Horse & Jockey .

THE HORSE & JOCKEY
Gosditch

ASHTON KEYNES : WILTSHIRE

Telephone: 01285 861270
The first thing to strike me as I entered this 400 year old inn was the gentle smell of burning rosewood from the lounge fire. The second was the enthusiasm of landlord, Tony Trussell and his son and daughter-in-law, Simon and Tracy. Everything, in fact, about this delightfully maintained pub-cum-restaurant had the welcoming feel of a warm country cottage in the depths of the English countryside.
The Horse & Jockey is located at the end of Gosditch Street. A tiny very easily missed turning off the village's main crossroads. Originally a one-up-one-down cottage, it still retains many of the original beams, and the tiled floor of the bar still betrays the wear of countless generations of revellers. .
First recorded as an inn in 1605 it was over 170 years before the first landlord recorded his name as such in 1781. Since then, of course, there have been many landlords - and a sprinkling of landladies - who have added their small piece of influence to the building. None, however, has betrayed the priceless heritage of this ancient inn.

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Part of the Restaurant . Food at the Horse & Jockey can be a casual affair but with a reputation spanning Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire for style and simple but excellent English cooking at very reasonable prices, you will be forgiven if you linger awhile. It is always wise to book at week-ends and generally equally so on week-day evenings.

On my visit, the simple but deliciously served Prawn Cocktail with a fresh crispy salad, is worth a special mention.
And I must say the Home-made, Steak, Guinness and Mushroom Pie with all the trimmings, at a mere £6.95, was something else and among the best I have enoyed.

I was sorely tempted to indulge my other desire,. 3 Wild Boar Sausages and Mash in a huge Yorkshire Pudding smothered in onion gravy at a measly £5.50, but decided it would give me a very good reason to return again soon.

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Tony's wine list is modest but well selected, ranging in price from £10.50 to £12.95 a bottle. Wine is also available by the glass.

There is an excellent beer garden, ideal for letting the children loose, where you can enjoy your meal - weather permitting, of course.

For such a delightful little pub-cum-restaurant, the Horse & Jockey is an exellent and inexpensive watering hole for the casual as well as the more demanding diner. I am pleased to have come across it and gladly recommend it.

Finally, The Horse & Jockey occupies such a beautiful location, I feel compelled to dwell a little on the village of Ashton Keynes itself.

ASHTON KEYNES
Wiltshire

Ashton Keynes - Cottage

Between Chippenham & Cirencester and close to
Cricklade
This ancient village, dating from Roman times and expanding only slightly since the 15th century, is hardly registered on any but the larger scale maps. We therefore took pleasure in adding its name to our map on the TOWN LINKS PAGE. Near to the town of Cricklade.

Ashton Keynes is surrounded by countryside and is very much a farming community. Its history, too chequered to go into thoroughly here, has seen it raided by tribes in the 5th century and bombed by the Germans in the 20th.

We most certainly recommend that anyone travelling the west country stops off at this beautiful part of Wiltshire, and in particular, visits the Horse & Jockey Inn.

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