Plough and Horses, Coveback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Well, after a few visits over the last 9 years I'm pleased to say that I'm downgrading the pub from a 4 to a 2. Shocking, Rarely has a pub so well situated been so poor for so long. Had the mis-pleasure of siting in the beer garden with some racist scum just last Saturday. What a dump.
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This used to be my local and from time to time i go back only to be reminded as to why i stopped going there. It seems rather odd to me that these hard working business men find customers, (the very life blood of their business) an inconvenience, we the customers obviously ruin the smooth running of the place. On my last visit i stood with a friend at the bar and not a soul was seen for ages the other side. In the end i rang the pub from my mobile and you guessed it, no one answered. To walk further to another pub is a minor inconvenience but at least I get served. It won't be long before this pub becomes a Macarthy Stone granny stacker!
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I can only concur with the Mighty Cidermaster. the Plough now can only hold a half-dead Fire-fly compared to beacon of light of 5-10 years ago, and a relative black hole compared to the Halcyon days of 20 years ago. How can a pub that, until Pete (sob) left was great and not full of 'undesirables' have dropped so far. The few times I have been in recently there appears to be some major discrepancy with how when the pub shuts the bar and the time. why would I want to buy 4 pints at 10 and have until 12 to drink them just so they can shut the bar? Try crystallising some ideas of how to make a pub that sells real-ale actually get some people in to drink it instead of peddling poor lager.
You hear of so many pubs going to the wall, not sure which one, but some wall, why can't the plough actually attract more people for where it is situated. Admittedly, I live 50 miles away now, in a 'rough' part of London, and the pubs here are much better!
Lads..............
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Hmmmmmmmmmmm, bitter old men? 30 isn't all that old I dont think, is it? Nasty rumours and blatant lies? Everything I have written is the full truth as witnessed by my own eyes, and as for being jealous, I must really stop you there.
You're ability to utilise adaptive camoflage is admirable as I've never seen you or anyone else for that matter in the Plough and apparently enjoying the 'lively discos' or 'open shite' nights, other than the staff themselves. Oh, hang on, it all becomes clear. I'm all for increasing revenue, and breathing life back into what was once a lively pub (I'm only going back 5 years, not 25), but this is not the right setting for what the landlord is trying to achieve. When the cash cows of myself and assembled friends visit a pub you can guarentee a good ammount of cash per person over the bar, by shutting early and forcing us elsewhere it's not just our bodies that leave, it's our custom also. Thats not good business sense.
There's no denying that the landlord is a hard worker, when he strolls back in the pub after spending much of his drinking time down the Courthouse, only to promptly call lasts as he wants to get upstairs with his McChina Wok-Away and the pretty waitress, you know he's had a tough day. I feel sorry for poor mugs like me that are up at 6, do a full days work and just want the opportunity to drink until midnight in a nice atmosphere, not with a slavering mutt relieving itself up the side of the fruity whilst some toothless crone bangs your ankles with her hoover.
So, I dont go to the pub every day, but I do get the opportunity to visit many other pubs now, and I'm in them a damn sight more often than I'd be in the plough in the near future.
Oh, and there's an incredible invention called a spellchecker, you 'young folk' are supposed to know how to use them....
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I read the last review and felt that something needed to be said to dismiss the nasty rumours and blatant lies that have been expressed here by bitter old men who have nothing better to do than criticise those who they are jealous of.
Since the pub gained a new manager a year ago there has ben nothing but improvement. From lively discos to the introduction of open mic nights, the new manager has done nothing but increase revenue and polularity for a once boring pub full of good for nothing busy bodies who have nothing better to do than moan.
I may be the only one that thinks someone of 'her majesties forces' should be applauded tather than mocked, but other than that I think someone who goes into a pub once a day maximum has absolutely no right to criticise anything. You may see the plough as somewhere wehere you can have a pint but to people who have a bit of ambition and a bit of common sense it is a business.
