The Holman Clavel Inn in Taunton Deane

We went here with friends to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The steaks were cooked to perfection and I had the sea bass salad with chorizo, capers, tomato’s and new potatoes. It was the most amazing main meal I have had in years both in the uk or abroad. The service was friendly and swift.

Loved this pub! We were staying locally & fortunately had this pub on the doorstep. Its a proper pub in every sense, good honest pub food, decent beers with a fire place. Our dog was more than welcome & the landlady fed him a sausage, so he was a happy boy!

Awesome food! Vegetable lasagne, salad, garlic bread, side of chips. It was all just so blummin lovely. Been thinking about I the meal all day today! Better than your average! Caht wait for an excuse to go again! Well done chef!

Be warned, parking at this cute country pub can be a little tricky as it’s on a fairly busy road. That and some grumpy other customers (who we thankfully avoided the rest of our visit) are the only negatives I could mention, as we had one of the best evening meal experiences I can remember. Although the pub wasn’t completely packed it was busy enough to keep the barmaid/waitress busy all night. But we were never kept waiting any more than a perfectly reasonable amount, fine by us as we were in no rush. Plus she couldn’t have been nicer and friendlier throughout our visit. My wife and I both had the rib-eye steak from the specials board and special is absolutely the word! Meat cooked and seasoned to perfection, served with a choice of two sauces (if you’re smart you’ll get one each and share!) huge onion rings that were as crisp on the last bite as the first and perfectly presented accoutrements. As good a steak meal out as I can remember having. But as amazing as the food was it was definitely matched by the service and hospitality. Our elderly dog is in a wheelchair, this couldn’t have been less of a problem and was accommodated without any issue, with staff fussing over her and asking questions about her throughout the evening. She felt like a proper VIP even before the lovely landlady brought her out a huge pile of beef to enjoy! Nothing was too much trouble, the welcome was friendly and the food was so good as to put this pub right at the top of our personal trip advisor list - one of the best!

Quaint drive on hills to clavel.Shandy and lager. Mixed clientele. warm log burn fire. original fireplace.selection beers lagers wines spirits. Did I hear the spirit ghost i may have. Welcoming chats and banter with Landlady and woof woofs.Time for second round,oh go on then food it is Cheese slices starter side. Ribeye steak,chips,rings and swap salad for peas. Gammon steak meal. Good price.Yummy food.Cooked exactlyxxx. The old stood pub. with many a had. Go on pop in.

Fantastic friendly welcoming service, outstanding food. We had chicken balti and lamb shank of the specials board and wow, both were so good, local Harry's cider, will be returning for sure

Amazing ambience, delicious meal, reasonable priced drinks, almost half the price of another pub nearby for New Zealand Brancott Sauvignon Blanc, efficient & friendly service, very welcoming. Will be back. Thank you Dan & team!

A wonderful warm welcome greeted us upon our arrival. Friendly faces and fabulous food every day of our stay. Even our two doggies were greeted enthusiastically and didn’t want to leave! Highly recommend staying in this traditional country Inn. Thank you Marie, Dan, Ruth and team. Hopefully see you again soon. Alison and Richard Churchley + Ralph and Stan the dogs.

Best sunday roast around. Great desserts. Welcoming, unfussy, country pub with fantastic food. Love the fire in winter!

Sunday roast for about 30 at short notice. Absolutely fantstic...... Upon the Blackdown Hills, where echoes sigh, Holman Clavel stands 'neath the Somerset sky, A haunted pub of great renown, Where history and mystery freely crown. With ancient tales and whispers of the past, A ghost named Charlie, in shadows cast, He roams unseen, his presence, a charm, In this ageless inn, where hearts find warm. A celebration graced this cherished morn, A 60th birthday, where love was born, Thirty souls in joyous cheer, In Holman's heart, they drew near. The feast, a culinary delight, Roast beef and cheese, a heavenly flight, The chef's skilled hands, a gift divine, In every bite, true art did shine. The beef, like sunsets, tender, gold, A masterpiece in every fold, Cauliflower cheese, a savory dream, In Holman's kitchen, taste found its theme. Ruth, a hostess, gracious and kind, In Holman's embrace, she did bind, With glasses raised, they toasted free, In Holman's warmth, they found their glee. The ancient walls, they whispered too, Of laughter shared and friendships true, In Holman Clavel, where spirits dance, Memories linger, sweet romance. So here's to Holman, a pub of old, Where tales are woven, and hearts are bold, In Somerset's embrace, where all find ease, A haven found in Holman Clavel's breeze.

