The Potting Shed, Crudwell, Malmesbury
Before the cigarette ban, most British pubs were made of wood that had been smoked dark by years of breathed-out tar. There was no point painting the walls light pastel shades, since they only ended up the colour of grilled entrecôte.
Now, though, a new paler type of pub has emerged and The Potting Shed is a shining example. Designer stone walls replace Capstan-marinaded wood panels, sturdy flagstones take over from soggy, cigarette-scorched carpets, and instead of horse brasses hung on the wall, you have artfully-arranged tableaux of retro flowerpots, wheelbarrows and watering cans.
As for the paintwork, it's very much low-key Farrow and Ball rather than high-visibility Dulux, with an impression of age that's conveyed by a bleached-out effect. There's space, there's light, there are high ceilings, and there's plenty of room between the tables; in short, The Potting Shed is the living embodiment of the process whereby British country pubs are being transformed from places where farmhands go to huddle, into places where couples go to dine.
Why, it even has its own country house hotel attached, in the form of The Rectory, 100 yards away. The two establishments share not just owners, but a commitment to up-market food, rather than pork scratchings.
They also buy locally; there's a long list of local meat, veg and dairy suppliers from villages with names like Woolaston Lydney and Stanton St Quintin. The local produce pops up all over the menu, in the deep-fried poached egg in leeks (£4.75), the Gloucestershire Old Spot sausages (£10), the cheesy potato-topped cottage pie (£8.50) and, of course, the Sunday roasts.
Wisely, the owners haven't turned the place into a total wine bar and three real ales are on permanent tap: the Timothy Taylor Landlord (4.3per cent abv) is the guv'nor strength-wise, but both the Butcombe Bitter (4.0per cent) and the Bath-brewed Gem (4.1) pack a punch, too. So it is still possible for the farmhands to nurse a pint for an hour or two. Huddling, though, is a bit harder.
- The Potting Shed, The Street, Crudwell, Malmesbury, Wiltshire (01666 577833)
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