The only way is up
2:48pm Thursday 25th August 2011 in Eating Out
It’s well worth struggling up the hill to the Bakers Arms, says MICHELLE TOMPKINS
RUNNERS who’ve ever taken on the Swindon Half Marathon will be only too familiar with the Bakers Arms – it’s that landmark pub at the top of the steep hill through Badbury about four miles in; the pub you see long before you reach it, the one that seems so impossibly far away as you... puff... just keep on... puff, puff... putting one... puff... foot... puff... in front... puff, puff... of the other.
I wouldn’t recommend running to and from the pub at the best of times, but least of all if you plan to stay and sample the menu laid on by new landlords Dave and Becky Preston.
The couple have been in charge at The Sun Inn at Coate for the past four years and have transformed the place from a flagging watering hole offering mediocre food into a smart, family-friendly pub with one of the best affordable menus around.
Now they have branched out and taken on the Bakers too, and the food is in a similar vein – modern, home-cooked and very satisfying. Stay for a couple of courses and you’ll be rolling down the hill, not running.
We showed up (unknowingly) on opening night, but Dave – ever the professional – wasn’t fazed in the slightest.
The pub is about as traditional as it gets, with exposed stone walls and a large fireplace. The bar was already filling up with locals, who have seemingly embraced the new owners and what they’re offering, but Dave was quick to greet us and take our order.
Had I been with grown-ups, I’d definitely have gone for one of the sharing platters – probably the antipasti, with meats, cheeses, olives, sunblushed tomatoes and breads (£8.95), or maybe the whole baked camembert with a chilli crust served with bread, chilli oil and salad (£7.50).
As it was, my teenage children both wanted a burger; one the homemade steak burger and the other the chargrilled chicken breast burger (both £7.95).
Both came towering on the plate, served with a huge bowl of chips and more greenery than could be described as a simple side salad.
I chose salmon served on crushed new potatoes and spinach and covered in a lemon and caper cream (£11.95). It came with a steaming bowl of mange tout, green beans and carrots, making me feel positively virtuous (well, apart from that lemon cream).
Other dishes on the menu include Arkells Kingsdown Ale sausages with bubble and squeak (£9.25) and chicken tagliatelle with a mushroom and wholegrain sauce (£9.95), and desserts include caramel apple pie, New York cheesecake and sticky toffee pudding (all £4.50).
Dave mentioned he’s thinking of having a samba band in the pub car park on half marathon day - October 9 - to spur the runners up the hill.
If I can get away with it, I’ll be popping in for more than just a glass of water.
