We have a pint in the family-friendly Bristol pub with drinks deals and cheap Sunday roasts

For centuries a farmhouse close to a Roman settlement, Bailey’s Court Inn is the only original building left in the Bradley Stoke and Stoke Gifford area.

Housebuilding in Bradley Stoke started in 1987 but Bailey’s Court was used as offices by the new town’s developers before being converted into a pub in 1988, ready in time for the thirsty new residents moving in.

With its large car park and neighbouring Tesco, the pub has a prime spot on one of Bradley Stoke’s many roundabouts and it’s very much the go-to venue for locals who aren’t going to the newly refurbished Beaufort Arms near Parkway station or the no-frills Stokers in Little Stoke.

Run by Marston’s brewery, which also has the Huntsman Taverners at Downend and The Fox & Goose in Barrow Gurney, Bailey’s Court Inn is very much a family pub and there’s an outdoor play area for the kids and a children’s menu.

Food is served all week and Sunday lunch is especially popular due to the low prices and generous portions. Roast beef with all the trimmings is a bargain at £11.50 and those with bigger appetites can ‘go large’ for an extra £2 and get extra meat and second Yorkshire pudding.

Bailey's Court Inn is one of those pubs that like to keep the signwriters in business. There are blackboards and signs about special offers everywhere you look.

From the ‘Hard to beat’ burgers to the ‘Are you a grazer?’ sharers (3 for £12, 5 for £18.75), there seems to be a deal on every day.

On Wednesdays, there’s the all-day curry and a drink for £10.95 deal and on Tuesdays you can enjoy a burger and drink for the same price. On Thursday, it’s £11.95 for a steak and a drink.

Although food is an important side to this community pub, it still attracts plenty of local drinkers with a range of beers, lagers and ciders including Heineken Silver, Guinness, San Miguel, Foster’s, Stella, Thatchers Gold and Thatchers Haze.

There are several wines by the glass or bottle. On Wednesdays - presumably after you’ve polished off the curry and drink deal - you can buy two glasses of wine and get the rest of the bottle free. What an evening that would be.

On the day I visited, there was the excellent Ringwood Razorback on tap but as a brewery pub, Marston’s beers dominates the real ale pumps, whether it’s Old Empire IPA or the classic Marston’s Pedigree I ordered.

At £4.50, it was fairly priced and in tip-top, crystal clear condition. I used to drink a lot of Marston’s Pedigree in the late 1990s when it seemed to be in most Bristol pubs but it’s quite a rare treat now and I’d forgotten what a decent pint it is when kept well. 

Like being back at the friendly and historic Bailey’s Court Inn after many years, it was nice to be reacquainted.

Bailey’s Court Inn, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, BS32 8BH.