Great Saturday lunch proper pub food great service and highly recommended, good prices, good service will be coming back again.

The music nights at this pub are fantastic everyone is friendly and the music is always great. The food and drinks are always tip top and the bar staff are warm and welcoming

Lovely traditional country pub with lots of character. Plated roast was fabulous and selection of deserts to die for! Will be returning.

The atmosphere is really nice and the food is great, however we were quite a large group and this seemed to be a bit of a challenge even though we'd booked.

Difficult to write a review about this place to be honest. What I will say is that we booked for 6 of us to go there for a meal on a Friday night. The person who booked was told there was a band playing was that ok and it was agreed that was fine. We all turned up to be be told sorry there is no food tonight as we have a live band. So a wasted journey and we had to find another place to go at short notice which we did. Not really what I call a successful evening and sadly we will never get to experience this old country pub ever again.

My friend and I stayed two nights (in 2 seperate rooms) at the B&B above the inn whilst we caught up and explored the area. The accommodation was really good - clean and spacious with private en suites. Plus the food and drink at the pub was great pub food and very reasonably priced. All of the staff and locals were really friendly making it a brilliant stay. Sam and Marie went out of their way to make us feel welcome (as did all the staff) and its a really friendly fantastic pub. Will definitely visit again!

Loved this pub. Great atmosphere with very helpful staff. They went above and beyond to make the evening special for my wife on her birthday. Food - outstanding one of the best crab salads I have ever had. Actually a fantastically prepared dressed crab with a gorgeous lettuce salad. Still dreaming of that. Its a proper local pub with a warm welcome. Thank you

There was live music playing outside so we sat outside but have had meals inside on many occasions. Love this pub, it’s a proper old traditional pub with great food, great atmosphere and fair prices. I’m going back each time they have a band now as it’s such a lovely atmosphere ❤️ Also I like to call in on a Sunday afternoon when I can for a half after going for a walk. I’m always made to feel welcome even if I’m on my own as a single lady (if I’m allowed to use that term!) Went to a wake in the back room in May which was a full on party with great food and music, feel very lucky to have found this place ❤️

Very poor. Really looking forward to a nice evening out with our son who has just returned from uni. Good beer and bar atmosphere but if you are offered a table in the top room don’t bother. Cold, damp and mouldy. We also had to wait a full hour for our meals. No suggestion of a long wait for food and somehow having only booked the table the same day was in some way our fault and the reason for a very unpleasant experience. We came to an agreement regarding the bill but we won’t be going back which is a shame as it’s one of our locals.

We had a very nice time at this lovely very friendly and country pub We had a lovely meal and very reasonably priced. Highly recommended

Went for lunch today. Haven’t been for years but will definitely be back. What a great pub with really good food. I had faggots (haven’t eaten them for years either but have been desperate to try them again…), they were fabulous. My lunch companions both...

This is a fab local dog friendly pub. Good food, done well. No frills but it doesn’t need it! The atmosphere is always good here and everyone makes you feel welcome. Can’t fault it. So nice to have a proper authentic pub that’s not trying...

Friendly, efficient service and Stilton mushrooms the best we’ve ever had! Lasagna was a bit dry and Norbert exciting but the seafood linguine was tasty-if anything the portions need to be smaller to allow for desert! Proper country pub, not gastro but genuine. Would recommend.

Great food.. delicious burgers! Barman/waiter was really good and friendly. Patio area could benefit from a refurb and fit more tables in but certainly not a complaint as we had a table in the sun and a lovely meal and beer. Thank you!

A lorry had blocked the main road so we were unavoidably 30 minutes late but the staff could not have been more accommodating and friendly. The weather was horrible and we arrived frazzled but we were welcomed and had our own side room so it...

I had high expectations for this place. We waited hour and a half after ordering yet no food Whilst other people that had ordered after us were given their food. Another table also walked out before us. Totally unacceptable. So we Walked out, questioned the...

