The Blue Ball Inn

Triscombe, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3HE

Tel: 01984 618242 
Fax: 01984 618371

e-mail: rogers.gerald@btinternet.com
website: www.blueballinn.co.uk

With its thatched roof, mellow stone walls and colourful window boxes and plants, The Blue Ball Inn looks irresistibly inviting. This lovely old hostelry is just one of a handful of buildings in the hamlet of Triscombe at the foot of the Quantock Hills. It lies just off the A358, and is easily accessible from junction 25 of the M5, Taunton and Minehead.

The interior of the inn is as captivating as the outside. There's a wealth of old beams, oak dividers separate the tables and the bar occupies a kind of wooden barn. Owners Gerald and Sue Rogers have made the Blue Ball well-known as one of the best rural venues for dining. The award-winning restaurant offers an outstanding à la carte menu that changes for each meal. "We pride ourselves," says Gerald, "on preparing our dishes from only fresh ingredients to give our customers a memorable and unhurried dining experience, whether for lunch or an evening meal". At lunchtime, a typical menu might offer a tian of crab, gazpacho & parmesan crisp as a starter, with loin of Brendan Hills rabbit, Quantock venison sausages, or tarte tatin of tomato, goat's cheese & basil dressing amongst the main courses. For lighter appetites, ploughman's and crusty rustic rolls with a choice of fillings are also available.

The dinner menu offers an equally extensive choice, again with many dishes based on local produce _ steamed wild River Fowey mussels, for example, amongst the starters; fillet of Devon-ruby beef or whole roasted Dunster plaice as main dishes. Such is the reputation of the Blue Ball's cuisine _ which boasts an AA Rosette _ that booking a table in advance is strongly recommended, especially at weekends. The restaurant is currently closed for food on Sunday evenings and all day on Mondays, except for Bank Holidays, though Gerald and Sue hope to open at these times for both food and drink in the very near future.

The inn also has accommodation available in two cottages which are let on a bed & breakfast basis. Stag Cottage features an inglenook fireplace with gas effect fire, plus an upstairs bathroom with separate shower and Victorian style free-standing bath.