Thatched Cottage Inn, Charlton, Shepton Mallet

A rather strange roadside inn which offers B&B. There is a large car park from which you step down into the pub entrance. The anteroom feels odd – like the hall of a country house with a bar in the corner, the standing area divided by a large pillar. There are also a couple of Chesterfields and some drinking tables, but it feels like there should be more. On exploring we found the dining room, much smaller than it should have been. It’s like the opposite of a tardis, much smaller on the inside than from outside. Staff were friendly enough, while the locals were just a bunch of blokes having a beer on the way home, so there was no real pub feel to it. It is though popular with those dining on a budget and the twice-a-year crowd, so it’s advisable to book even if all you want is Sunday lunch. Only one ale on, their proprietary ‘Thatch Batch’ at 4.1% abv which was like a rebranded GK IPA and really rather unexciting. There are better places nearby for beer and food.

Official site of the Thatched Cottage Inn - www.thatchedcottage.info