April 26, 2012 13:09

The Three Tuns, Bishop’s Castle

Star rating: **** Sharon Walters enjoys a break on a shopping trip.

Star rating: **** Sharon Walters enjoys a break on a shopping trip.

It really is a pleasure to make the journey to Bishop’s Castle for a relaxing few hours – for so many reasons.

It has a small but interesting selection of independent shops, including a treasure trove of vinyl and books, good cafes, a good hotel and a handful of pubs serving good ale.

Last weekend I popped up mainly to visit a gift/clothing shop that I bought some excellent jeans from last year and wanted to replace.

While I was there the “escort” announced he was suddenly hungry and also rather fancied a pint – and that was after a large breakfast!

So we popped into the Three Tuns for a snack and a drink, choosing the pub out of all the others because a reader recently wrote in to say he had not had a good experience, particularly on the welcome and service fronts. Time to have a look for myself after not having visited for some time.

Sorry to the reader, because we had a lovely hour and we could not find fault. It is so true that a place is only as good as the last time you visited there. Standards should be maintained but sometimes they are not.

Anyway, back to our lunch. Meet and greet was very good and having a snack was no problem, we were assured.

Neil enjoyed a pint of the amber ale and chose a meal from the specials board – nachos with salsa, sour cream, jalapenos and guacamole (£5.95). A large plateful of said nachos arrived with all the accompaniments and it did keep him quiet for several minutes as he munched his way through. Excellent, he said.

I opted for a sandwich, which I assumed would be just enough for a light lunchtime snack. Wrong!

There is a choice of fillings with a choice of crusty white, five-grain granary or toasted ciabatta bread all served with salad garnish and crisps.

I had the chicken and bacon on ciabatta – one of the best £5.20 worth I have had in a long time. The sandwich (with the ciabatta lightly toasted and warm) was packed with chunks of chicken (no miserable pre-packed slices here) and tasty bacon. The “side” salad was as large as some “full” salads I have been served and there was a good pile of quality crisps. Absolutely delicious.

Around us other diners were enjoying similar meals or other more substantial offerings and the service continued to be warm and welcoming.

The Tuns is child friendly and also welcomes dogs – well-behaved of course! Next time we go up to the Castle, spoiled pet Jack will also be coming with us as he can help me to finish the healthy portions on offer, obviously discreetly.

The Three Tuns Inn is of particular interest for real ale fans. The pub and adjoining brewery were established in 1642, with the brewery being possibly the oldest in the country, with records showing that King Charles I issued the first brewing licences in that year to raise funds to pay for his army fighting the civil war.

Both were “modernised” in about 1890 by the then owner John Roberts who added a state-of-the-art “tower brewery” – now a very rare sight. The pub and brewery remained in the Roberts family until the 70s. Then for many years ownership and fortunes varied.

In 2003 ownership of the pub and brewery were split, with both undergoing further development and improvement. Today there is a good selection of ale, and not just Three Tuns, with 70 per cent of all beer sales “real” and not of the super-cooled lager variety.

Upstairs a restored and characterful function room sees everything from live music (jazz to rock to classical) to line dancing, morris dancing, film club and the local rugby club post match “wind down!”

In warmer weather, you might catch morris dancing, live jazz or even a brass band playing in the courtyard or garden. Alternatively, you can just chill out and relax, reading the papers provided or play any number of pub games – all helped by the absence of piped music and fruit machines.

Watch out for any of the many festival weekends held in Bishop’s Castle, which bring in visitors from far and wide.

ADDRESS

The Three Tuns, Salop Street, Bishop’s Castle SY9 5BW

Tel: 01588 638797

Web: www.thethreetunsinn.co.uk

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS & LIGHT BITES

Homemade soup of the day (£4.20)

Hummus with mixed olives and pitta bread (£5.65)

MAINS

Three Tuns beer-battered fish and handcut chips with mushy peas and tartare sauce (£10.50)

Chargrilled 28-day hung rib-eye steak (8oz) with peppercorn sauce, handcut chips and garden salad (£15.50)