The Bruces Arms (Gammon), Easton Royal.

Bruce's Ploughmans

Location - 

Burbage Road

Easton Royal

Nr. Pewsey

Wiltshire

SN9 5LR

Website -  https://brucearms.co.uk/

Date of Visit - 16/09/2023

The Food

8 - Pickled Onion. They were good. Small, but crunchy, tasty, sweet and not too vinegary and nicely pickled. 

The addition of a gherkin is always welcome so long as it's a good one (not soggy). This was a good one, and nice with the ham and cheese. This is why it's 8 points and not lower, Pickes of any variety, if good, are welcome. Vinegar sponges are not welcome.

10 - Pickle. A good dollop here of good, tasty ploughman's pickle. Let us be honest here, Branston is the gold standard, although back in the day PanYan Pickle was a good competitor. Anyhow, not sure of the provenance of this pickle, might be a Cash and Cary version - but it was jolly good!

10 - Cheese / Ham. Top marks.  The ham was wonderful. fresh, tasty, not too processed, a bit of fat but not too much, excellent. The cheese, as ever not enough for me, but then that's my issue, I go a bit mad for the cheese - probably the right amount for normal people. Anyway, it was crumbly, creamy, tasty and at a good temperature - not freezing cold. 

8 - Bread. The bread was good, very nice indeed. Dropped a few points because it was I suspect par-baked, but I like a good crusty crunch on my ploughman's bread and this was crunchy and warm and welcome.....

2 - Spread (better be butter or a choice). Packets, again...... Where do these come from? Bookers or some sort of cash and carry I expect. Nice enough, however too cold on temperature. They were solid.  Slipped them into the hot baguette to get some sort of mobility. 

4 -Presentation. Good. Visually appealing, and thoughtfully laid out.

3 -Salad, etc. The celery was fresh. Apple was crisp, but a bit too much (yes, I'm being picky, but this is a critical review). Perhaps should have been left whole, or fully sliced. The grapes were a bit soggy and possibly over-ripe and a bit seedy, and I suspect homegrown. 

1 - Originality. It looked good but somehow failed to hit the delight spot.  OK, let's talk about the elephant in the room, the egg - it was pickled. This is a personal bias: I love eggs, I like pickles, but pickled eggs discuss me! Others in the party ate this without comment and had no issue, so it's definitely me, but hey, this is my review, have a different opinion, eat one yourself and submit a review for this site! 

Not sure what it was about this ploughman's lunch - it looked great and the ingredients were good, but it seemed unbalanced. Not sure if the chef had eaten one to see what it was about. 

Food Total: 46

Flatlay of Ploughmans at Bruces Arms

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Beverages

6 - Reasonable range of pub drinks, but NO TEA! Now, I do like ale and more than a bit of cider, but at luncheon, I will eschew for a tea or coffee. I had to have a shandy, which was OK, but not everyone...... er....... cup of tea (sorry about that pun).  

Drinks Total: 6

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The venue

9 - Service. The service was good. Friendly greeting on arrival and generally very helpful. Did very well in circumstances including dealing with explosive or flat beers and demanding locals.  

5 - Atmosphere. A local boozer - which is good, but lacks a bit of zest. Very much worth a visit, old and new sit side by side in an interesting way. The bar room looks ancient and the lounge is from the early last century.

4 - Location. On the main road from Pewsey to Burbage, Nice garden area and campsite out the back where the car park is located, but right on the road at the front.  It is in a rural location in the beautiful North Wessex Downs AONB, well connected with Bridleways and footpaths, so an absolutely perfect place to go for a walk or even stay a few days.

4 - Toilets. Originals from when they were brought inside - an innovation in the 1950's. Historical and spotless.

Venue total: 22

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Score: 74

Notes.  I would highly recommend a visit to this public house. The Sunday lunch is highly regarded, as is the breakfast in the morning. I will return another day as the food is very good pub grub featuring a number of excellent local supplies.  The range of drinks available looked good and interesting (shame about the tea).

The pub itself is very interesting. The bar is propper old country pub - nice bar, big fireplace, stone flagged floor. The lounge next looks like a lounge from the 1950's, worthy of inspecting in its own right. If you enter from the rear you enter via a slightly more modern part of the building, with a new function room to the left, and the main pub to the right. 

There is a camping and caravan site behind, and the place would be a great location from which to explore the beautiful Vale of Pewsey.