Our pub opened last night for the first time since the flood which I think was in January, T the quizmaster, ex bomb disposal expert, parish councillor and all round good egg is moving away from our little village to be nearer his family in Chard (of all places). So gone are the Friday evenings when we helped nurture a healthy corruption of the mans mind by buying him far too many pints, persuading him to stay for “just one more” and getting him into all sorts of trouble with his lo very wife, P. The pub has shut again until Easter, theres some finishing touches to be done, some new furniture to be arranged and a little painting here and there. But theres a new pub on the block, its down a steep hill and only a mile from my house, walkable, but the road back home is ridiculously steep. The beer however, is good, the beer is cheap, and the views are splendid over the vast tract of farmland and woodland leading down to Ham Bridge and the Teme Valley, the beer garden is spacious and sunny at times. Inside it’s like a transport cafe to a certain extent, but the beer is cheap, but its a 20 minute walk home, that hill is so damn steep.

So what to do when the Lion opens again, the New inn which should be called the Yew inn as its got a splendid ancient Yew tree in the front garden, was the pub of necessity but now it seems some of the locals are incandescent with praise for the place, but that damn hill man. The beer in the Lion works out as 4 for the price of 5 compared with the Yew Inn. But the Lion is closer, and its quicker to walk there and back, the Yew Inn is a 35 minute round trip, meaning less beer so meaning its a cheaper option probably by 1 pint, so 4 for the price of 3 compared to the lion. I prefer the bar staff at the lion, but then I haven’t been to the Yew Inn so much since the flood, my friends, the old lion locals seem to like it, is that to do with the price? Is it to do with the way the beer is kept? Is it the joy of the walk down and then the strenuous hike back? Who knows, but this debate will run and run, I’m sure.