We visit the country pub near Bristol with a £10 lunch menu and Sunday roasts all week

‘Have you booked?’ - that was the slightly surprising question when I arrived at The Travellers Rest, a roadside pub just outside Bristol on the A37.

I hadn’t booked, but then I only popped in for a pint. That’s until I spotted the £10 lunch menu and asked the barmaid if there was still room at the inn for one hungry passerby.

I’d been past The Travellers Rest on countless occasions but never ventured in. But I soon realised I was in the minority as it was packed with regulars, most of whom appeared to have driven the short distance from Bristol.

On the hill before you drop into Pensford village itself, the plain-looking Travellers Rest doesn’t give away too much from the road but it has a secret weapon.

Walk around to the raised decking in the rear garden and the sweeping views towards the Chew Valley are simply stunning - as good as you’ll find.

Even on a cold February day they were impressive so they must be outstanding on summer days when you can take your pint outside.

The same views can be enjoyed from tables near the window of the conservatory-style dining area but these were all booked on this Friday lunchtime so I made do with one near the toilet.

Popular with walkers, The Travellers Rest is essentially a dining pub. There are no stools for drinkers at the bar, which has a limited range of beers and ciders - Thatchers, Guinness, Carling and Prava - and it’s all table service, whether you want a drink or a meal.

I ordered my pint of Doom Bar and sat down clutching a collection of laminated menus, pausing to look at a specials board that included piri-piri marinated chicken breast and some sort of bubble and squeak dish.

Although there were a few families with kids, the majority of the diners looked retired. I was one of the youngest there, which isn’t something I can say too often, or at least not in many city centre pubs.

‘They have something called ‘chill con carn’. And they do nut roast. That’s vegetarian by the way,’ said the elderly lady on the next table, reading out the menu aloud to her friends who went for the pork belly and the topside of beef with little consultation. It was all very Alan Bennett.

The main menu covers most bases, with a ‘back by popular demand’ steak and ale puff pastry pie with mash and vegetables for £16.99; fish and chips at £14.99; ham, egg and chips at £12.99 and the ‘best seller’ of breast of chicken coated in Parmesan breadcrumbs with Italian tomato sauce topped with grilled mozzarella and served with fries at £14.99.

There is also a choice of burgers, and ‘home-cooked roasts’ served throughout the week - these are also £14.99. In fact, most items on the menu end with 99p, indicating a sound understanding of what retail psychologists call ‘charm pricing’.

But it was the £10 lunch menu that caught my eye - and wallet - although I’m surprised they don’t drop it to £9.99 considering the general pricing tactic.

It’s served from midday to 3pm, Wednesday to Saturday and includes double sausage and mash with peas and onion gravy; omelette of the day with salad; crispy cod goujons wrap with tartare sauce, salad, fries and slaw, and chilli con carne with rice and nachos.

I had the ‘locally sourced’ 6oz rump steak, which is always a good test of any kitchen, especially as this cheaper cut can often end up like rubber in less skilled hands.

Whoever cooked it, certainly knows their steak. It was perfectly cooked the rare side of ‘medium-rare’ as requested, the thick steak boasting plenty of flavour and also properly seasoned.

It was served with a grilled tomato, peas and golden, thick-cut chips. A gravy boat of homemade peppercorn sauce was unimprovably good - creamy and seriously peppery.

For £10, it was a fantastic value steak and chips lunch and a fraction of the price you’d pay in a fancypants city restaurant.

All priced at £6.95, desserts include Belgian waffle with ‘funky banana’ ice cream, toffee and Devon cream sauce, and apple crumble with custard.

I went for the old-school lemon meringue pie, which is apparently one of the most popular desserts. I asked for ice cream to go with it but got also got a few squirts of cream to accompany the deep wedge of zesty pie with its shaving foam-like top layer.

By now, the pub was full with diners and the atmosphere was warm and convivial as the slate grey clouds swept across the Chew Valley in the distance. I would have happily stayed for another pint and just gazed at that view.

In fact, I enjoyed my unplanned solo lunch so much that I immediately booked a table for the family the following evening. And if that isn’t a compliment for this modest-looking pub, I don’t know what is.

The Travellers Rest, Pensford Hill, Pensford, Bristol, BS39 4JF. Tel: 01761 490347.