The Potting Shed, The Street, Crudwell, Malmesbury.

SN16 9EW

(01666) 577833

Every time I drove past The Potting Shed pub in Crudwell promised myself I’d go in and see if it was as good as its reputation.

I finally got round to going with my boyfriend, Frankie, and I’m pleased to say that it didn’t disappoint.

Walking in you get a real sense that you are in the countryside with a selection of watering cans on shelves, ceramic pots and jelly moulds on the window sills and lights set in old wheel barrows.

Booking is advisable, especially at weekends, but, having booked, we were quickly seated.

We skipped the starters, priced from around £4.95, as we noticed the main courses were large and we wanted to try their rich desserts.

For the main course, I ordered beer battered red mullet with triple cooked chips, tartar sauce and mushy peas (£11.95) while Frankie went for roast sirloin beef, cooked pink, a Yorkshire pudding, seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes and a port jus (£15.50).

Our meals didn’t take long to arrive and my dinner was served on a wooden board, which gave it a twist.

The fish was delicious with a crispy batter and the crunchiness of the triple fried chips was a good contrast against the texture of the mushy peas, served in a small porcelain pot.

The tartar sauce was tangy and refreshing against the rich flavour of the beer-battered fish.

Frankie enjoyed his tender roast sirloin, roast potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables but wasn’t overly keen on the strong flavour of the port jus.

The mouth watering desserts are priced at £5.50 each.

I opted for apple and blackberry crumble tart with clotted cream ice cream while Frankie chose a double layer peanut butter chocolate brownie and a banana smoothie.

The apple and blackberry crumble tart was tangy topped with a crunchy sweet crumble and worked very well against the clotted cream ice cream.

Frankie’s double chocolate brownie was rich and sweet and had a pleasant nutty texture which contrasted against the banana smoothie, served in a shot glass.

With drinks, the bill came to just under £50, pricey but well worth it.

Good Pub Guide Winner 2010

Sister pub to The Rectory hotel and restaurant, directly opposite

Own vegetable patch

Private dining for ten or more available within The Hide, a dining room overlooking the garden

Menus at www.thepottingshedpub.com

Our Eating Out is an independent review carried out by the Gazette without prior knowledge of the owners.