I’ll tell you one thing: the regulars who used to prop up the bar of The Mermaid wouldn’t recognise the place now.
What was for years one of the more rough and ready pubs in Wells reopened in August 2023 as The Sheep & Penguin, a shiny new pub offering local ales, good food and stylish 'boutique' bedrooms.
Once a traditional Victorian city centre boozer with multiple screens for Sky Sports (and an unenviable reputation for the occasional Friday night scuffles on the pavement outside), The Mermaid was derelict for ten years and a local eyesore with broken windows and graffiti on the boarded up door.
It was rescued by Nick James and his family, who also run The Queens in Chew Magna, and they stripped the old pub back to its bare bones and gave it a complete refurbishment.
The Sheep & Penguin - the name is a reference to the old Falkland Islands Agency shop next door - has a private dining room on the first floor and has won awards for its smart modern design.
Earlier this month, it also scooped the Rural Pub of the Year 2025 from the Bath & Borders branch of CAMRA because of its superb range of local ales and ciders.
On Tucker Street, its roadside location isn’t the most idyllic spot in Wells and there are no cathedral views, but it doesn’t matter as once you’re inside The Sheep & Penguin, it’s warm (thanks to a woodburner in the old brick fireplace) and welcoming.
Paintwork the colour of Dijon mustard and teal are in keeping with the Farrow and Ball look of rural gastropubs, walls are stripped back to the original stonework and floors are a mix of oak boards and mosaic tiles.
It’s not hard to see why the pub has already won awards for its range of beers, both cask and keg, and on the day I was there the choice included the pub’s own Sheep & Penguin Bitter, New Bristol Brewery’s The Joy of Sesh IPA and the ‘deceptively strong’ Glastonbury Golden Chalice (£5.60 a pint) I went for.
The keg choices included New Bristol Brewery Vistas and two from Bath’s Electric Bear Brewery - That’s What She Said Pale Ale and Electric Red Rye IPA - with Pulpt Flare for cider drinkers.
But it’s the food that sets The Sheep & Penguin apart from other pubs in Wells, with a full menu at lunch and in the evening.
Typical dishes include a starter of River Fowey mussels, cider, leek, chorizo and tarragon beurre blanc sauce (£9.50) and pan-roasted chicken supreme, smoked bacon, leek and Parmesan risotto with chicken and wild mushroom sauce and Parmesan crisp (£28).
With local ribeye steak and chips at £34 and whole roasted Cornish ‘day boat’ megrim sole for £30, the food is certainly aiming high.
My lamb shoulder pie (£25) boasted excellent pastry and was packed with tender, deep flavoured meat. It was served with buttery mash, braised red cabbage, honey roasted carrots and parsnips and a red wine, mint and redcurrant gravy. Not cheap, but it was the best pie I've had in a pub.
“This used to be a pub for the locals but now it’s a restaurant that serves beer,” harrumphed the chap on the next table to his friend as they ordered a bottle of wine to go with their £28 slow-roasted pork belly and £11 Godminster Cheddar, red onion, onion marmalade and lettuce sandwich served with crisps.
Eleven quid for a posh cheese and onion sarnie? Now, that certainly wouldn’t have happened in the old Mermaid days.
The Sheep & Penguin, 1 Tucker Street, Wells, BA5 2DZ.
Somerset Live WhatsApp Breaking News and Top Stories
Join Somerset Live’s WhatsApp community for top stories and breaking news sent directly to your phone
Somerset Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.
Through the app, we’ll send the latest breaking news, top stories, exclusives and much more straight to your phone.
To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘Join Community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Somerset Live team.
We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.
To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
