails aren't your thing then why not choose a craft gin? Not too sure what a craft gin is? To me it's a gin an tonic with fruit and spices in it, or at least that what it appears to be anyway? Well I'm not a gin drinker, can't stand the stuff. They say that tonic is meant to be good for varicose veins but I don't believe them. If gin or cocktails don't tickle your fancy then there's real ale, lager and the usual selection of whiskeys and brandy's. All of this is quite reasonably priced. For a new bar that has not long been open it's quite affordable if you're on a bit of a budget. Cocktails start from £5.95 and I think the dearest one comes in at around £8.00? I would like to sample their food as there is some competition in the high street so it would be interesting to see what they come up with? All in all I really like it here. It has a nice atmosphere, the staff are friendly and there isn't music roaring out of the speakers so you can have a decent conversation. And also the price is right.