We have a pint in the ‘no frills’ 1960s Bristol estate pub with a burger bus, karaoke and a meat truck

Turn up at The Trident during the day on a Friday or Saturday and there will inevitably be a long queue in the large car park.

That’s because this is when the Meat Machine mobile butchers arrives and the locals head down to buy their Sunday roasting joints, BBQ packs and other meaty bargains.

Like The Jolly Cobbler in Kingswood and The Concorde in Stockwood, The Trident is one of the last remaining 1960s estate pubs in Bristol. Many have closed, including The Giant Goram in Lawrence Weston, one of several Bristol pubs currently for sale.

It was built by Bristol’s Courage brewery in 1965 on the site of what was once an off-licence also called The Trident.

About a quarter of a mile from the Avon Ring Road and close to Emersons Green, The Trident is on a corner on Badminton Road and surrounded by houses.

For many years, this single-bar pub was known as The Leap but it reverted to The Trident about ten years ago.

When we visited, The Trident’s landlord was preparing for Halloween, putting the finishing touches to the impressive decorations.

This is a community pub that’s taking Halloween seriously this year. On Saturday (October 28), there’s a Halloween disco and karaoke for the adults.

And it promises to be a lively evening with free shots, balloon games, adult shot bobbing and the curiously named ‘mummy dressing partners’. The best fancy dress male wins a gallon of beer and the best female wins a bottle of wine.

The day before, on Friday October 27, there’s a kids Halloween party in the afternoon with prizes for the best carved pumpkin, balloon modelling and a prize hamper going to the best boy and girl for fancy dress.

A traditional pub with a carpeted lounge area, a pool table and dart board, and seating outside when the weather allows, it’s a proper pub with no frills.

On draught there’s Moretti, Stella Artois, Guinness, Coors, Carling, Thatchers Gold and Thatchers Haze. My pint of Wadworth 6X was in great condition - it’s the only real ale they serve, having recently ditched the Doom Bar because it wasn’t selling.

Another reason the pub is so popular is the fact there’s a visit from The Burger Bus on Saturdays (4pm-8pm) and there’s a disco and karaoke the same afternoon, carrying on until closing time.

It’s not fancy, it’s not fashionable but The Trident is simply a proper pub that’s still doing the same thing it has done for almost 60 years.

That’s clearly good enough for the locals and they’re lucky to still have a pub like it on their doorstep. Long may it continue.

The Trident, 294a Badminton Road, Downend, BS16 6NY.