Voted as community pub of the year in 2009, the Nightingale certainly lives up to expectations with Cask Marque accredited beer and an impressive food offering.

The Venue
This cottage-style Grade II listed pub impresses from the outset. The Nightingale and its Young’s branding – whilst evident - isn’t garish and fits in well with the beautiful exterior. The pretty brick building with delicate red archways and lots of hanging baskets filled with vibrant bouquets of flowers makes the idea of sitting outside on one of the heavy wooden benches in the summer a prospect that’s hard to refuse. Inside, you’ll find a typical Young’s pub with plenty of heavy woods and a centrepiece of a bar laden down with draught pumps. However, additional touches raise the level of the decor, such as attractive red leather sofa seating, cosy fireplace, a pretty conservatory with historical references about the pub and a decent-sized beer garden with outdoor darts. They also proudly display the amount of money the pub has made for charities through their Nightingale Walk events.

The Atmosphere
It’s not hard to see why the Nightingale won the Publican’s National Community Pub of the Year award – this is a cosy, welcoming pub with a warmth that’s captivating. Attracting mainly locals with a large contingent of regulars, the friendly staff make a big effort to make everyone feel welcome. They are also well versed in the beer offering, making trustworthy recommendations about what you should order if you’re overwhelmed by the selection.

The Food
This Young’s pub offers well priced traditional pub favourites, such as fish and chips, bangers and mash, and scampi, all coming in under a tenner, alongside a selection of sandwiches and jacket potatoes. However, the real stand out on the menu is the miniature pie platter. Offering a selection of steak and ale pie, chicken and ham with leek pie, and root vegetables in a creamy sauce pie all served with ale chutney and chips, it’s a pie lovers dream. For just under £12, it’s certainly an affordable way to sample the menu. The steak and ale pie offers chunks of tender beef in a Young’s ale sauce that is rich and meaty. The chicken pie is equally good with generous pieces of chicken and a thick, meaty ham complemented well by the strong onion flavour of the leek. Finally, the root vegetable pie makes you realise that vegetarianism could be for everyone with heavy chunks of carrot, turnip and other vegetables you’ll find hard to tell apart in a rich, creamy sauce. The crisp chips round it off nicely. Job done.

The Drink
Of course, as a Young’s pub the Nightingale takes its beer seriously – it regularly appears in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and has been Cask Marque accredited. They have the usual Young’s beers: Young's Bitter, Young's Special and Wells Bombardier. They also offer seasonal beers, such as the charmingly named Waggledance, Golden Zest, Deuchars and St Austell’s Tribute Ale. It’s a selection that clearly keeps the regulars happy. No wonder there’s such a good community spirit here!

The Last Word
A proper community pub with a charitable streak, the Nightingale stands out from the crowd.

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