The Three Horseshoes, Batcombe, Somerset pub review

Before a big evening meal, it's always important to have a light lunch to preserve your appetite.

With seven hours to go until my birthday blowout, we decided to pop in for a snack in the bar at the Three Horseshoes in Batcombe.

Things rapidly escalated...

Owned by Margot Henderson of Rochelle Canteen fame, the Three Horseshoes is an olde worlde Somerset pub with a chic edge that's currently ranked at number seven in the Top 50 Gastropubs list.

Their menu, which is scattered with offal and seasonal ingredients, is understandably of a similar ilk to Rochelle Canteen and St John.

Eyecatchers included fried pig’s head and ketchup (£12), grilled merguez with roast peppers (£23) and mutton, leek and wild garlic pie (£23). A smaller bar menu also offers dishes like devilled pig skin (£4) and a cheddar toastie (£9).

With one eye on our evening meal, we ordered a few dishes from both menus to share.

We both stuck to the Three Horseshoes' alcohol-free draught beer option – Wiper and True’s excellent Tomorrow lager. 

To start, a trio of crisp and peppery hot pink radishes (£13) were absolute whoppers. They were excellent dredged through salty and smoky whipped cod’s roe and the rich yolk of a duck egg.

A planetary scotch egg (£6) had its own gravitational field. The golden crumb, thick layer of juicy pork mince and a runny-yolked egg were all good. But its light seasoning meant it needed a bit of something something. Fortunately, a dollop of fiery English mustard solved the conundrum.

For main, we ordered a pair of big buns.

The first soft white bap was filled with crumbed white fish (£13), mixed leaves and creamy sauce gribiche. It was good but it lacked a punch of seasoning – perhaps a few more cornichons, capers or green herb in the sauce gribiche would have done the trick.

There were no issues with a salt beef bun (£13) that was stacked high with a slab of tender spiced meat, an ooze of Ogleshield cheese and the light acidity of pickled red cabbage. It was a belter of a sarnie.

Dessert saw the standout dish of the meal and the wheels really falling off my light lunch plans.

A trencherman’s portion of treacle tart (£11) combined thin, golden and crisp pastry and a soft toasty filling with a compelling kick of citrus. A dollop of clotted cream sealed the deal.

We had a delicious lunch at the Three Horseshoes and their refined, yet rustic seasonal cooking was right up my street. I’ll most definitely be going back for a more substantial meal next time we’re in the area.

P.S. in case you had any worries, of course my appetite returned in time for dinner.

The Details:

Address - The Three Horseshoes, Batcombe, Somerset BA4 6HE
Web - https://www.thethreehorseshoesbatcombe.co.uk/
Telephone - 01749 326147

Mr Villa's, Barry fish restaurant review

There’s nothing quite like eating fish and chips by the seaside.

They always taste that little bit better with the smell of saltwater hanging in the air and the sound of crashing waves somewhere in the background.

Perhaps it’s the perception, whether true or not, that the fish you’re eating must have been landed just that morning at the nearest harbourside.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll gladly eat fish and chips anywhere at any time of day. But it’s certainly a more romantic experience by the sea.

So, after a good yomp along the Wales Coastal Path from the Knap in Barry to Rhoose Point (the most southerly point in mainland Wales), Mrs G and I both craved fish for lunch.

Having been recommended Mr Villa’s, a fish restaurant located a stone’s throw from Cold Knap Beach, a few times over the last couple of years, it was finally time to get stuck-in.

Originally founded by husband-and-wife team Giuseppe and Christine Villa nearly ten years ago, the business has since been handed down to the next generation of the family after Mr and Mrs Villa sadly passed away.

With its blue and white striped linen, white wood-panelled walls and miscellanea of nauticalia, it’s a lovely setting with a classy seaside feel.

Mr Villa’s buy their fish fresh daily from Snowdon’s and Ashton’s in Cardiff and the owners’ children even forage for laverbread on the Gower.

Dishes on the main menu include roasted scallops, fritto misto and roasted hake as well as a daily changing specials board, which featured grilled plaice and a half lobster on our visit.

Glasses of well-chilled Cette Nuit Sauvignon Blanc (£8.95) and Dea del Mare Pinot Grigio Catarratto (£8.95) were both well-chilled crisp gluggers.

To start, a trio of roasted oysters (£11.75) varied wildly in size from the weeny to the gargantuan. However, they were all beautifully meaty and topped with garlic-charged breadcrumbs. A good squeeze of lemon juice really made them sing.

A rustic looking crab tart (£12.50) from the specials board combined commendably short pastry filled with a set custard dotted with earthy brown crustacean. It was good, but the crab would have benefited from being more uniformly distributed as some parts were a bit light on flavour. Well-dressed leaves served on the side were a good pairing.

Onto mains, and we were advised that they’re all accompanied by unlimited chips or boiled potatoes. That’s a challenge if ever I heard one. In reality, the portions were already so substantial that we didn’t need to take them up on the offer of a replenishment.

A well-sized meaty fillet of hake (£21.95) was coated in light, crisp and golden batter. It was a very nicely cooked piece of fish and batter, and it certainly scratched my itch.

I ordered mine with chips and was duly delivered a trough. Hand cut daily, they looked a touch pale but were pleasingly crisp and grease free.

They were excellent drenched in salt and vinegar and slathered in thick, gherkin-laced tartare sauce.

Having received the devastating news that Mr Villa’s don’t serve curry sauce, I had to make do with a very good bowl of mushy peas (£1.95), which I assume were homemade.

Mrs G’s roasted halibut (£28.50) from the specials board was the star of the meal. It’s one of the nicest bits of fish cookery that I’ve had in a while.

A pair of thick tranches of fish with good caramelisation were supremely meaty and bathed in a luxuriously glossy beurre blanc that was cut with just the right amount of citrus.

Tender boiled potatoes were sat in a generous pool of herbed melted butter. They were served in a smaller portion than the chips – perhaps because the team know that everyone really just wants to eat the fried stuff.

Nicely cooked green beans (£3.95) were also bathed in plenty melted garlic butter. But it was a shame that the flaked almonds they were topped with weren’t toasted for extra crunch and flavour.

We were both stuffed, so didn’t order dessert. However, if I was still hungry then I would have just ordered another bowl of chips.

We had a very good fish focused lunch by the seaside at Mr Villa’s accompanied by enthusiastic and friendly service.

Since Fish at 85 closed a long time ago, I’ve always missed having a dedicated fish restaurant in Cardiff. I needn’t have worried because Mr Villa’s is the place that I’ll be heading in future.

The Details:

Address -  Mr Villa's, 4 Bron-Y-Mor, Barry CF62 6SW

Web - https://www.facebook.com/mrvillas.barry/

Telephone - 01446 730662