I went with my two sons on a Saturday evening for a special meal before one son went back to Canada . We booked in advance . We arrived at 7 pm and waited till 8.30 with no sight of the meal being served. We...

We have just had the most enjoyable lunchtime visit to the Holman Clavel Inn. A warm welcome on arrival with drinks promptly served and a table for two near the warmth of a cheery log burner. A pleasant hum of conversation at the bar, contented...

Staff very welcoming and friendly, The pub itself is lovely full of character inside and out..Its in a lovely rural location high up in the Blackdown hills..Food and variety of ales and ciders is great , especially love the roast dinners ..Its a dog friendly...

Stopped for lunch as part of our countryside walk today, only to find they were only open for drinks...no lunch being served due to kitchen prepping for their quiz night!! Disappointing that there was no option for just a sandwich even if they weren't serving...

A proper country pub for our annual family post-walk, pre-Christmas get together. Excellent Sunday lunch, with great service and they're dog friendly. Highly recommended. The only issue was they couldn't add a tip to card payments and none of us had cash. So sorry we...

Exceptional Sunday roast. A lovely proper country pub with a fire going. A very warm welcome from the staff too as well as plenty of friendly regulars propping up the bar. 3 really nice well kept cask ales on that are served straight from the...

Been a long time coming to visit am unexpected gem. Fabulous old traditional pub, engaging hosts and topped off with excellent inventive menu. Well worth heading out of town. Loved it and so did my wife ( hard to please). This will be a regular...

My husband and I are vegan and we always go out to eat with some trepidation. However our meal was delicious - he had Shana Dahl and I had Nut Roast and both meals were excellent. Thank you.

We visited last week as a group of 8. Lovely, warm and welcoming atmosphere. The pub was full but we received attentive service and the food was delicious. Enormous portions so we only managed mains! Also loved the fire. Perfect evening. Thank you.

We visited this pub following a recommendation from our air bnb host and what a fab recommendation it was! As soon as we arrived Andy was very welcoming and got us a drink straight away whilst we waited for our table. When our food arrived we were not disappointed, we shared the bread and olives along with the antipasti board - it was delicious. Our mains were also fantastic and did not disappoint- the chips were incredible!! The gooey chocolate brownie pudding was also one to remember. I loved our visit here and would definitely return when in the area!

My daughter and I turned up on the off chance that they had a table free. We didn’t have the friendliest of welcomes but decided to eat anyway due to previous reviews. No one seemed bothered we were there and the mains took an hour and twenty minutes to arrive despite being told they were being plated up over 20 minutes before they actually arrived. We were not offered another drink and the starter plate was not cleared for a long time after we finished. Further to this poor service and the food being below average, on a previous occasion I had stopped for a drink where we were greeted by an extremely drunk landlady who made some racist comments. We will not be returning

Fab weekend camping at the local camp site. Best Fish and Chip lunch ever. Have only been here for a few days but made to feel very welcome and included as a local, or a member of the family. Will return back to this area in the future just for this pub.

We made a last minute trip to the area and a last minute booking at the pub.The staff were friendly and chatted whilst also giving us space. The menu had some traditional pub food like the huge portion of scampi and chips my husband had, or some different food like the goats cheese and beetroot ravioli I had.It was all delicious, came out in good time and were good portion sizes. It was all reasonable priced too.So pleased that we decided to book here.

We visited this pub while staying at the Holly Bush campsite down the road, and from start to finish the experience was fantastic.Tamar, who spoke to us when we first stopped by for a pint, was incredibly friendly and welcoming, and deserves huge credit. When we mentioned two of us were vegan - but were quite happy to keep eating the delicious chips! - she said she'd speak to the chef to see if a vegan dish could be added on to the many especially for our visit.Sure enough, the curry we'd suggested was on the menu for us the following night when we arrived for dinner, and was brilliant (so much so that we noticed a few others going out around the pub). Thank you Tamar and team for being so helpful and accommodating.

Evening meal for two, with our small dog, ate in the back room, which was great for us as the dog is sometimes nervous of others. The meal was outstanding, we had the chicken Caesar salad and the Punjabi seafood curry, portion of chips and some garlic bread, which we failed to eat so took it back with us to the campsite next door. Service was great, friendly staff, clean well maintained throughout. Definitely will be back and thoroughly recommend a visit, well done to the whole team.

