The Three Horseshoes

About The Three Horseshoes

The pub sits inside four knocked-through former cottages on Mill Street, the architecture does real work here. Wooden beams, antique furniture, an inglenook fireplace give the dining room a weight and warmth that purpose-built gastropubs rarely achieve. The atmosphere is settled rather than loud; this is a room where conversation carries without shouting, the service team adds to that feel with a pride in the place that comes across as genuine rather than trained. Expect a relaxed lunch tempo at midday and a busier, more animated room on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Chef Neil Bentinck runs a menu that bridges pub classics and more considered cooking, the balance works because neither side is phoned in. The Michelin inspectors who assessed this venue noted that great care in the cooking allows strong, complementary flavours to come through, pointing specifically to a lemon posset with pistachio cream and bergamot gel as an example of the kitchen working at its most precise. That's the register to aim for: not the bar snacks, but the dishes where the kitchen is clearly trying.

When to Visit and What Changes by Season

Timing matters here more than it does at most pubs of this calibre. In summer, the terrace is the reason to book, the Michelin notes specifically call it out as the priority destination on a warm day, which means an outdoor table in June, July, or August should be your first request when you call ahead. The terrace changes the experience materially: the room inside is characterful but enclosed; outside, the setting opens up and the meal feels less like a gastropub lunch and more like a destination in its own right.

In winter and early spring, the inglenook fireplace tips the balance back indoors. A table near the fire on a cold Somerset afternoon is a different but equally strong proposition, the kitchen's comfort-oriented pub classics likely land better in that context than on a sun-drenched terrace. The practical upshot: if you're planning a visit between October and March, don't wait for a warm weekend that may not come. Book for the fireplace and let the menu's richer options (whatever is current on the seasonal rotation) carry the meal. If you're coming between May and September, specify an outdoor table when you book and treat that as a condition rather than a preference.

The menu's seasonal rotation also means that a dish a friend recommended from a visit six months ago may have rotated off. The lemon posset with bergamot gel has been flagged by Michelin as a standout, but assume the dessert list and daily specials will have moved on. Ask the service team what's been on longest and what's new, that conversation is more reliable than arriving with a fixed order in mind.

Who It's For

The spread of the menu, pub classics alongside more inventive plates, means it works for groups where not everyone wants the same level of ambition on their plate. That makes it a practical choice for a family lunch or a small group with mixed appetites, as well as for a two-person dinner where both people want to eat at the sharper end of the menu. It is not the right choice if you want a formal tasting menu or a wine-forward fine dining experience; for that, Gidleigh Park in Chagford or Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton are the regional benchmarks.

For comparable pub dining done at a similarly high level elsewhere in England, Hand and Flowers in Marlow and Pipe and Glass in South Dalton are the most useful points of comparison, both operate in the ambitious-pub format with Michelin recognition, both at a slightly higher price point. The Three Horseshoes sits comfortably in that company at the ££ tier.