Looking for a friendly pub and restaurant then The Farmers Arms Pub, in Lower Apperley Gloucestershire, may be just the place for you. I was invited along with a plus one to see what I thought.
Why Visit The Farmers Arms Pub
The Farmers Arms Pub is situated in Lower Apperley. This is a village in Gloucestershire, and two miles south of the Worcestershire border. This makes it a great place to visit as the surrounding areas have so much to offer!
You may want to eat at The Farners Arms after exploring some of the great ancient sites, historic monuments (like Belas Knap Long Barrow, and Notgrove Long Barrow), towns (Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Coleford), woodlands (Puzzlewood, Forest of Dean), geological features, caves/old mines (Clearwell Caves), or airport (Gloucestershire Airport) in the surrounding areas.
Of course this is as well as the fact that it is a super friendly pub and restaurant. Catering for families and dogs! All in a charming 15th Century building.
Special Times to Visit
You may wish to visit during the Cheltenham Festival as it is only 7.9 miles/14 minute drive from Cheltenham Racecourse. Or if you are visiting the historic town of Tewkesbury – significant in the War of the Roses and hosts a Medieval Festival in the summer.
As well of course as times of year such Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Special Birthdays and Christmas.
Prices are very good with for example a 3 course Valentines Meal for £27.95. Also currently there is Free Pizza Monday between 6pm-8pm.
Staying at The Farmers Arms
With so much locally on offer you may want to spend more than a day in the area if you’re not lucky enough to live locally. Therefore you will be pleased to know that they have a cosy thatched cottage to hire for £80 a night with no minimum stay.
It offers a large double bed with memory foam mattress on a mezzanine floor upstairs, and a double sofa bed downstairs in the living area. There is a kitchen with hob and microwave, bath and shower; TV, dining table, coffee machine and a selection of board games. Plus well behaved dogs are allowed!
Review of The Farmers Arms
The Service
First of all I found the communication with the owner Giles fantastic. Instantly I was impressed with such a polite manner. This kind of feel was continued throughout – we were made to feel welcome by a lady outside whilst we arrived, our waitress was very attentive, friendly and professional; plus Giles once again made sure that we had enjoyed our visit afterwards.
Personally I believe that this kind of service is in many respects even more important than the food because it is how I was made to feel.
Before we arrived I looked at both the website and social media channels and it is clear to see that this extends to all customers. Everything is very clear and you can peruse the menus before your visit (including the prices).
Location
Having never visited before we were pleased to find that The Farmers Arms was easy to locate using Google Maps. As it was dark when we went it was good to see that outside is a very clear lit up sign – so you really can’t miss it. That also there is ample parking.
The Feel
It really is a lovely pub and restaurant very clean and spacious, nice décor with flowers/plants and candles on every table.
The family-friendly element was very apparent with highchairs and boxes of toys, books, and crayons.
The Food
Of course the most important thing to talk about is the food! The Farmers Arms offers a great menu with plenty of variety. When we visited there was also a choice of 3 additional specials. Menus are also clearly labelled as to whether they are vegetarian, vegan (or vegan option) and gluten free.
My husband opted for the hand crafted pie. Mashed potato and buttered beans from the evening menu. There were two varieties of pie and he chose the chicken and mushroom. From the moment it arrived you could just see that it was delicious!
From the specials menu I had the 30 day aged 12oz Sirloin, triple cooked chips, mushroom and blue cheese sauce & watercress. They didn’t even need to ask me how I would like the steak as they cooked it perfectly! It was a nice thick slice too! Triple cooked chips can be a bit dry – like they’ve just been over cooked – but not at The Farmers Arms! They were so delicious and juicy!
Honestly we were only expecting the two mains to be complimentary and enjoyed the food so much that we decided to stay for desert. Despite a nice selection we both decided to have the banoffee pie.
Overall
Finally I would like to say I really recommend The Farmers Arms and we will definitely return. The food, the service, the atmosphere and the price points were really excellent. If you are in the area you really should go give them a try.
The Farmers Arms
Ledbury Road,
Lower Apperley
GL19 4DR
01452 780307
www.farmersarmslowerapperley.co.uk
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Opening Times:
- Monday – Thursday 12-3/5-10.30
- Friday & Saturday 12-10.30pm
- Sunday 12-7 pm
Food hours: Mon – Thur 12-2.30/6-8.30, Friday & Saturday 12-3/5.30- 9pm, Sunday 12-6pm
I received complimentary food and drink (2 lemonades) for myself and a plus one for this review. All opinions are completely honest. No other monetary compensation has been received for this post.