There’s nothing quite like sneaking into a nice warm pub to escape the cold and celebrate Christmas with friends and family. As we enter December and everywhere starts to book up in the run up to Christmas we thought we’d suggest some of the country’s finest pubs to go to, particularly with an eye on food and access. The great thing about pubs these days is that you can pretty much expect good food, but there are some which really stand out to us.
It can be slightly tricky to find truly quality pubs with outstanding access. In part, this is because our own criteria for what makes a good pub includes the place being a little bit old fashioned and cosy. Unfortunately, old and cosy don’t go hand in hand with accessible, so for a proper pub experience you sometimes have to compromise a little bit.
It’s been a tough ask to narrow down a list from the 50,000 pubs in the country but here are our favourite pubs from the BBS App which manage to be both stylish and accessible. If you’re after somewhere a bit more cutting edge and trendy for Christmas drinks then check out our guide to accessible Christmas cocktail bars. This list is dedicated to traditional, snug and quintessentially British pubs:
The Narrow is Gordon Ramsay’s new pub, overlooking the Thames in East London. It’s in a great, scenic location and the food is of the standard you’d expect from one of ‘the sweary one’s’ holdings. It’s an enjoyable place for a long lunch or even a couple of pints after work in the build up to Christmas.
It’s also good for access and disabled facilities. We gave it 2.5 BBS ticks when we reviewed it. There’s a disabled accessible toilet and the building is all accessible. You will need to come in through an alternative entrance if you’re in a wheelchair but if you contact them beforehand or even give them a call when you arrive they can show you what to do.
Balloo House was the Northern Ireland region’s winner of the Good Food Guide readers’ favourites this year. As they say on their website, it’s one thing to praise yourselves and another when critics do so, but the greatest praise is from the customers themselves. Balloo House is a rustic old inn dating back to the late 1600’s. The downstairs area is a lively pub-style bistro, complete with open fire and dishes by Danny Millar.
The access is good with a step free entrance from the car park. Inside it’s mostly step free too but if you do need to go up or down any stairs they have a portable ramp. This would certainly come in handy when you need to go to the bar, which is up one step and is also where the disabled toilet is located. The pub itself is rather out of the way for a lot of people but we find that that can help if you need to meet in the middle, with family from another area of the country. We gave Balloo House 2.5 Ticks.
The Nightingale is like a little village pub in South West London. Rather than following the local crowd and joining the gastro-pub wave, The Nightingale went the opposite way and became, if anything, more traditional. The consensus is that this is a proper ‘pubby’ pub. Everyone’s very friendly, creating a real community atmosphere inside. They’re doing a delicious sounding and reasonably priced Christmas menu which is well worth checking out if you live in London.
The pub is accessible, with a disabled toilet and step free access throughout. Pretty good for a Grade II listed building built in 1853. The only noticeable problem is that, although there are ramps everywhere, they may be slightly uneven moments where you meet small bumps at the end of the ramps. Also, as it does get busy and is a little small, you may want to see if you can reserve a table even if you’re just in for a drink. Obviously for dinner you definitely do need to book.
It’s not exactly stylish but it’s distinct, traditional and is an ideal little boozer for a winter warmer. We’d recommend this if you live in London but want to find a classic pub experience. We give The Nightingale 2 BBS Ticks.
The Hardwick is a Welsh pub, in Abergavenny, which leans heavily towards being a restaurant. You can’t blame the place for doing so as, being out in the countryside, it’s unlikely to turn a profit through customers dropping in for a pint and more significantly, its owner, Stephen Terry, has worked in some of the country’s best restaurants.
The food is clearly outstanding, with Michael Roux Jr having declared it his favourite restaurant in Wales, but the building is still in many ways a traditional, pub with spindleback chairs around pub tables, stripped brickwork by fireplace and small corner counter serving Rhymney and Wye Valley. It’s featured in The Good Pub Guide as well as the Top 50 Gastro Pubs and as much as its selling point is the food, everyone is welcome to drop in for a drink too.
They have level access to the front of the pub and if you let them know you are coming they will designate an appropriate table. They have a disabled toilet at the front and a ramp that goes to the second part of the restaurant. So the access is pretty good and this is a great place if you’re looking for somewhere to eat. We gave The Hardwick 2.5 BBS Ticks.
The Greyhound On The Test, in Stockbridge, has been recently refurbished and looks really good. The food is supposed to be fantastic and it’s a nice traditional pub. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a disabled toilet but we think it’s worth an inclusion in our list, even if it’s just to notify people about it rather than to totally recommend it, because it’s recently been named the Michelin Pub of the Year for 2014. It would be remiss not to discuss accessibility at the pub of the year in our pub guide.
As mentioned, there is no disabled toilet but that is the only real problem here. We did give them 2 Ticks when we reviewed them recently because apparently access is OK other than the toilet issue.
The Kingham Plough in the Cotswolds is a warm and pleasant space with excellent food and rooms. The level of excellence is clear from AA Gill, who described The Plough as “the gold standard” for a local pub restaurant. Head chef Ben Dulley and chef/owner Emily Watkins, who was on The Great British Menu, work together to provide modern British food, including three roasts on Sundays.
Beyond the menu, which is award winning, the pub is very simple and comfortable. Plus with the pub being in Chipping Norton, there’s always a chance that one of the area’s notable residents, such as Jeremy Clarkson, Rebekah Brooks or even David Cameron, might pop in. So, whether you think that’s a good or bad thing, it’s maybe something to watch out for?
When we reviewed the pub in terms of access we gave it 2 out of 3 Ticks but our criticism was more because the upstairs inn rooms aren’t accessible than the pub area. There is one step into the pub and another couple into the restaurant but they shouldn’t necessarily be insurmountable obstacles. There’s also a disabled toilet in the pub so the access seems to be at least adequate and probably quite good for most people.
The Pipe and Glass Inn, in East Yorkshire, is another winner of the Michelin Pub of the Year, picking up the award in 2012. The menu is stuffed full of fantastic takes on British classics and Michelin-starred quality pub food. There are lots of roasts and the ingredients are well sourced. The bar has a country pub feel while the restaurant is a bit more contemporary but remains welcoming. It’s a family run pub with the family vibe that is just what you want from this sort of place. They also have gift vouchers which you could give as a Christmas present.
Unlike some other Pub of the Year winners, the whole place is accessible and they have a disabled toilet – something that you can’t always say about a Michelin-starred venue. We gave them 2.5 Ticks for their style and accessibility.
Last but not least, moving from East to North Yorkshire, we find The Star Inn, another award winning and characterful old inn. The inn is a picturesque old building, with a thatched roof and an old fashioned interior full of low beams and wonky walls. Very ‘pubby’. Winner of the White Rose Awards Yorkshire Pub of the Year 2012, The Star has been consistently voted the favourite Northern restaurant by industry professionals and is much-loved by foodies and locals alike. Once again, the food is classically British and very tasty.
The Star Inn’s website is very detailed, covering everything you’d need to know and some things you almost certainly do not, for instance what to do if you’re travelling there by helicopter (FYI: contact reception). In this spirit, the owners have made information regarding accessibility easily available online in an access statement with loads of information. In short, the building, which is centuries old, has been made pretty accessible for the less able. The bar and restaurant can be accessed with minimal effort and there is a disabled toilet. We gave The Star Inn 2.5 Ticks.
That’s the end of our round up of our top pub choices for this Christmas. Obviously we couldn’t fit in anything like every pub here but we think they’re a good selection featuring some accessible options from the ‘top top’ quality places to go to.
There are just far to many pubs to get them all in here. Please get in touch with your own favourite accessible pubs and we can spread the word!