St Hilary
is situated south of the A48, about a mile southeast of the market town of
Cowbridge, in the Vale of Glamorgan. The village has a population of around 260,
living in 80 houses. There is also the 14th century Church of St Hilary ,
a village hall, and a 16th century coaching inn.
The Bush
Inn is a Grade II listed building with a thatched roof. You enter into a
traditional stone-floored bar. To the left is the snug and to the right a
wooden-floored lounge with dining tables. The main restaurant and largest room
is up a few steps from the lounge, and beyond that is the kitchen, in an
extension to the original pub.
The pub
specialises in pies and wellingtons, made with puff pastry, and, as they say,
other “rustic food which displays a generosity of spirit in both flavour and
portions.” We went at lunchtime for their pies. I had the Venison with red wine
and chocolate, and chose new potatoes and vegetables to accompany it. An
attractive and ample mound of courgette, carrot, broccoli and ribbons of
cabbage comprised the vegetables; the potatoes were very flavoursome.
My partner
had the Chicken pie with tarragon and mushroom, and opted for salad and chips
to accompany it. There was no skimping on the tarragon, which lent a great
flavour to the chicken pie. In both cases there was plenty of rich gravy, with
the chocolate giving a very pleasing depth of flavour in the venison pie. You
almost needed a spoon to get the last of the gravy.
Sandwiches,
soup, burgers and jacket potatoes can also be ordered at lunchtime. There is a
specials board, for lunchtime and evenings, which includes dishes such as Rump
of Welsh Lamb (served on borlotti beans, courgettes and shallots with a rich
soft ewe’s cheese), Pan Fried Duck Breast (in plum sauce served on mash),
Ballontine of Chicken (stuffed with basil, cherry tomato and chorizo and
wrapped in smoky bacon and served with a red pepper and pesto jus) and Roulade
of Lemon Sole (with goat’s cheese and cherry tomato on a bed of mash with a
parsley white wine sauce); all these between £13.25 and £15.50.
The
Vegetarian blackboard includes Pear, walnut and dolcelatte tart; Glamorgan
sausage with a spiced fruit chutney; Spicy beanburger; and Wild mushroom pie
with asparagus and tarragon (all £10.95). There is also a gluten-free menu.
There were
several cask ales (e.g., Greene King’s Abbot Ale and a guest appearance of St
Austell’s Tribute Ale at the moment) and also a cider on tap. I had a good pint
of Hancock’s HB. Twenty wines are listed on the wine list.
Light jazz
was the music playing quietly in the pub (e.g., Madeleine Peyroux). In fact, it
is very quiet in St Hilary, because there is no through traffic. It’s a great
place to come and unwind for a couple of hours to enjoy some food and drink in
the rural Vale.
A footpath
passes the front of the pub: you can walk the old roman road into Cowbridge
from here. The old church is across the street.
The Bush
Inn was used as a location for The Hounds of Baskerville episode in the recent
BBC series Sherlock (starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman). The pub
was renamed The Cross Keys and pictures of Dartmoor
temporarily replaced the period photos of The Vale on the walls. The current
owners Liz and Andrew, who have run the pub for the past couple of years, hope the pub’s TV experience will continue to attract fans of the show.
St Hilary, Vale
of Glamorgan CF71 7DP
014 4677 6888
http://www.bushinn-sthilary.com
http://www.bushinn-sthilary.com
More on The
Bush Inn and Sherlock:
The Vale of
Glamorgan Pub Tour:
Lamb and
Flag, Wick
Six Bells,
Penmark
Blacksmith’s
Arms, Llanmaes
Plough and Harrow , Monknash
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