Up? Down? We Chose Up, and The Pub was great!

When we stayed at Updown Cottage in Shaftesbury, we were with dear friends who were on their first visit to England, so we wanted them to experience as much of the “real” England as possible. After picking them up at Heathrow and allowing for a bit of rest from the overnight flight, we loaded up the rental car and set out for Shaftesbury where we would be staying for a week. By the time we settled in it was time for dinner so we posed the first up/down question: which way to go to find a pub? Uphill or downhill? We chose up. Making our way up Gold Hill to the high street in Shaftesbury, it didn’t take long for us to find The Mitre.

Our friend, Andi, knew a little about England and, in particular, she knew that fish and chips was a very popular dish.  She had set her mind to try them right off so without hesitation that was what she ordered and she was not disappointed! The fish was crispy on the outside, flaky and moist on the inside; the chips were equally excellent. The menu at the Mitre is pretty broad—even if you don’t want fish and chips every time. The entire meal was fantastic, and the service excellent. As it was cool and was already past sunset, we chose not to sit outside, where in the daylight you can enjoy the spectacular view of the Blackmore Vale. Instead we sat inside, warmed by a crackling fire in the fireplace.  Basically, it was about as English as it is possible to get—warm fire, great food, good beer, old friends and only a short walk, mostly downhill, back to the cottage. Our first evening was a little bit of heaven right there, and a great start to our English holiday!

Jake, our friend Andi, and Marsha, after the meal. Andi is very happy (and full of fish and chips).

Oh, and our friend? She basically ate fish and chips every chance she got, from one end of England to another and, at the end of two weeks, she pronounced The Mitre to be the best of them all. Consider that high praise from someone who knows her fish and chips!

The Mitre, 22 High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8JE.