Run by husband and wife team, Alasdair Clifford and Victoria Collins, The Barrington Boar is a country pub and restaurant with rooms, offering Modern British cooking and refined comfort food in the heart of the South Somerset countryside. Situated in the picturesque village of Barrington, nestled between Langport and Ilminster, and close to Taunton and Yeovil, this much-loved pub’s origins date back to the 18th century.
Victoria and Alasdair fell in love with the tranquil village of Barrington instantly after many months searching around Somerset, Devon and Dorset for a pub they could make their own.
At the helm of The Barrington Boar kitchen is chef-patron Alasdair Clifford, who grew up locally on Exmoor in Somerset. Alasdair spent ten years learning his craft in London, working at Bruce Poole’s Michelin starred Modern French restaurant Chez Bruce, The Harwood Arms & The Glasshouse.
Victoria has a background in theatre design & hospitality, having worked front of house with Sarah and Eric Guignard at their critically acclaimed neighbourhood restaurant, The French Table in Surbiton. With a keen eye for design and experience of delivering great customer service, Victoria ensures guests are met with a warm, welcoming atmosphere.
BARRINGTON VILLAGE
Our pub sits in the centre of Barrington, a pretty conservation village adorned with ham stone thatched cottages, that lies a mile from the southern edge of the Somerset Levels.
The village is home to the stunning National Trust owned property Barrington Court, a Tudor mansion which was beautifully restored in the 1920s by Colonel Lyle, whose family firm became part of Tate & Lyle. Celebrated for its Gertrude Jekyll-inspired ornate walled gardens, parkland walks, working orchards and kitchen garden, the property featured in the BBC's production of Wolf Hall. Guests can visit Arts and Crafts workshops, including Barrington Pottery, which take place within the grounds. Read more about it here, in a recent article in The Times on the best gardens to visit and places to stay in the UK.
The Barrington Boar is directly opposite the 13th century St Mary's Church with its unusual octagonal tower which has now been designated by the English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.
We are also very lucky to be located 3 miles from The Somerset Cider Brandy Company, owned by the Temperley family, whose products can be sampled at our bar. Their farm sits amongst 180 acres of cider apple orchards and has been pressing cider for over 200 years. Guided tours with tastings that take guests through the processes of harvesting and distilling the apples last approximately an hour and a half and can be arranged for a small fee.
Not far from the vibrant towns of Bruton and Frome, or Glastonbury and its ancient ley lines, Barrington village offers excellent local walks and is perfectly situated for those looking to set off across the rugged Blackdown Hills, or drive to the nearby coast.
Barrington is a 20-minute drive from Yeovil and Taunton, with its direct train to London. Both Bath and Bristol are an hour and 15-minute drive.
The Barrington Apple Heritage Walk
Here is a link to the Barrington Apple Heritage Walk, taken from Stuart Thomson’s walks around Barrington. The walk (approx 5 miles) evokes all the magic & mystery of South Somerset’s proud cider-making and apple-growing traditions, & offers stunning views of the Somerset Levels from the top of Burrow Hill.
We recommend starting the walk in the morning & stopping off for a morning tour, tasting & orchard walk around the Temperley family’s farm - Burrow Hill Cider Farm - where guests can learn about the ancient art of Cider Brandy production. Take in the view from the top of the iconic Burrow Hill, followed by a sobering walk to the beautiful landscaped gardens & orchards of the National Trust’s Barrington Court. Finish off this satisfying Autumn walk with a long lunch at the Barrington Boar where we will be singing the praises of Somerset’s vintage apples on the menu.
Places of note on the Barrington Apple Heritage Walk
1. Somerset Cider Brandy Company & Burrow Hill Cider
The Temperley family’s farm in Somerset sits among 180 acres of cider apple orchards at the base of Burrow Hill. The farm has been pressing cider for over 200 years & in 1989 was granted the UK’s first ever full cider-distilling license. They have been distilling award winning cider into Somerset Cider Brandy ever since.
Guided tours and tastings can be arranged (email orders@somersetciderbrandy.com or call 01460 240782 with suggested dates) & last approximately an hour, taking guests through the whole cider making process from harvest to bottling. Depending on the season guests may see them harvesting, making cider or distilling the brandy. The tour & tasting fee is £10 per person.
There is also a 30 minute orchard trail, where in May walkers can see the trees in blossom & in the autumn they are laden with apples.
2. Burrow Hill
Visitors can then walk to the top of Burrow Hill to admire the beautiful views of the Somerset Levels, where on a good day one can see Glastonbury Tor in the distance.
An atmospheric fragment of old Somerset: an empty Tudor manor house, beautifully restored in the 1920s, with farm buildings, abundant flowers and orchards. Guests can walk around the Court’s extensive gardens which were laid out in the 1920's by the Lyles to a structured design influenced by Gertrude Jekyll and the Arts and Crafts movement. The garden is divided into various sections with a graceful Lily Garden, a large kitchen garden, stunning White Garden with white flowering & silver leaved plants, Pergolas supporting wisteria, clematis & honeysuckles & a central pool garden with surrounding beds of annuals. At Barrington Court’s 10 acre orchard, the focus is on cider apples & the result is award-winning. In 2019 their cider took the prize for Overall Drink at the National Trust’s Fine Farm Produce Awards.
Being in the midst of the Somerset countryside, apples feature heavily on our bar & restaurant menus. Local ciders & cider brandies are on offer at the bar (The Somerset Cider Brandy Company & Perry’s are very local to the pub) & are woven through dishes such as Duck liver parfait with cider jelly, crispy skin & thyme crumble, apple & shallot chutney & walnut & fruit toast & Homemade Somerset Cider Brandy Chocolate Truffles.
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