The omens were so good. Not too long ago The Lighthouse (as it was) had a new owner. He came with a great pedigree, having previously made the nearby Plough and Harrow an icon of Welsh pubs, and also had fun transforming Llantwit's Illtyd 216 into a unique beer and food experience. It looked like The Lighthouse was next on the list to specialise in ambitious food and an unrivalled beer selection.

And he did half the job. The idea of reverting back to the old village name of The Horse Shoe was a great start, and the interior renovation brought some real character (check out the slate mounted photos above the gents' urinals). But Pugsley's (for such was his name) real challenge was to turn round the dodgy menu and unforgiving service which used to blight a Lighthouse experience.

And that's where The Horse Shoe has ultimately been a failure. Even the beer has been a real disappointment compared to Pugsley's best efforts. There were only 2 cask ales on tap this week (although they were both decent pints) and the bottle collection in the fridges was no more impressive than you'd find in a cash-strapped undergraduate's bedsit tinny store.

The new menu has bought no great improvement either. Almost everything now comes with cheez. Yes, cheez. There's chilli and cheez, cheezy mash, chips and cheez. Cheez and anything you bloody like really, but it's going to come with cheez. We tried a chicken and leek pie, mainly because it didn't come with any cheez. Sadly it didn't come with much flavour either, although there was a watery lake at the bottom which I guess was technically sauce. Maybe it needed some cheez. What it didn't need was peas which tasted distinctly tinned, but sadly that's what came.

Desserts were even more disappointing. They generally had one dimension, and that was sugar. There wasn't even much variety on the sugar scale - sticky toffee pudding, bread and butter pudding, plus toffee apple pancakes all deserved warning notices to diabetics. None of them tasted freshly prepared either. There must be a busy microwave out there.

It's a real tragedy. We know Pugsley can do so much better, and with a but more ambition on the beers and re-energised kitchen The Horse Shoe could still be a magnificent pub. But it's not. Sorry.