It’s not unusual for a pub in Bristol to have an animal resident or two these days. Pub cats have become more common like the feline lodgers at The Coronation in Southville as well as Hotwells’ very own accidental cat pub, The Bag of Nails. Clifton’s The Alma Tavern is also much loved for its pub dog, Tiggy.
But perhaps the residents of The Rose and Crown in Pucklechurch are slightly more unusual - home to three alpacas. Located in a paddock at the bottom of the pub’s car park live Dotty, Rosie and Ayda, retired female alpacas from a farm in Tewksbury.
“I looked a bit into alpacas and found they were easy to keep,” said Rhiannon Wilkins, owner of the South Gloucestershire pub. “I reached out to a breeder of alpacas and he had three females that were no longer breeding so he was trying to find them a nice home.
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“We took on three so we’ve got three retired alpacas just living out their days at the bottom of the car park.” The alpacas are one of the key attractions for visitors and even have their own TikTok page and character profiles on the pub’s website.
Alpacas aside, there are plenty more reasons why The Rose and Crown is considered a hidden gem. The pub, which has been Wadworth-owned for decades, has a long history dating back to the 18th century and is one of three ale houses in the village of Pucklechurch, just eight miles outside of Bristol city centre.
Rhiannon and her husband took on their second pub - after The Curfew in Bath - back in March 2022. Rhiannon has grown up in pubs and honed her interest in the industry working at Wetherspoon and Harvester over the years.
She added: “We’re a bit off the beaten track because people don’t really drive past us, I think people forget about us. We are a hidden gem, but in this economy, a hidden gem isn’t always a good thing because people forget about you.”
Rhiannon explained how much the industry had changed since she first started working in pubs. "It’s a lot harder with rising costs and also for the consumer because they have less to spend and as a consumer, you want to make that choice to make sure you get good value for your money. As a business, we also need to stand out from the crowd."
The team at the Rose and Crown currently consists of around 25 staff members, which fluctuates depending on the season, with more people joining in the warmer months. The pub has more than 20 picnic benches outside with countryside views and a car park with space for around 40 cars, making it suitable for those travelling from further afield.
Inside, the oldest part of the pub is used mostly for drinking with flagstone floors and cavernous fireplaces. The bar is tied to Wadworth for its core range including Horizon, 6X and the signature IPA with a rotating guest ale. It's also famed for its huge cider offering, with three Thatchers pumps, Henry Weston and Old Rosie, with pints ranging from £4.10 up to £4.30 for a premium lager.
Namely, its food has also helped to put the pub on the map delivering a quality menu to match its real ales. The menu is kept “simple-ish” while also allowing the chefs in the kitchen to put a creative spin on it.
Speaking on the food, Rhiannon said: “My background is through chains where a lot of it is fast and cheap food, but here we make everything from scratch, even down to the chips. It comes in as a potato and my chefs turn it into a chip. It’s finding that balance of giving good quality, fresh, locally sourced produce but also at an affordable cost.”
The pub kitchen’s potatoes are sourced from a nearby family farm, for example, so the team can help support the area’s independent businesses as much as possible. Since taking on the pub, the team has tried to maintain traditional pub classics alongside more inventive, refined dishes.
“Even down to our Puckle Duck dish, which is our signature dish on our menu at all times, we source the plums from the paddock and get blackberries from the local area. Our chef is amazing and creates these dishes that change every three months so we try to be seasonal.”
The menu offers pie of the day and beer-battered fish and chips both for £14.95 which sits alongside the more elevated dishes such as assiette of pork (£16.95) and mushroom pithivier (£13.95). It’s a suitable destination for a Sunday roast with lots of options available, making it a great spot at the end of a long countryside walk.
Wednesdays also double up as the pub’s famous steak night from 5-9pm, with the choice of two 6oz rump steaks or two 10oz Gammon Steaks for £26. The Rose and Crown also hosts a quiz night once a month led by Sammy, the pub’s supervisor, with a monthly theme.
The pub is also hosting its first music festival weekend to raise money for Pucklechurch Primary from August 4-6. This year, there will be music, a barbecue and children’s entertainers all weekend, with the hope it will become an annual event to raise money for a different cause each year.
Rhiannon added: “It’s just to bring the community together. Everyone wants to be a part of something, so it’s trying to give the community a reason to be part of the local village pub.”
68 Parkfield Road, Pucklechurch, Bristol, BS16 9PS. To book call 01173 293181. www.roseandcrownpucklechurch.co.uk
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