The Nags Head, Belgravia

Bloody hell!!! I didn't realise places like this still existed! Walking in is like going back in time 60 or 70 years! Upon entering I ordered a pint of Adnams Lighthouse and went and sat in the downstairs bar (via a very rickety narrow staircase) as all the seats upstairs were taken. Got told off by the landlord for putting my coat on the back of a chair and not hanging it up (yeah welcome to the pub!). After settling into my newspaper it became apparent that the couple seated on the other side of the room were pointing at the fireplace and looking a bit alarmed. I turned round to find a mouse scuttling around on the floor! This mouse was pretty brazen and not shy at all! Finished my pint of perfectly acceptable Lighthouse and onto Adnams Dry-Hopped lager. Re-located back upstairs as seats had become free and I didn't really fancy sharing my pint with the mice! Witnessed another punter being told to leave the pub in no uncertain terms for answering his phone (which was a bit harsh frankly as the guy had obviously never been to the pub before and his phone went off just as he walked in). I did notice the 'no mobile phones' sign and I'm all for not having to listen to other peoples phone conversations but it was a bit over the top frankly. Towards the end of my visit the place was swamped with a bunch of suits who were extremely loud and obviously a bit the worse for wear. As regards the beer only Adnams seemed to be available on draught which I found surprising as I was under the impression this was a free house. Both pints I had were perfectly acceptable but nothing special. Am I glad places like this still exist? Yes. Will I be hurrying back any time soon? No.

16 Dec 2015 15:03

Bell and Bear, Emberton

Dead impressed with this place. 4 real ales on all from different breweries and all seemingly well kept. No less than 5 real ciders mostly from local producers (Gasping Goose being the highlight). Friendly staff, friendly locals and a roaring fire . The chef who was on a break even offered us his seat by the fire on condition that we kept the fire going! Apparently there is a high quality restaurant in the other room which I can well believe. Well worth the walk in the rain from Olney town centre. This is what a pub should be like...

29 Nov 2015 17:22

Bull Inn, Olney

This place seems to have gone downhill a bit since my last visit 3 or 4 years ago. 8pm on a Saturday night and the place was virtually empty. Had a chewy pint of Plum Porter and got treated to some god awful hip-hop style music that was blaring out. Won't be hurrying back...

29 Nov 2015 17:11