MY PUB: the George Inn, Norton St Philip, Somerset

Having undergone a full makeover and preservation project in recent times, the George Inn has 13 en-suite bedrooms and is ideally situated for those visiting Bath, the county of Somerset and Longleat Safari Park, Stonehenge and the Roman Baths.

Here, general manager Linda Johnson tells The Morning Advertiser about the set-up at the Butcombe-owned site.

The pub

The George Inn was acquired by Butcombe Group in November 2020 and very soon became a firm favourite.

It’s a Grade I-listed 14th century Tudor inn, often cited as one of the oldest in England and with a history dating back to 1397.

We sympathetically updated and refurbished the pub, respecting and highlighting the building’s many original and unique features back in November 2023 and since then we’ve gone on to win a national Pub of the Year award and AA Inn of the Year, England, among others.

We’re also thrilled to be a part of Butcombe’s premium collection – Butcombe Boutique Inns, which are hand-picked with definitely that extra special wow about them.

We’re fortunate to be located in the pretty village of Norton St Philip, just outside Bath and the beautiful garden has stunning views across rolling countryside.

Accommodation is, uniquely, spread over two sites – the George Inn and the neighbouring the Plaine, giving us a grand total of 13 rooms. We also have our very own dungeon. Steeped in history and full of stunning original features, it’s a popular space for all kinds of intimate occasions and events.

The publican

I’ve been in the industry for almost 40 years and was, previously, running a successful large pub and hotel in the Midlands when I was approached by Wadworth, the previous owners of the George.

I immediately fell in love with the site so moved down in September 2019 and have enjoyed every minute since.

The trade

We’re a rural site very close to beautiful Bath. We get a real mixture of guests but mainly lots of sightseers and tourists from overseas.

In fact, we have the largest number of international guests of any site in the group. Our food is incredible because we’re lucky to have world-class producers and suppliers on our doorstep. The Butcombe beers always go down well as people tend to want to sample local tipples.

The team

We have an excellent team here, who genuinely care about our guests and work really hard to give them the very best experience possible.

We have six in the kitchen, seven housekeepers and around 17 front-of-house team members.

They’re a great bunch who are incredibly dedicated, an example of which is my assistant manager Josh who started as a KP and has worked really hard to rise through the ranks.

The drink

Being part of Butcombe Group, with the brewery not far away in Bristol, our bar is well stocked with Butcombe Brewing’s award-winning beers that always go down well with our guests as do our non-alcoholic Goram IPA Zero and Tall Tales Pale Ale Zero.

We also have a beautifully curated wine list and a fab selection of cocktails to keep people happy too.

The food

Heading up the kitchen team is the brilliant Aimie Harley, who was voted Salon Culinaire Pub Chef of the Year 2024, so we’re in excellent hands.

Her winning fish pie was a constant favourite on the menu. We have very discerning guests who appreciate great ingredients and produce so we’re lucky to have an incredibly creative team that are turning out some fabulous dishes.

The events

We very often have live music and host musicians from the local area, which is always really special. And being so close to Bath, rugby is a huge deal so we’re always busy on match days. We run a few community events such as wreath making at Christmas, which is popular.

The future

We’re always improving and striving to be the best. We’ve got some enhancements happening in the garden soon, which are going to be fantastic, meaning the space and gorgeous views will be able to be enjoyed all year round.