The Bull’s Head
If you look up The Bulls Head, Craswall via an internet search engine, you will find several buzz words/terms to describe it: “traditional pub”, “flagstone floors”, “hole-in-the-wall bar”, “homely charm”. A bit more digging and you will also learn that they are mentioned in the Michelin Guide. All would appear well, but what you don’t see is the owners and local community have fought tooth and nail to make it to this point.
The Bulls Head is one of the last unspoiled drovers’ inns in England, situated in the Marches countryside. Rewind hundreds of years and the inn was a farm with a small pub room, with that hole-in-the-wall bar still present. For 125 years, the venue was run by the same farming family. In 1998, new management ensured it became one of the most popular pubs in the region.
The pub closed in 2014 under new ownership - owners who had a reputation for turning pubs into residential properties. This caused uproar in the community; protests, petitions, demonstrations, and campaigns followed. All this effort was a success, and the 17th century venue was saved.
The pub remained closed throughout this period of struggle for 6-years, but Wild by Nature took over and began a restoration project - being careful to keep the beautiful traditional features intact. Cardiff council I hope you are paying attention to this when you renovate the market.
The entrance to the building contains similarities to The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny. A snug and welcoming bar area, where you are offered a drink from that famous hole-in-the-wall bar, before being seated in the dining room.
The authenticity and charm continues throughout the building, with beamed ceilings and crackling fires bringing warmth/ambience to an evening of sub zero temperatures.
Wild by Nature own a farm with a butchery in the vicinity of the pub, meaning that most of the produce you find on the restaurant menu is farm-to-plate - this impressively incudes the charcuterie options.
From a food perspective, proceedings began with a heap of crispy rarebit croquettes topped with lashings of nutty Parmesan shavings.
Rich, dense slices of ox tongue retained their moisture, topped with crispy fried capers, and a pile of horseradish and kohlrabi remoulade. This was an interesting dish which I enjoyed, though would have liked a little more punch in the remoulade.
I find that cuttlefish boasts a better flavour profile than squid and is underutilised in the UK. This opinion was forged when I tried it with sobrasada and tximitxurri at the absolutely superb Cor, in Bristol - reinforced when I ate it at the Bulls. Tender in texture, dyed black by ink, and served on a wedge of toasted sourdough with a herby gremolata and flecks of yellow chilli rounds. The dish of the evening.
The stout braised beef short rib slipped away from the bone more easily than a pair of Katie Price’s knickers in the 90s. Some mouthfuls of the protein were dry, but this was aided by the acidic assortment of allotment greens and a solitary glazed carrot.
Two girthy smoked sausages placed atop a tumble of white beans, filderkraut (cabbage), and mustard were Millie’s choice of main.
Our main dishes were complimented by some excellently crafted beef dripping chips and garlic aioli.
The portion sizes crept up on me, it’s not often I can’t manage a dessert but I tapped out.
Fantastic to see that Hard Lines coffee is on offer here.
The food on the plate was good, especially the cuttlefish starter, but I left feeling ever so slightly underwhelmed over what I had eaten, based on other reviews I had heard.
The Bulls Head is a breathtaking venue, and worth the visit for a seat in their bar alone.
I might not be a member of the local community, but I am chuffed that the Bull was saved and I was able to visit as a patron, instead of driving past and seeing yet more construction of housing.
A Michelin Guide restaurant within a year of re-opening. This should be a message on what pulling together with purpose can look like.