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

Osip, Bruton, Somerset Michelin-starred restaurant review 2025

We last visited Osip at the end of January 2020.

Back then this farm-to-table restaurant, which is owned by the ridiculously talented Merlin Labron-Johnson, was based in the heart of the Somerset town of Bruton.

We had a brilliant meal of fiercely seasonal and technically accomplished cooking in their stylish yet understated dining room.

However, as with most fancy restaurants, we hadn’t returned.

Then Osip 2.0 launched last year, and its update brought plenty of shiny new features to draw me back.

Now located in a beautifully refurbished pub in the countryside near Bruton, it’s one of the most stylish restaurants I’ve ever visited. Its standout feature, a dramatic glass-walled open kitchen that offers a constant reminder of the restaurant’s proximity to the land where its produce comes from.

In recognition of Osip's upgrade, they've been named Good Food Guide's restaurant of the year 2025, regained their Michelin star, won a Green Michelin star, and been named in Conde Nast’s best new restaurants in the World 2025. Not bad going.

The food and service have most certainly kicked up a gear since our last visit with more intricate plating and a flurry of enthusiastic front of house staff keeping a good pace to our meal.

At dinner there are ten-course non-vegetarian (£125) and vegetarian tasting menus (£125) on offer and we both opted for the former.

Our first appetiser arrived with pre-dinner drinks in the beautiful earthy-toned bar area. A selection of crudités from Osip's farm set the tone for the meal. Radishes, kohlrabi and sweet mangetout were accompanied by nutty sesame cream and herb oil.

As the inevitable designated driver, I appreciated Osip's interesting alcohol-free drink selection. Whilst Mrs G knocked back a glass of Moussé Fils Champagne (£21), I had a vivid green apple and sorrel juice (£6) that cleverly balanced fruit and herb and sweet and savoury.

A few more appetisers followed in the dining room.

A vibrantly herbal lovage broth tasted both healthy and luxurious simultaneously.

It was served alongside an excellent sharing loaf of warm fermented potato brioche with a crisp golden crust and the softest of crumbs. It was delicious on its own but even butter smothered with creamy and lightly tangy kefir cream topped with a savoury leek tapenade and fried nettles.

We were easily upsold the drinks pairings. However, it’s hard to judge their value for money with five 75ml pours of wine costing £75 and five 75ml pours of soft drink costing £45.

The first two white wines were on the natural barnyardy cider end of the spectrum. Things got a lot more exciting with an Alsace grape we hadn’t encountered before, a Pinot d'Auxerrois. A Prieuré St Christophe Savoie red with plenty of fresh fruit and a light Jurançon dessert wine with bright acidity were also both excellent.

 

My non-alcoholic pairing was even more impressive. Highlights included a beetroot, black garlic and long pepper juice that accompanied the meat course and a pine, verjus and Malawian white tea that was served with dessert. Clearly a lot of consideration and effort had gone into every pairing.

Anyway, back to the food and a comforting spring taco continued the green theme of the previous courses. A soft corn tortilla was topped with a vibrant mole verde, smoked creme fraiche, nuggets of green asparagus and crunchy braised pumpkin seeds.

A cold assembly of meaty chalk stream trout pieces, runny quail eggs, crunchy piedmont hazelnuts and sweet young leeks looked pretty as a picture with its modesty hidden beneath sorrel leaves. It was very tasty but felt quite traditional compared to the rest of the meal.

A rolled courgette dish wasn't quite at the same level as the other things we ate. Whilst its garnish of compellingly smoky whey sauce, crunchy buckwheat and intense preserved lemon were all excellent, the vegetable centrepiece was slightly bland and a little too firm in the centre.

Things really took off with the fish course. A plump Orkney scallop was dressed in a luxuriously fragrant elderflower sabayon and topped with charred white asparagus.

Osip slaughters a pig a week and serves different cuts each night. We had the privilege of eating its loin and belly with a well-caramelised exterior, deep flavour and melting fat. It was served with a slice of superb Toulouse sausage, Tokyo turnip, and homemade mustard.

On the side, a rich pig’s head croquette was given freshness by wrapping it in lettuce and shiso leaf and garnishing it with a dice of fresh and acidic cucumber and hay baked apple.

We shared an optional cheese course and what a blinder it was - toasted malt loaf soaked in cider brandy was topped with a slice of funky and oozy Bath soft cheese. Based on the success of this dish I’m planning to toast some Soreen and serve it with Camembert.

The transition between sweet and savoury was deftly handled with a peppery and verdant rocket sorbet bathed in sharp gooseberry juice and distinctive pistachio oil.

Dessert, a showcase of honey from Osip’s own hives, was bloody brilliant. A warm honey tart, which combined burnt sugar, floral custard and the thinnest of pastry cases, was a wicked hybrid between a pastel de nata and a creme brûlée.

It was served alongside a scoop of cleansing crème fraiche ice cream, Italian meringue made with honey, and a drizzle of honey cut with the acidity of verjus.

