I do love a village pub with a good history – and here in Long Ashton, we’ve got one that fits the bill perfectly. The Angel Inn on Long Ashton Road, close to the Ashton Court end of the village, dates back to at least 1495 when it had a similar function to a parish hall. In 1912 it became The Angel Inn and it’s had an impressive history ever since: a history that you can read about here. Today, it serves as one of the three pubs in Long Ashton (or four, if you count The Ashton, along with The Bird in Hand and the Miners Rest): a place that feels like a quintessential village pub as soon as you step through the door.
Inside, there are four different seating areas – two beside the bar, two further separate rooms – with low ceilings, wooden beams, exposed bricks and feature fireplaces showing the age of the building. There’s a big box of kids’ toys in the main room by the bar to keep small ones entertained – and there was even a cider porch by the door through to the courtyard, with various bag-in-boxes of cider from Lilley’s, Thistly Cross and Mr Whiteheads priced at £3 a pint, when we last visited.
Behind the bar, you’ll find Tribute, Otter Bitter, Doom Bar, Butcombe Original and Bass Premium Ale on draught on one side, and Amstel, Fosters, Blackthorn, Thatchers (Gold and Haze), Stella, Guinness and Moretti on the other.
As cosy and tempting as the interior was we had a rare day of sunshine, so off to the courtyard we wandered. It’s a real little suntrap and it’s steeped in history, too: the outbuilding which was formerly used as a stable is Grade II listed, its open hayloft now providing a home for the swallows which appear every spring.
The Angel Inn is just as traditional when it comes to its pub grub: think sandwiches, chips, sausage and mash, burgers, gammon/ham with egg and chips. There are a few more up-to-date additions (like the Cajun halloumi fries and the halloumi and red pepper stack in a brioche bun), but it’s good, simple food, with most meals priced at around £10 or under. There’s a menu on their website, but it isn’t 100% up-to-date.
Our food hit the spot, too. Opposite me, the scampi and chips with garden peas and tartare sauce (£10) was pretty standard: good chips, crunchy coated scampi, a chunky tartare sauce, and a decent portion for a tenner.
On the subject of decent portions, the ploughman’s (£11) that I ordered was insane. When you order, you get to choose between Cheddar, ham or Stilton – and I’m a big fan of blue cheese. With two massive wedges of the stuff on my plate, though, I had to wrap one block up to take home. The presentation was great, I loved the pickled egg and the coleslaw was unexpected – it wasn’t listed on the menu. That soft granary bread was delicious (I didn’t need all that butter, though), but the sheer amount of food defeated me.
The Angel Inn also has five guest rooms available to book, as well as hosting live music, quiz nights, Halloween parties and other events (see their Facebook page for details). It’s a lovely, friendly village pub, perfect for a drink or a bite to eat if you’re having a wander round Ashton Court just up the road, and just off the Festival Way if you’re walking or cycling between Bristol and Nailsea. We’ll be back!