THE Great Western public house in Corsham re-opened last October following a major £290,000 refurbishment.

The revamp was commissioned by Heineken’s pub business, Star Pubs & Bars, in partnership with new licensees, Michael and Kimara Yeomans, who have recently returned to the UK from South Africa.

The investment is designed to bring the pub into the 21st century, improve the facilities and decor, enabling The Great Western to introduce food and coffee for the first time and broaden its appeal to families.

My wife Feona and I decided to drop in late one Thursday evening to see whether the refurbishment had enhanced the pub’s fortunes.

We found it packed with young men watching some of the Europa championship football matches, a group of women having a meeting in one corner of the new conservatory, and families and couples scattered around the bar and lounge areas.

As my wife and I were hungry, we decided to sample the food, so ordered a pint of Wadworth 6x at £4 a pint, and a pint of blackcurrant and soda at 70p, and browsed the menu.

Ignoring the starters, we went straight to the main courses, with Feona choosing an 8oz rump steak (£14.95) while I selected the crisp cider-braised pork belly (£14.50) from the specials board.

While waiting for the food to arrive, I took a quick look around. The decor looks great, the pub is comfy and clean, and the staff friendly and accommodating.

Fee’s steak was ordered medium rare, and arrived with a creamy peppercorn sauce (£4.50), chips and peas, mushrooms and onion rings. And the verdict? The steak was delicious, perfectly cooked, and beautifully presented.

My pork belly came with a slice of crispy crackling, in a Dijon mustard sauce and boulangere potatoes, with a selection of vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

Again, it was beautifully presented, well cooked and very succulent, with the delicious pork melting in my mouth. The crackling was crispy and not at all chewy.

After a short break, we ordered pudding, with Fee selecting the apple and rhubarb pie (£5.95) with custard, while I plumped for the home-made apple crumble (5.95), served with custard instead of cream.

The apple and rhubarb pie proved too much for Fee, who had to admit to not being able to eat the generously-sized portion provided. However, she found it perfectly cooked and beautifully presented in a separate dish.

My home-made crumble was very crumbly, but the apple was soft and sweet and was served with two small pots of custard. It was so nice, I easily managed to scoff the lot.

The pub has a new chef, Steve Gallagher, and, on this showing, I think the Great Western will do very well in winning back the custom it had previously lost.

Michael and Kimara cater for all tastes and if you have a food allergy or a special dietary requirement, you only have to inform a member of staff and they will help. Our bill came to £50.55 and was good value for money. It’s worth the visit.

John Baker