Welcome to The Castle

Reviews and comments...

"Such flattering and suspect beauty, this city: half fairytale, half tourist trap, in whose insalubrious air the arts once voluptuously blossomed, inspiring composers to lulling tones of somniferous eroticism." Okay, I'm misquoting Thomas Mann, and he was actually referring to Venice, not Bath. But having just returned from a long weekend immersed in the relentless throb of callous urbanity that is Liverpool, one can't help but feel the urge to wax lyrical on return to the pastoral peace of my adopted West Country nest. But deadlines wait for no man, and we're back on the road before I've had time to ditch the high pitched, hysterical screech that, after so many years spent being unnaturally subdued, has suddenly re-limpeted itself to my vocal chords.

But in a way, it was okay to sound like a tourist (even one that inspires an ominous sense of dread in everybody within earshot), because our little holiday wasn't over yet. We were off to Bradford on Avon to visit a venture headed up by the same team behind the Lounge chain of cafe-bars. But lovely though we all know the Lounges are, the Castle Inn isn't just another Porto/Deco/Velo. What was once, by all accounts, a rather dodgy, insalubrious dive is now a Flatcappers freehold pub, fully refurbished to very user-friendly standards (flagstones, beams, chunky furniture; a lovely beer garden overlooking toytown) with four sumptuous letting rooms upstairs. We were to lay our hats in room 4 - a luxurious little love nest decorated in richly sensual, stylish tones of dark plum and gold flock, featuring an absolutely massive bed scattered with bronze silk cushions, from which there was an uninterrupted view of the flatscreen TV. But ooooh, the bathroom! A walkthrough shower, two sinks (each with their own selection of handmade girly goodies) an antique armchair... and a freestanding, cast iron bath facing a picture window that offers views across the rooftops to Salisbury Plain, Westbury White Horse included. Now that's what I call a room with a view. On went the TV (even though he's apparently "not that interested in Euro 2008") and into that bath I dived, to emerge 40 minutes later thoroughly refreshed and with an appetite for a square meal that only four days spent living entirely on scouse party buffets can give you.

When it comes to Castle food, Lounge touches are distinctly evident on menus that feature upper-crust versions of proper pub grub at extremely wholesome prices. Our starters - a silky butternut squash risotto and a hearty bacon and mushroom salad topped with a poached egg - came in at around a fiver, and either would easily constitute a sturdy lunch or even a nice, light main course, should you be of a less gluttonous inclination than we are. For mains, Fabio Grosso defended his title as Steak King admirably, an 8ozs rib eye dripping with blue cheese butter (£12.50) making for his perfect set piece. As the only thing about me that's WAG-alike is the fake tan, I opted for a manly portion of roast lamb rump (£12.25) accompanied by roast new potatoes and asparagus - a combination that, for me, says all you need to know about the flavour of Britain in mid-June. After that, we took the remains of our bottle of wine back up to our room to watch the Italian stallions make the Gallic Gods cry before returning to the fray for a massive wedge of lemon tart and a boisterous banoffee pie, after which we yo-yoed back up the stairs for the last time to sink into an undisturbed sleep on the bed of dreams before being woken many hours later by the gentle waft of real bacon floating up from the kitchen the following morning. Did we? Oh yes we did: a perfect full English and a very imaginative veggie version (including sweetcorn fritters and bubble and squeak) set us up admirably for the 15 minute journey home.

Overall, the Castle is king of the mini-empire from which it has sprung. Even with the Cilla Black-style inflections in tow, one night there made me feel like a queen

Melissa Blease - Venue/Folio June '08

 

"The interior will come into its own in winter with its muted steel-grey walls, open fireplaces, flagstone floors, deep and slightly battered leather sofas and armchairs.

My friend had never come across Toulouse sausage before and loved his two sizeable specimens that were juicy, spicy and substantial. They arrived placed on a very leeky leek mash and were surrouded by a moat of flavoursome onion gravy".

Lucie Wood Metro August 2007

 

IT'S HATS OFF TO THE FLATCAP MAKEOVER

A Friend had been raving about an old pub in Bradford on Avon which has had, she said, THE most amazing makeover and that I really should try it. She warned me that Friday and Saturday evenings at the newly revamped Castle Inn - at the top of a hill overlooking the rooftops of the town - were very busy, so we went for a mid-week meal with two other friends, and a very jolly time we had too.

The makeover of what had been a tired looking pub, by Wiltshire brewers Flatcappers, has been astonishing. There are slate and wooden floors, muted grey walls hung with fascinating old portraits, stone fireplaces and, in the snug where we sat, a wall of tactile modern grey flock wallpaper, lit by mini-chandeliers and fascinating retro lampshades which my friend assured me were made by two-old-ladies-who-make-lampshades-in-Idaho.com. Wherever they came from, these cream and black draped affairs reminded me of a seance.

The music was muted jazz, the service friendly and efficient (you order at the bar) and the drinks and wine menu simply presented, and best of all, reasonably priced. A bottle of Chilean sauvignon blanc, complete with ice bucket, was £13.50.

Our party of four were all very impressed by the food too. My rump steak (£11.95) with café de Paris butter, thin, crispy french fries and a huge helping of spinach-rich salad was melt-in-the-mouth tender and tasty too. J's risotto of creamy butternut squash with rocket and candied walnuts (£8.50) was a hearty big bowlful and Helen's enormous roasted field mushroom topped with smoked goats cheese (£7.95) was beautifully presented with an interesting mixed leaf salad and a pesto dressing.

We barely had time to register Carolyn's bowl of chargrilled fresh tuna, salad and a poached egg (£12.95) before she'd scoffed the lot appreciatively.

The evening progressed with much chat and laughter. We ordered a second bottle of wine and shared two puddings. One was a light, creamy white chocolate cheesecake with an unusual Amaretti biscuit base, the other was a chocolate brownie of such huge proportions that we didn't think one person would manage it all, delicious as it was. The puddings were all £4.95 each.

As the rain swept across the town beneath us, obscuring the view of the Westbury White Horse in the distance, we agreed it was a shame we couldn't sit out on the comfy looking wooden benches and tables in the garden at the front of the pub.

If we ever get a summer, I can imagine coming up here again to sit outside with a bowl of mixed olives and parsnip crisps, or some sweetcorn fritters with a chilli dip, which were on the 'picking/grazing' menu. Or coming on a late Sunday morning for a brunch of The Works Breakfast (£6.85) complete with bubble and squeak and Toulouse sausage and a pint of Flatcappers ale.

The Castle is a very welcome addition to the Bradford on Avon foodie scene. A couple of waitresses at weekends to take food orders at tables would ease the congestion at the bar. But otherwise, I doff my titfer respectfully to the Flatcappers.

The Castle Inn
Who for? We saw customers aged between one and 70, women out for an evening, couples, plus groups of friends just enjoying a drink - this is no gastro foodies-only pub.

The Bath Chronicle July 2007