There are lots of villages near Bristol that have been isolated from the city area due to bus cuts in recent years. Residents in Yatton are now served by just one bus route after a devastating round of cuts last year.
For The Market Inn on North End Road, this means the pub caters predominantly to the local community. The pub’s landlord George Smith is hoping people will still travel to the pub, which is some 13 miles away from Bristol, particularly as it boasts one of the biggest beer gardens in the area.
“It doesn’t really help that they’ve taken all of the buses away,” George said. “We’re a bit cut off in that respect.”
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George has lived in Yatton for most of his life and has been working at the village pub since he was 14, sticking up the skittle pins for the pub’s bowling alley. At 18, he started working on the bar and hasn’t looked back since, taking over as landlord on Halloween 2020 just before the nation went into lockdown for the second time.
“It was certainly a hard few months,” George admitted, now aged 30. The hospitality industry hasn’t had it easy since 2020, battling through the pandemic, the energy crisis and the rise in the cost of living. “To be honest, we’ve never fully recovered. We’re just hanging in there to do what we can do to keep going.”
The Market Inn is still served by Yatton railway station some 20 metres away, meaning those looking to travel from Bristol can still get there relatively easily. The pub, which according to George dates back to the 17th century, is slightly obscured from the station until you get onto the main road.
“Most people are just happy and want a drink,” George remarked. He’s known some of the locals for years and spoke of the pub’s vibrant atmosphere.
George said there was a light at the end of the tunnel this year with summer on the way and the hope of a strong Christmas. “We’re just waiting for the sun to be honest. Last summer was phenomenal and we did end up burning through quite a bit but we had a lot to do maintenance-wise.”
One of the biggest draws should be the vast beer garden at the back of the pub, decked out with 26 large picnic tables, a separate enclosed area for dogs and a huge children’s play area. George said lots of people don’t even know it exists despite huge efforts to shout about it.
“It goes all of the way back down to the Railway Inn,” George explained. “We’ve probably got one of the biggest gardens in the area.”
The Market Inn is associated with Punch Pubs, an operator based in Burton-upon-Trent with around 1,250 pubs in England, Scotland and Wales. George has tried to tailor the bar offering to make it as distinctive as possible in the area, with Corona lager on draft and a huge Thatchers cider selection including the new flavoured fusion range.
It also offers its own loyalty app for iPhone and Android users which gives customers five per cent credit with each purchase that can be accumulated to use at the bar. The pub’s kitchen is currently run by George serving pub classics at honest prices.
“We did have two chefs last summer but I think as everyone’s found in the pub trade chefs are impossible to come by, so they’ve since gone. I’m actually doing it all on my own now so for summer I will be massively shortening the menu.”
Last summer, the team had days where they were serving around 170 meals a day. The kitchen is currently open from Wednesday to Sunday.
“There’s always something going on,” George explained. It’s been a stomping ground for many local teams over the years for pool, skittles and crib as well as the weekly Sunday quiz.
Most activities are conducted from the function room at the back of the garden which is kitted out with a bowling alley, pool table and a fruit machine. There is a 50-inch screen and projectors that can screen BT and Sky Sports matches.
The pub is fresh from its coronation event that hosted a live band on the weekend, with performances scheduled sporadically throughout the year. The summer programme at the pub is also packed with events, including music and open mic nights inside the pub and in the garden.
The Market Inn, Market Inn, 1 N End Rd, Yatton, Bristol BS49 4AL. Open seven days a week. http://marketinnyatton.com/
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