After a reassuringly lengthy wait in the lounge, petit fours arrived. A warm madeleine with toasty sesame seeds (a birthday extra), zingy bergamot and earl grey pate de fruit, and a remarkably good Pump Street chocolate and blackcurrant jam macaron rounded off the meal.

We had a fabulous meal at Osip and its great to see its evolution to become a top tier destination restaurant whilst still retaining what made its original incarnation so special. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if they get a second Michelin star to match their second version.

The Details:

Address - Osip, 25 Kingsettle Hill, Hardway, Bruton BA10 0LN
Web - https://osiprestaurant.com/

Telephone - 01749 987277

The Bull's Head, Craswall, Herefordshire gastropub review

I love the charm of country pubs with their roaring fireplaces, picturesque settings, and historic buildings.

But boozing and guzzling in a rural setting normally poses a bit of a challenge when Mrs G and I invariably both want a drink or two.

It means that normally I (i.e. always) end up as designated driver.

So, having spotted there was a campsite just a few minutes’ walk from The Bull’s Head at Craswall in the Black Mountains on the border between England and Wales, I hatched a plan for a night away with friends.

After pitching our tent, we yomped up the Black Hill to work up an appetite, before heading over to the pub for dinner.

Placed 33 in the most recent Top 50 Gastropubs list, the Bull’s Head is a refurbished drovers inn with plenty of charming original features.

Owned by Wild by Nature, the Bull’s Head’s understated cooking utilises seasonal ingredients from the company’s own regenerative farm as well as a network of small local producers.

The bottles of wine we ordered, a Saint Vincent Chardonnay (£28) from the Pays D’Oc and an Antiche Vie Chianti (£36), were both good although the white could have been more chilled.

We went straight into the snacks and golden Welsh rarebit croquettes (£4) were filled with a pokey, mustardy molten cheese sauce and buried under a drift of salty parmesan.

To start, a brick of a short rib croquette (£12) yielded a core of tender, big-flavoured shredded beef. Excellent accompaniments took it up a gear - a thick, rich and herby sauce gribiche, well-dressed peppery rocket and zingy pink pickled onions.

A chunky smoked mackerel rillette (£12) let its headline ingredient do the talking. The homely dish was accompanied by a mountain of rye cracker shards and another excellent salad of pickled fennel and radishes.

Lobster ravioli (£16) was described as some of the best pasta our friend had eaten in a while. The well-filled, delicate pasta cases were bathed in a corker of a sherry and shellfish sauce.

Onto mains, and the Bull’s Head clearly knows how to source and cook a fine bit of meat.

Rare breed pork slices (£26) were tender, melting of fat and had good flavour. Sat on a bed of soft and delicately spiced harissa beans and accompanied by charred spring onions, it was a delicious piece of pork cookery.

A sharing wing-rib of 40-day dry aged Belted Galloway beef (£75) was a new cut on me. I imagine it must be the part of the cow where a rib meets the bingo wing. It was a fabulous cut of meat – cooked rare to medium-rare in different places, the ruby red slices were gorgeously tender with an excellent beefiness.

It was elevated by some atypical accompaniments, a compelling smoked beetroot ketchup that should be sold by the bottle, salt baked onions, vibrant greens, and a superbly meaty bone marrow and peppercorn sauce. This was one hell of a steak dish.

Sides were all riproarers too.

Golden chips (£5) looked suspiciously uniform in texture, but they’d been fried in beef dripping to render them rustlingly crisp and addictively savoury. A pot of honking aioli wasn’t half bad too.

Romaine lettuce (£5) had been assertively charred over wood fire to give it an addictive smokiness and crisp edges. A creamy and tangy buttermilk dressing tempered the char.

Braised bitter greens (£6) contrasted beautifully with the savoury hit of anchovy and warmth of Espelette chilli.

Desserts brought the only misstep of the meal.

A sticky toffee pudding (£9) looked the business, but the cake’s crumb was disappointingly dry. Thankfully, a ton of roasted hay butterscotch sauce and thick vanilla ice cream did some heavy lifting to turn it into a decent pud.

A very grown-up take on strawberries and cream (£8) saw marsala booze-charged berries piled on top of thick vanilla whipped cream and served alongside an excellent shortbread biscuit.

A glass of vin doux (£6) ordered to accompany dessert eventually showed up at almost the exact same time we were told the pub needed our table back without any pre-warning. Service was otherwise faultless throughout the meal, but this made for an unexpectedly rushed end to the evening.

Still, as we were stumbling distance from the campsite, we wandered back for a nightcap and bedded down in the field adjacent to the rare breed pigs. I certainly felt among good company.

The Bull’s Head is a top-drawer country pub and I can see why it was packed out on our visit. If you’re thinking of visiting and want to avoid squabbling about who’s designated driver then I’d highly recommend pitching a tent down the road. Or if you’re a little more luxuriously inclined, the Bull’s Head also happen to have their own quartet of cabins.

The Details:

Address - The Bull's Head, Craswall, Hereford HR2 0PN

Web - https://www.wildbynaturellp.com/the-bulls-head-inn

Telephone - 01981 510616