Consistently high quality fish and chips. Family over from Exeter ....”haven’t had fish and chips as good as this in a very long time” Really excellent - every week.

We booked a table, although there didn't appear to be any reserved on arrival and it was busy. The plougmans was huge, chips chunky and hot, cider very good too. Landlady very friendly and approachable, down for a short break and would definitely call again if in the area

Great find! We stopped on the way to Cornwall after reading the reviews. One year later, we are back because the burger was one of the best we ever had.

Just finished a delicious Sunday lunch for Mother’s Day . Gorgeous !! Thank you for putting in the effort so we don’t have to. Can’t wait to be able to come to the pub in person xxxxx

Just had lunch at this lovely country pub. Excellent food and service. Will be visiting again soon and would highly recommend.

Stayed the night and had a meal. Food was absolutely brilliant and such a friendly atmosphere. Dog friendly, best night out in years many thanks

Marvellous Curry night at the clavel. Beautiful Indonesian Fish Curry - tasted fabulous! Very impressed with the presentation!Stunning! My other half had the stuffed chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto and it was beautifully moist. Gorgeous flavours and again, amazing presentation!! Will return in a heart beat. Great experience and can't wait to come back!

Cannot recommend this place enough! The super friendly and efficient staff . The friendly locals , the abundance of dogs and superb food.Stayed in campsite next door only downfall were the cars racing by making the walk back in the dark precarious ! Needs its own path to site We will return despite the two hour drive because everyone was amazing !

After being recommended by our neighbour my wife and I visited with our daughter and son in law and had a lovely surprise. Fantastic food, well kept beer, friendly service, will certainly be visiting again.

Excellent choice. My brother recommended this place as he lives quite near. If I had driven past possibly would not have stopped. Do not judge a book by its cover. We had booked. Lovely lady behind the bar who made us feel very welcome. Tab set up. Massive portions including the muscles as a starter. I had Camembert for a starter. A whole one to myself! Then pork for a main. Could not fit in a pudding! Lovely ambience inside the bar area. Recommend anyone gives this a try as am sure you won’t be disappointed.

Popped in for a pint and was lucky to have a table for Sunday lunch. I had delicious roast beef with excellent fresh vegetables and Yorkshire pudding, my wife had the nut roast, which was one of the best around. Local cider very nice as well. We will be back many more times. The staff were very friendly and helpful as well.

What a great pub. Super friendly, good beer, and the food........First night, sirloins were fab. Then as a special we asked for their seafood platter. 3 days later we had the most amazing display of seafood. Lobster,crab, crayfish, scallops,mussels,clams, prawns. It was mindblowing. Worth every penny. Honestly we and all people near us hadnever seen anything like it. Give this place avusit. You'll be glad you did!!

We had Sunday lunch at The Holman Clavel Inn, up on the Blackdown Hills, on the 8th March. Having not visited for over 15 years, I was delighted to see how the present owners are tastefully upgrading, ensuring they retain ancient features. I was told the original building dates back to the 14th century. I was most impressed by the following:~ Friendliness of the staff team;~ The bar area, with a good range of local ales and ciders;~ The quality of the food;~ The huge log burners, with their welcoming flame; and, ~ A good range of local folk, regarding the pub as their 'local'

Dropped off here as only pub locally I could find that served lunch on a Monday and what a good choice :-)

The Holman Clavel is a hidden gem! The food is fabulous and the price is quite unbelievable for the quality of the food. I expected a much larger bill! Staff are great - pretty much a family run business which brings a great atmosphere and feel to the cosy pub.. I came with family and friends, given the large quantity of people around the table, I was expecting service time to be somewhat delayed - this was not the case! Great place, even better food, friendly, prompt service and I couldn't recommend it more! Definitely a place to visit if in the area or even travel to!! Thanks guys :)

We booked a table for 7PM and arrived within 5 minutes of our booked time. Our starters arrived an hour later and our mains arrived at 8.45PM. If we'd wanted to eat that late we wouldn't have booked an early table but apparently we missed our "slot" because we were late (by less than 5 minutes)!! When I complained, the attitude of the manager / staff was "so what do you want us to do about it?". I'm very disappointed because we've eaten here on numerous occasions and recommended the pub to many of our friends, but we won't be going back and we certainly won't be recommending it in future.

