A gem of a pub

It’s always a pleasure to find a country pub which still has real character, so I was more than delighted to pay a visit to the Malet Arms, not far from Salisbury and Amesbury in Wiltshire.
Too often, as the result of  being  taken over by big companies, pubs become at best eating places with a uniform menu and little acknowledgment to the character which pubs used to embrace.
Call me a traditionalist if you like, but I only have time for pubs that retain the charm and character that all good pubs once had.
The Malet Arms is a 16th century coaching inn on the banks of the River Bourne at Newton Tony, just eight miles from Salisbury.  Oh yes, it does have a restaurant, but doesn’t fall into the category of being one of those glitzy ever-so-modern eating places.
In fact it gets a mention in the Good Pub Guide and a couple of year’s ago was the Guide’s Country Pub of the Year — “a smashing village pub with no pretensions, a good choice of local beers and highly thought of food.”
As a Freehouse, it specialises in lesser known local beers, and has quite a name for its music gigs. When I and a few friends were here we were advised to make sure we did not have cars in the car park, because at any moment we would find ourselves overwhelmed by those coming for an evening music festival, Maletstock in the paddock behind the pub, and would be unable to get out..

I thought it a gem and the food excellent, even though my wife was disappointed with her choice of a curry.