There was plenty to celebrate in Bristol pubs on the day Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a 5 per cent cut to the tax on pulled pints.
When I turned up at The Star and Dove later that evening, drinkers were certainly discussing the finer points of the Budget over hand-pulled pints of Purity Gold, Butcombe Original and Cheddar Valley cider, all of which should be a few pence cheaper in future.
Other premium draught choices here include Thatchers Haze, Thatchers Gold, Kirin, Amstel, Guinness and Moretti.
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With its real fire, comfortable wingback armchairs and shelves of well-thumbed old books, this cosy local could easily be in the heart of a sleepy country village rather than the borders of Totterdown, Knowle and Victoria Park.
There is a classic British pub look to the place, which was once The Cumberland Hotel before being renamed and refurbished in the mid Noughties.
Since then, there have been several owners and teams running the pub with varying degrees of success. For a short time, it was on the culinary map because of the Victorian-inspired dishes served in The Historical Dining Rooms restaurant upstairs.
New chef/proprietor Newstead Sayer has since closed the upstairs dining room and turned the large room to the left of the bar into a restaurant.
Open for dinner Wednesday to Saturday (and for must-book Sunday roasts), the restaurant menu is certainly aimed at serious diners. Typical dishes include langoustine, trout and smoked eel cabbage roll with sweetcorn bisque (£14) and a £27 main course of wood pigeon, cep mushrooms, greens and fig.
But it’s not all fine dining in this down-to-earth pub, which has pavement tables and a large courtyard at the back.
There’s a cheaper option in the bar menu, which includes affordable snacks such as pork ribs with stout caramel; smoked haddock croquettes, leek mayonnaise, and triple-cooked chips.
Or you could simply go for the 'posh' Savoursmiths crisps which come in such tempting flavours as truffle and rosemary or wagyu beef and honey mustard.
It’s no wonder the Savoursmiths motto is ‘a better breed of snack’ - it would certainly be hard to go back to a boring old packet of ready salted after tasting these upmarket crisps.
An elegant child and dog-friendly pub with two rooms for drinkers downstairs, it has retained its timeless look thanks to the original parquet floor and framed photos of old Bristol.
Mindful that it’s a community pub surrounded by houses, it also keeps things fresh with occasional events including a monthly comedy night hosted on the first Wednesday of the month by Dirty Doves.
The Star and Dove, 75-78 St Luke’s Road, Totterdown, Bristol, BS3 4RY. Tel: 0117 4030386.
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