We last reviewed The Holman back in early 2018. It was excellent then and we gave it 5 stars.Since then improvements have been made - the top dining area is completely refurbished with its own log burner and new chefs have joined bringing with them great menu ideas. Last week we were having a cosy drink near the fire and the diners on the next table ordered the Tomahawk steak. My lord, what a massive piece of prime beef! It looked, and according to the diners it was, delicious. A veritable banquet. I’m going to have to starve myself before I tackle that, but tackle it I will!Friendly, helpful staff and and excellent ambiance make The Holman our favourite place to relax and unwind. If I could give it more stars, then I certainly would.

One day I will get to the Blackdown Hills in fine weather but this visit was not it. Wind, rain and mist made everything grey and this included the Holman Clavel. I fully expected a highwayman to jump out demanding money or your life. Do not miss the car park like I did and find yourself parking on the steep hill outside the entrance with vehicles rushing past at breakneck speed. At the bar it was reassuring to find the chef browsing a Jamie Oliver cook book and a large ginger, ring tailed cat moving around the diners. It did not want to be petted, did not bother anyone, just wanted to demonstrate its inscrutability and then leave. Menu and specials boards on the walls with diverse and interesting options. One fish and chips for my wife who said they were among the best she had ever eaten - not so lucky with my Goan squid and prawn curry. Generous portion with the curry, chutney, popadum and nan all crammed on the same plate. Tasty but very chewy squid. The enormous wood burner must be a real asset on a cold day but it had just been lit and was a long way from reaching a beneficial temperature. The Holman Clavel website is worth a look and shows that it has a dining room, beer garden, occasional live music, B & B and range of great beers.

Visited twice in our three night break. Had a great meal restaurant standard at pub prices. Made to feel very welcome. Booked table for new year celebrations. Live band. Cheap drinks and great hospitality. Will definitely visit again soon

As always another excellent lunch at the Holman Clavel. Lovely choice of meals, beautifully presented and delicious. Friendly atmosphere. We always take visiting friends here and they love it too. Well done on running a quality village inn.

Just went out for a meal at the Holman Clavel after reading the rave reviews. Wish we had never bothered to turn out on an awful night for what turned out to be very grim food. Scampi and chips which were small over cooked bits of prawn, grim oven chips and tasteless peas. Ham, eggs and chips likewise was awful, salty ham and a dreadful salad on the side. The 2 curries were very dry. Overall not impressed and certainly the loud heavy metal music was not fitting for a country pub at Christmas.

Again, had a super tasty meal, full of depth and flavour, the chefs really do know what there doing, and the beer is straight from the barrel, great table service, great spot for walking on the black down hills ... perfection perfected

Me and my partner had the most delicious meal at the holman clavel pub. As a vegetarian I was delighted with the options on the menu, especially for a country pub. The meat options however looked equally incredible and my partners lamb was cooked perfectly. The food was all a reasonable price, with healthy portions, you definitely won't leave hungry. The atmosphere in there is cosy and friendly with lovely staff and locals, all the food is locally produced and sourced, the menu evolves and changes with delicious twists on classic country pub dishes. The holman clavel has now become a firm favourite of me and my partners and we regularly go there for the Sunday roast, which in our opinion is the best in the area.

A top country pub with amazing food and service. As I drink and eat there regularly it is most definitely one of my favourite pubs in the country.

What an absolute gem of a pub! Lovely old pub with tons of charm run by a family full of passion for what they are doing. Good selection of ales and ciders from the barrel and keg. The food...wow! We went on a Wednesday which was curry night and they offered a chicken, fish and veggie option alongside the blackboard pub menu (steaks/chicken/burger/fish/cottage pie etc). We went for the chicken curry and it was superb...lots of tender chicken in chefs own curry sauce served with pilau rice, chutney, popadom and prob the best thin naan type flatbread l've ever had, made there. Food was so good we returned on the Friday and had the burger and stuffed chicken. If you're staying in the area dont miss it! Gorgeous pub with wood burner and fantastic food, really jealous of people who have this as a local!

