IT’S not too difficult to find a pub for that well-deserved pint at the end of a doggy walk, but to discover one that serves fine food as well as accepting your four legged friend seemed an impossible challenge; that is until I discovered The Anchor.

The pub is situated at the heart of the picturesque village of Shapwick, just a mile and a half and signposted from popular beauty spot Badbury Rings.

As we perused the menu at the bar my Golden Retriever made friends with a brown lab who was eyeing up the jar of dog biscuits located on the bar for visitors such as them.

The menu included pub classics mixed with more refined dishes; it’s varied but reassuringly not too extensive as all of the pubs suppliers are located within a 20 mile radius of Shapwick.

I opted for the Tempura soft shell crab with a harrisa mayo and aioli emulsion to start followed by fillets of sea bream served with crushed olive potatoes and roasted Dorset cherry tomatoes. The fish was cooked to perfection and the potatoes crushed with the black olives made a great combination.

I’d had a good choice of red or white by the glass to accompany the meal and choose the South African Pinotage which was bursting with flavour.

My partner ordered the fish/grill menu – five generous sized scallops to start, followed by rump steak (ordered blue and it was cooked exactly to order) served with café paris butter, chunky chips and salad. Our main courses had arrived whilst I’d popped outside and my partner told the waitress by mistake that I’d ordered an extra side order of vegetables.

The response was instant and they arrived within seconds. Although I quickly corrected the mistake, they were on their way and were left on our table but not charged for. They were possibly the tastiest vegetables I’ve ever eaten, leaving me thankful for their unexpected arrival.

The steak, which was from the dairy at Pamphill, was enormous and as we wanted to leave room for dessert, we sneaked the remainder into a serviette, (a treat for the dog later) and shared the coconut crème brulee which was simply divine.

The pub’s atmosphere is friendly and sociable, with warm attentive service and superb food. It’s hard to find fault with The Anchor and it put a smile on our faces.

My four-legged friend and I will be back!

This is an independent review by a reporter without the cooperation of the establishment.