NESTLED in the heart of Bourton-on-the-Water, one of the Cotswolds' most popular tourist spots, the Duke Of Wellington  is ideally located.

After a tiring Saturday ambling around the village and visiting some of its attractions, I was in need of beer and food and found myself drawn to the Charles Wells brand pub.

The words “Great food” and “Riverside Garden” on the pub’s sign lured me inside and I was immediately impressed with what I saw, and obviously so were others as the place was packed to the rafters. It looked like I had found a perfect place to end a wonderful day in the village – but my rural idyll was short lived.

After browsing the menu, which consisted of standard pub fare, I ordered marinated stuffed olives to start and a rump steak for my main from a friendly and polite barmaid.

The steak was described in the menu as “28 days matured and locally sourced”. Intrigued, I asked the barmaid where in the local area it came from. You can imagine my horror when she responded by bursting out laughing, shrugging her shoulders and saying “I’m not sure”. “Somewhere in the Cotswolds then?,” I said, smiling nervously. “Yes I think,” she proclaimed with a wide smile.

After being seated in the dimly lit restaurant area, the olives were with me within minutes. Although it was a large portion of olives, there appeared to be very little seasoning in their garlic and mixed herb marinade, so I found myself giving up eating them after a few mouthfuls.

It took 25 minutes for my main to arrive and it was not worth the wait. There is only one word to describe my rump steak, chips, peas and peppercorn sauce: terrible. Despite asking for medium-rare steak it contained what seemed like a litre of blood and was less than succulent. The chips were cold and mushy, the peas seemed straight out of the freezer, and the half-slice of tomato on the side was barely cooked. I hoped that pouring my entire jug of peppercorn sauce over the dish would give it some life but again I was disappointed. The sauce was watery and devoid of flavour, so much so that I wondered if there were any peppercorns in there at all.

Thankfully my pint of Eagle ale, one of the several Charles Wells brands on offer, was crisp and refreshing – perfect for washing away the taste of my main.

Waiting for the waitress to ask if I wanted a dessert, or if everything was okay with my main meal, I decided I'd explain the shortcoming of the dish and then give the pub a chance for redemption by surprising me with a beautiful pudding. Alas, she didn't even approach me again once she'd delivered the steak.

All this just goes to show that even if a pub is perfectly located and teeming with customers, it can still be below par.

Situated in Sherborne Street in the heart of the village, the Duke will always attract an abundance of visitors, but there will be more disappointment than delight unless standards are raised.

SCORES
Atmosphere: 7/10 Relaxing
Decor: 7/10 Charming
Staff: 3/10 Friendly but lacking knowledge and customer service skills
Drink: 6/10 Decent selection of ales
Price: 2/10 Poor value
Food: 2/10 Terrible
Overall: 4/10