A warm welcome, good/ excellent (not posh) food and good beer. What more could 4 muddy walkers expect?

Two visits. First was a rekkie second for Sunday lunch. Excellent food and rookie friendly staff who genuinely want to please. Highly recommended. Will visit again and again.

Popped in whilst on holiday. Only had a drink but wish we could have stayed longer. Lovely pub and friendly staff and locals. Think if it was my local pub at home, I would be in it frequently. Great find!

Just live local to here not been there in a while..? what a mistake! Just had the amazing belly pork meal, to the level of fine dining. The starters were great too, will write a review on deserts on next visit as didn’t have the room this time. Btw drink prices reasonable too. Totally will recommend and praise the chef.

Whilst camping at the holly bush site just down the road, we went to the pub for my wife’s birthday. It had a few locals in and had great ambiance, with great staff. The food was so fresh we had a lovely evening thank you guys.

This pub is great. We were visiting friends at the local caravan site and booked a table for dinner. It looks nothing special from the outside, but inside you will find a friendly welcome, an great menu and a lovely ambience. A very traditional pub, long may it stay as it is now. Dog friendly, proper good beers. Nothing at all to criticise!

We had a very enjoyable family lunch - excellent goats cheese panini, burger and great chips and a great local ale being high points. Another guest noted that all the other local pubs were closed on a Monday, but even without that factor, we are Definitely going again.

Well done. Proper pub. Great staff. Top food. Very satisfied. Not hard is it? Why can everywhere be like this? 👍👍👍👍

Popped in for a few beers (Lovely Otter Bitter) while staying at the campsite next door. Good outdoor space (We've got a dog) and popped back the next day for Sunday lunch which was much much better than most pub lunches. Hope to return.

We stayed just up the road in the Otterford Retreat, and went to the Holman Clavel for both nights of our stay as it was only a short walk and recommended by the owner. We arrived early, and just as well because we got the last available table. Honestly one of the best burgers I’ve had for a long time, and tastiest chips. We also had fish and chips, pork loin and the chicken burger over the course of our stay, and all were excellent, with a good selection of ales and ciders on tap. Thank you for being a large part of our excellent weekend break!

Great pub- stayed at the caravan site just behind so not far to walk. Great choice of menu, really friendly with good character. We will return ...

Stopped for a pint earlier in the week, food looked good so we came back for dinner. What a treat, had the best pub chicken curry I've ever had, wife had stuffed chicken breast, friend had pork fillet. All cooked to perfection, with excellent service and great choice of wines and ciders. Looking forward to our next visit.

Fantastic food and service to match. I've been many times now and its always excellent. If you want a great meal in an idyllic setting then I highly recommend it.

We had a table of 8 and all went for 3 Courses each, I had the Beef which was excellent and everyone said what a great Sunday lunch proper pub surroundings good service good food. And Dog friendly

My wife and I had planned to have Lunch at The Lamb and Flag on Blagdon Hill but found it was closed and for sale. A friend told us about the Holman Clavel, which we soon found. From the outside it didn't look exciting, but when we went in we found we were in an unspoilt rural pub. Friendly welcoming staff, and a few local at a corner table near the big wooden burning fire. A good range of proper local ciders provided an excellent pint of delicious medium cider. There was a tempting menu, and I decided on fish and chips, very good indeed, and a generous portion. My wife decided on a Ham and Cheese ciabata, full of meat and Cheese. Really happy to have discovered this pub, and will happily use it when in the area.

Lovely country pub. Staff very helpful and friendly. Stopped for Sunday lunch this was amazing. Would definately recommend.

One of my favourite places to go for a drink. They have real ale and draw it straight from the barrel through a tap- not a pump. It's well kept and downright tasty.

We have been several times and it is now our favourite pub to walk to. Nice atmosphere for drink or food. Held our family Christmas Lunch ...who needs work as an excuse...there and we all enjoyed the occasion. Roll on summer so we can go more frequently.

Country pub with plenty of character. Real woodburners , beams ,stone flooring and great local ales and ciders..Menu was varied and full of local produce.. Will definitely be coming back. asap .

