During a previous lunch in the beer garden of the Kellaway, the Horfield pub formally known as the Kellaway Arms, a mangy duck with most of its feathers missing stole a piece of bread from my hand. I do like pets in pub, but this feral creature was certainly not as loveable as little Jack Russel Daisy in Clifton’s Portcullis, my favourite pub pet in Bristol.
On my most recent visit to the Kellaway last week after a game of tennis at the nearby Ardagh sports centre with Lucy and Kristan, better friends than they are tennis players, we didn’t go into the spacious south-facing beer garden. Rather, we stayed in the light and airy lounge, complete with a fish tank in the corner.
Prior to a hearty portion of sausage and mash, I wandered over to the bar – that spans the lounge area and the snug – to choose a real ale. What a choice, and what names: Betty Stoggs, Double Dragon, Pot Holer and Long John Silver jostled for space alongside more familiar tipples such as Spitfire and Exmoor Gold.
The new owners of the Kellaway, Nigel and Jane, have done a good job in refurbishing the pub, situated on its own in a residential area, with two fireplaces on the go in the colder winter months. They also hope to gain quite a reputation for their real ale, so long as a reputation isn’t gained for a feral duck roaming the beer garden.
The Kellaway, 138-140 Kellaway Road, Horfield. 0117 924 5368.
