Going out to a restaurant with a friend before Christmas and expecting to enjoy an audible conversation as well as a meal can be a bit of a tall order. The fear is you will be surrounded by lots of Christmas works’ dos struggling to make yourself heard above the inevitable shouting and loud singing. So it was to our considerable relief that all the Christmas parties at The Globe the night we were in were very well behaved and the only singing was of a tuneful Silent Night from a distant table.

Located on the A39 between Bath and Bristol, the 17th century Globe is always heaving with drinkers and diners. Arriving at 6pm while the pub was still filling up, we had our pick of waitresses who were all very friendly and attentive, although clean menus would have been nice. The laminated ones we were presented came with food and grease stains.

We skipped starters to leave room for dessert and moved straight onto the main course. There’s a wide choice from pies to ‘vintage classics’ which include hunter’s chicken and rolled belly of pork. There are also some good veggie options too, and I plumped for an intriguing sounding savoury Eccles cake which was stuffed with roast butternut squash, parsnips and raisin chutney in a creamy mushroom sauce.

My friend opted for the broadbean and feta burger with smoky tomato salsa and seasoned chips. She absolutely loved it, dunking her burger into the salsa repeatedly and polishing off every last chip and crumb on her plate.

My Eccles cake was tasty with good chunks of veg inside, but the side veg were a bit of a disappointment. The new potatoes tasted as though they had come out of a tin, while the seasonal veg was a touch too heavy on the spring greens and the sprouts were rather water logged.

I had more success with my dessert – sticky toffee and apple pudding topped with toffee sauce and custard. The sponge was light as a feather and there were nice caramelised slices of apple on top – the only downside was that it hadn’t been heated up enough and was virtually cold while I was still halfway through eating it.

My friend had less luck with her fruit crumble. She was surprised that it came with both custard and ice cream but welcomed them both. However, the portion was massive and way too sweet, and after chasing it round the bowl with her spoon for a while, she was forced to give up.

The Globe is in a very convenient location, with a welcoming interior and friendly staff, but in terms of dining you have to content yourself with an ok meal rather than a fine dining experience.

* 25 per cent off food bill on Monday-Friday if you become a friend.
* Vintage pie day on Wednesdays.
* Open Monday-Saturday noon-11pm, Sundays noon-10.30pm .