The George, Manor Road, Abbots Leigh, Bristol, BS8 3RP. Tel: 01275 372467

I had originally planned to review The George at Abbots Leigh a few months ago but chef owner Dan Powell broke his arm and the pub was shut for a month.

Arm healed and staff refreshed after a busy Christmas period, this roadside pub on the A369 between Bristol and Portishead is well and truly back in the game.

Located on a fast and winding road a few minutes’ walk from Ashton Court, The George fell on hard times until Dan and his father, Dave, took over last year.

Like many rural pubs in the region, it had struggled to survive as a drinkers’ pub and hadn’t adapted to the changes since the smoking ban.

This is Portishead-born Dan Powell’s first time as a chef/ owner but he is certainly not lacking in experience in the kitchen.

He comes from a fine dining background and his CV includes stints at Hambledon Hall in Rutland and Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxford.

More recently, he trained chefs for three years at City of Bristol College and he is maintaining a link there by offering students work experience and apprenticeships at The George.

As a local lad, Powell clearly wants this historic inn to once again be the hub of the community and although it may be more food-driven than before, it is most certainly doing everything it can to pull in the locals.

On Tuesdays, there is a bubble and squeak night where you can enjoy a huge plate of “bubble” topped with either rare roasted topside of beef or glazed ham, plus a drink, for just £10.

On Wednesdays it’s steak night, when two people can enjoy a steak and chips with a carafe of wine for £27.95. Now, if that doesn’t tempt people out of their homes on a cold Wednesday evening, nothing will.

Having never visited the pub in the old days, I don’t know how much of a refurbishment it got when it reopened under the new owners, but it certainly looks the part.

A handsome, whitewashed building opposite a red telephone box and looking across fields towards the twinkling lights of the city, it has the Farrow & Ball-ed look of most gentrified country inns.

Inside, the wooden floors are offset by caramel and cream paintwork, original log fires and traditional dark wood furniture. Dogs and muddy boots are welcome in the bar area and the larger left-hand room is dedicated to diners.

The menus are seasonal and dictated by local produce but Powell is mindful that this is still a pub not a restaurant and the dishes and prices are broad and well-pitched.

At lunch, for example, you can order a decent sandwich (pub-cooked ham and wholegrain mustard or hot sausage and onion being two of the five on offer) for just £3.75. Larger main courses include steak and kidney pie with mash, onions and cavolo nero for £9.50 or beer-battered haddock and chips with bashed peas and tartare sauce for £9.75.

In the evening, main meals come in two sizes – smaller “supper” dishes (fish and chips, rare-roasted topside of beef with Stilton bubble and squeak, or the more ambitious confit hare leg with saute potatoes, chorizo and spinach – all under £10), or larger “dinner” dishes, ranging in price from £9.95 to £17.25.

Of the six starters on offer, I ordered pan-fried pigeon breast with black pudding Scotched egg, apple puree and prune jus (£6.25).

The pigeon was precisely cooked, pink and juicy. A dinky quail’s egg encased in crisp breadcrumbs and a layer of black pudding was utterly delicious, any richness being offset by a slick of tart apple puree and a dribble of fruity, sticky prune sauce.

Continuing the seasonal game theme, I followed this with whole roasted partridge (£13.50). Partridge is one of the trickiest game birds to cook correctly due to an absence of natural fat, which can often lead to dry meat, but this was unusually moist and tender, displaying considerable skill in the kitchen.

Beneath the golden-skinned bird there was a bed of shredded Savoy cabbage and chewy chestnuts. To the side, a tangle of parsnip crisps and a small tower of fluffy thyme-flecked potato wrapped in salty proscuitto. It was a great seasonal dish and perfect fodder for a rural pub close to an estate.

Sticky toffee pudding (£5.50) was a revelation. I rarely order this ubiquitous dessert in restaurants as they are usually overly sweet and heavy but this one was springy and incredibly light, with the mellow sweetness of dark sugars and dried dates. It arrived with a ball of toffee fudge ice cream and a drizzle of not-too-sweet fudge sauce.

If The George was in the Cotswolds rather than on the outskirts of Bristol, it would be packed every night with the likes of Kate Moss and Sienna Miller. But on a Thursday evening after the festive period it was very quiet, with just a few locals standing at the bar with pints of Butcombe Bitter and only one table of diners – and they appeared to be friends of the owners.

No more than 10 minutes from Clifton (and with regular buses from the city centre stopping outside), The George is a very welcome new addition to Bristol’s dining scene, whether you want a pint and a sandwich or a full-blown gastronomic feast.

Either way, this was intelligent cooking of excellent ingredients and a meal that was hard to fault.

Dan Powell has well and truly put The George on the culinary map and he deserves to be supported.

Mark Taylor

Prices: (Dinner) starters from £4.75; main courses from £7.95; desserts from £4.25

Wheelchair access: Yes

Ratings:

Overall: Nine

Food: Nine

Service: Nine

Value: Nine

Atmosphere: Eight