FOR this week's review Pub Spy popped into the Anchor Inn.

This lovely little watering hole charmed me with its quirky nautical design, which is in keeping with the surroundings at Diglis Marina.

The first thing you notice when you approach the pub, in Diglis Road, is the large anchor displayed above the front door.

A friendly waitress met me at the entrance and led me to the dining area on the left side of the building.

After settling into my seat I ordered a San Miguel with lime and a beef burger for £16.40.

Looking around I was struck by the warm interior of the establishment, which further played on the seafaring brand.

The wall opposite me looked similar to the deck of an old ship, with white wooden panels covering the surfaces.

An oar was also strapped to a shelf and a brick fireplace had been fitted further to my right.

A pair of customers were sat at a table to my left, which was coated in bookcase wallpaper, and were raving about their food.

The man at the table asked the woman opposite him whether she was enjoying her fish. She replied: "It's very nice. Very fishy."

I was reassured that I could expect a good meal but I wasn't particularly pleased to notice that a dog was sat next to their table.

Call me a dog-in-the-manger but I don't think animals have any place in a pub, especially when food is involved.

I've had too many experiences of being forced to listen to howling pooches in country pubs to trust them.

There's also the ever-present threat that they might leap up and scoff a mouthful of your meal while it's on its way to your table.

A further disappointment came when I heard staff tell a group of customers - who had just walked in through the entrance - that they stopped serving food at 2.30pm.

Despite only arriving at the pub a few minutes after this cut-off point they were still told that the kitchen could not make anything for them.

If a business is going to serve food, I think it should be available from early in the morning until at least 6pm, without a break.

For this reason I would avoid making a spontaneous trip to the Anchor Inn for grub, just in case I find out the serving period has closed.

My meal arrived after a short wait of around 15 minutes.

When I asked the waitress whether there was ketchup in the burger she told me it had relish inside, which prompted me to ask for a bottle of ketchup.

The burger came with pickles, mozzarella, streaky bacon, toasted brioche potato bun and bacon tomato jam.

It had a sweet smokey flavour and the meat was tender.

The meal also came with chips, which were crisp on the outside and soft in the middle.

My cold beer cost £4.40 and was the perfect complement to my food, which was priced at £12.

I will definitely head back to the Anchor Inn in the near future, although I'll be sure to ring in advance to see whether they are still serving food.

Scores:

Atmosphere: 7/10

Decor: 9/10

Staff: 8/10

Drink: 8/10

Food: 10/10

Prices: 8/10

Overall: 8/10