Half Moon Hotel, Sherborne

Not a lot has changed over the year, still a solid enough respectable pub. They had a Jennings Christmas beer (Red Breast) from the Marstons stable alongside the Ringwood Best

Just across the road from Sherborne Abbey, this is a large Marstons pub and hotel built from the same attractive local stone as the surrounding buildings. Entering through the front door, you find yourself in the large, carpeted main bar, with a tiled walkway leading you towards the servery which is on the rear wall. There is a raised seating area under the front windows with some high tables and stools closer to the bar and décor is mostly old photos and paintings including some local scenes. The servery is done in dark wood and the front of the bar counter comprises a series of small drawers, some of which I unsuccessfully tried to open. Down the right hand side, the room extends towards the rear, into an area primarily set up for dining. A partly carpeted space with a few comfortable seating options opens into a spacious wooden floored space reminiscent of a dancefloor, with a few tables and high backed pews dotted around and raised seating areas towards the rear. There are lots of large, plain mirrors in this room, more old pictures and some huge barrels and other such vessels perched on a high shelf above the middle of the room. A cabinet on the left hand wall housed a display of wine bottles and whilst the pub had a bit of a chain feel to it, there were enough touches to give it some individuality. A fairly cheap, yet extensive menu offered decent pub grub and we all tried various snacks and sandwiches which were nice enough but incurred long waiting times on a modestly busy post-Christmas afternoon. I was pleased to see Ringwood Porter on the bar when I arrived and was looking forward to a pint of this rarely seen brew only for the dregs to splutter out when the barmaid tried to pour a pint, resulting in a turned pump clip and a rethink on what to drink. The only other ale options were Marstons Pedigree and Wychwood Bah Humbug, so I gave the latter a try and thought it was decent enough, if a bit thin. I'm not too familiar with the pubs of Sherborne, but I would say that this is worth a punt if you're after some cheap food and unadventurous ale. They could probably do a lot more to make this place a real winner, but as it stands, I thought it was safe enough and could see me making a return visit.

Official site of Half Moon Hotel - www.halfmoonpubsherborne.co.uk

Official site of Half Moon Hotel - www.halfmoonpubsherborne.co.uk

Large Marstons Inn in brewers' Tudor style combining strong food trade with local regulars. Feels more like a city/large town pub than one you would find in Sherborne, but not unpleasant. Furnished to typical Marstons levels and typical food and beer offering: nothing to complain about while not being exceptional.

Pretty uninspiring pub. The beer and the food are average while the bar staff, who always appear to be more interested in chatting between themselves than serving customers, are well below average. For much better food try the Raj Poot next door and for much better atmosphere, staff and ales go to the Plume of Feathers a few doors down.