I have always had a grand time visiting the Holman Clavel. While most country pubs are located conveniently in or near the heart of a neighborhood, the Clavel is a destination unto itself. I guess there's only two or three families nearby who could easily walk to the pub. There is a nice little caravan park just a stone's throw away however for holiday folks looking to explore the gorgeous Blackdown Hills.

Fantastic food and excellent service. Highly recommend. I will definitely be coming back very soon. 😃

Townies, stop reading now if you want a pub that is akin to Wether or the like. I didn't think they made pubs like this anymore, but up on the hills it's like time has moved more slowly, and here you will find a cracking little country pub. Locals and staff who will include you in their conversation as if you are an old friend, a great selection of real ales, and a log fire - what's not to like. Oh, and to boot, it turns out the food really is rather good. The portion sizes of some dishes will leave you wondering how they manage to turn a profit, but alongside all that, there are some really rather fine dining dishes that you wouldn't expect to see on the menu. I had the ox cheek, which just fell apart, with a jus that was up there with the best. All I can say is, get yourself down there pronto, and be prepared to mix with genuine people, in a place that serves cracking food.

Not been in for food for a long time but it had been recommended. Can hand on heart say I had one of the best steaks I've ever had

4 of us ate there recently and the food blew us away, all different, all incredible. Hadn’t been there for many years since I played skittles but kept hearing about the ales (which I’m rather fond of) and I wasn’t disappointed. Best meal out that I can ever remember actually. If I had to criticise something, not that I care, but the staff looked like a load of hippy chicks that had just got out of bed. I didn’t know who was staff or not. We’ll certainly be back!

Went here on a Thursday late October lunchtime. A no-frills bar serving good well cooked food & decent real ale. Friendly staff & chatty locals.

We visited the Holman Clavel today after walking our dog on the Blackdowns. It's a genuine country pub full of locals and a wood burner fire. My husband had a chicken and brie burger with chip and he said it was delicious. My main course was the beef brisket on top of a horseradish mash with root vegetables and a really tasty jus. All I can say is it's the best brisket I've ever had and the meal itself was not only beautiful cooked and presented, there were large portions and it was fantastic. If you like real traditional country pubs, you'll love this one, it's a gem.

A fantastic country pub serving excellent food and with staff that were a delight. It was a real pleasure to enjoy a freshly prepared lunch and a few pints of Otter Brewery bitter that was clearly very well kept. We also stayed the night in one of their rooms which was great and we then had the best breakfast that my wife and I had eaten in a very long time.

Just got back from eating here this evening, highly recommended by the campsite we are staying at. Lovely pub, amazing food husband's comment 'I would happily eat this in London and pay double!'Lovely cider too. Some staff a bit quiet, but would definitely recommend.

Fantastic!!! Brilliant ciders and ales and the food is amazing - caters for everyone and brilliant options for vegetarians etc. Bar staff very very friendly and also very dog friendly. There’s a good few pubs near by but we only went here on our weeks holiday.

Great real ales and ciders - all local. Good food too. Very friendly. Live music nights and other food theme nights ie pizza, fish etc

My partner and I stayed in the B&B; at the inn for two nights whilst at a wedding nearby. The accommodation was very good and the food and drink in the pub was great and very reasonably priced. All of the staff were brilliant and went out of their way (special mention to Willow!) to help us.

This ancient inn has been owned by the parish council for many years and thank heavens. It is a unpretentious place but with a pretty formidable kitchen.

A neat and tidy little pub. We both had the lamb which was plentiful on the plate with a nice crispy homemade Yorkshire pudding,veg was varied and and nicely cooked. This came with a cauliflower cheese that actually tasted cheesy. We were a little disappointed with the desserts which tasted a little bland. Overall a good experience at a decent price and would visit again.

very disappointed compared with previous. We have our caravan at the park next door. They managed to fit us in but were turning people away as they had a party of 25 to cater for. Very offish when I asked about ingredients - I suffer from serious food allergies and they had previously been very helpful. Food was fine but not outstanding. The party arrived and spent some time in the area where we were eating. They were so loud we couldn't hear ourselves talk around the table and they clearly didn't care about others - I love having a large bottom virtually thrust in my face while eating.