On a very chilly night, it was comforting to feel the warmth as we walked into the Seven Stars, a traditional stone village pub.

Luckily we had booked, because it was packed and the menu proved interesting, with a wide range of tempting meat, fish and vegetarian food.

I started with bubble and squeak with a crispy duck egg and hollandaise sauce. It was a colourful veggie mound, crisply cooked with the egg balanced on top.

Tom had chosen whitebait from the specials board and said it was one of the best he had ever eaten.

Being able to glance at other peoples’ food as it passed us, we were looking forward to our main courses.

We checked the menu online and I was really looking forward to the guinea fowl, so couldn’t be persuaded to try the duck with steamed wild rice and fruity sauce or the baked vegetable cannelloni, even though they sounded pretty good.

The guinea fowl arrived with new potatoes, red cabbage and mushrooms with a delicious Dijon mustard sauce with chopped bacon swirling around.

Surprisingly for Tom, he went vegetarian with mushroom, leek, cranberry, spinach and Stilton wellington. It came with red pepper sauce and new potatoes.

This generous portion was packed with goodness and the colourful plate was thoroughly enjoyed.

Should we have a pud? Well, everything so far had been good, so why not. A Tia Maria and dark chocolate fondant with home-made Cointreau ice cream and a coffee, walnut and vanilla cheesecake were ordered. Though we knew the chocolate fondant had a 20-minute waiting time, it seemed worth it.

In fact, it arrived in half that time and we enjoyed both desserts; the fondant oozing a chocolate sauce and the cheesecake packed with walnuts, although I would have preferred it to be a little more coffee-ish.

Most starters were around the £6 mark, with mains from £9.90 to £15.90, and steaks at £18.50. Desserts were about £5.50.

Our bill came to £60.60, with two pints of beer – a good choice including 6X, Cornish Knocker or Betty Stogs.

A little twist was the Trivial Pursuit cards on tables. We weren’t the only ones testing our partner’s knowledge.

rita sangster

 

Where: Winsley, near Bradford on Avon
BA15 2LQ
Tel: (01225) 722204
Web: www.sevenstarswinsley.co.uk

  • Opening Monday-Thursday, noon-2.30pm, 6-10.30pm; Friday, noon-2.30, 6-11pm; Saturday, noon-3pm, 6-11pm; Sunday noon-3.30pm, closed evening.
  • Large car park & courtyard garden
  • Child-friendly. Dogs welcome
  • Free-range meat and eggs with all made in-house, including bread