We had a super-duper supper on Wednesday, September 2, at Downing’s Bar which has progressed from simple bar snacks to delish hot dishes straight from its new pizza oven.

My husband and I enjoyed a cheese board with an assortment of crispy crackers and generous bites of cheddar, brie and blue accompanied by a fruity chutney, green and red grapes plus pickled silverskin onions served on a wooden platter.

Once pubs of Nailsea were of the Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps variety but not anymore.

There is no pinging of the microwave in this High Street establishment as everything comes out freshly made so be prepared to wait a few minutes after placing your order.

We would share a photo of our main supper dish served piping hot with instructions to stir the  spicy Bouvourdi but this was acted on too quickly to show so had to borrow a stock picture!

This traditional Greek dish is cooked with feta and kasseri, the latter made with sheep and goats’ milk, tomatoes, hot peppers, olive oil, and oregano.

The ingredients are typically layered into an earthenware baking dish; various recipes call for the baking to be done covered or uncovered.

The Downing's take on Bouyourdi which was first discovered on a holiday in Skiathos is the feta is baked with roasted peppers in a rich tomato pomodoro sauce, with oregano and a warming hint of chilli, then finish it with Manchego and pecorino cheeses.

Served with chunks of crusty ciabatta bread for dipping we were too busy eating to perfect our culinary images from the night but enough to say the meal was perfect.

The well-travelled proprietor intends to extend his repertoire with more food with a Mediterranean flavour all of which can be eaten without the use of a knife or fork but sometimes you can use a spoon!

We washed our meal down with the most popular house Sauvignon Blanc and a couple of glasses of Chenin Blanc another favourite white wine.

The alternatives of stocked rich red wines, specialist craft beers or exotic alcohol or non-alcohol cocktails made the choice difficult.

Thanks go to our host who is also chief chef and bottle washer Geoff Downing.

Downing’s Bar opened in 2024 in a former charity shop and has been transformed into a grown-up venue for discerning patrons and their pets!

To find out more about the menu, live band nights, wine-tasting events,  opening times and bookings go to https://downingsbar.co.uk/