To run that pub means being up at 8am and going to bed no earlier than midnight EVERY DAY. If someone can not only do that but bring in new custom and bring a sparkle to the place which it has never had before, that should recieve nothing but comliments on a site like this.
To be quite frank, if you don't like it, DRINK SOMEWHERE ELSE! Your custom and constant moaning will not be missed.
Farewell :-)
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I used to write on B.I.T.E reasonably regularly, adding my two penneth where and when I felt it necessary. But in recent years I have been living away from Farnborough, where there are actually some decent pubs. Sadly a change of circumstance has led me back to 'the farn' and thus my once vibrant, fun, friendly local. I say once because the plough is truly in shocking decline. Gone are the days of the bar being 4 deep on Friday and Saturday nights with people out for a good time and drinking in a good atmosphere. Now the place is most likely empty on either of those nights, or if there are people in they are the chavvy scum mates of one of the bar staff. Last night for example the bar shut early, there was no warning to those patrons who dont live in locals corner and when this was raised with the bar staff it was not greeted with an apology or a smile, just some terse words and a frank rebuttal. I wouldn't have minded but the bar staff in question was, until a couple of weeks ago at least, charged with getting everyone out of the pub early on a Sunday by hoovering at them and closing off the toilets with fully 90 minutes of opening hours still on the clock.
The much vaunted regeneration of the Farnborough town centre may just prove the undoing of this once fine pub. The promise of over priced, warm, flat characterless drinking in chain gastropubs is surely more appealing than another night of watching your memories get shot down in flames by a maxi-muscle swilling, beer bellied, ex member of her majestys forces' attempts to bring a little Guy Ritchie to northern Hampshire.
Dont get me started on the racist scum that appears to make up one eleventh of the football team either. I cant wait to move away again.
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Having recently moved - this is now my local.
This pub is never very busy, but despite this it difficult to get served, more so when you are the only customer to be served.
There are several things that I don't like about this pub - the first being; it stinks of wet dog!!! It is the first thing that hits you when you enter!
It is always really cold (& I havent even been here during the Winter), this could be due tothe fact that the windows are alwyas open, possibly to clear the air from the smell of dog!
There are 3 (I think) large screen tvs wish play sport continously - I hate sport & seeing the same thing on every tv is a tad annoying - there's no choice to watch anything else!
I also had a fit when I bought a packet of crisps 75p!!! They then have the cheek to only offer 'free' crisps to those that have paid to do th pub quiz on a Thu night!
Unfortunately I will be back as it is only a 5 minute walk from my house!
Why isn't there a Farnborough town centre with lots of pubs - or have I missed it?
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Another change of management sadly it would seem not for the better. Landords dog pee'd up one of the machines which was witnessed by several people. One chap complained to the brewery, (it being a pub that serves food!). Brewery SHEPHERD NEAME said they investigated and the dog didn't pee on the machine so basically saying it's customers are liars, nice one Shepherd Neame. No wonder the Snow Goose now has a better rating on here than this place. Shame at Shepherd Neame's reaction, I use The Lamb at Farnham and the Three Lions Godalming, both SN houses and both very good.
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The Plough used to be one of our favourites. But after several menu changes during the course of about a year, when prices shot up and food service levels descended beneath the Earth's crust, we have not returned. Last time we were there we noticed that the place was practically empty - they used tp pack 'em into the restaurant area a couple years ago. Such a shame since there is a shortage of pubs in the Farnborough - Cove area that serve a meal that doesn't taste like it came directly from a microwavable packet.
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Sorry consumer1, I was a bit pissed, I was after all in a pub.
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Visited twice. Very limited food menu. Bar has a grubby feel to it. On the plus side, the service is cheerful and friendly, but rowdy & foulmouthed behaviour in the bar did not encourage a return visit.
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they sell asahi beer here. something of a bonus. but there is also plenty of ale here as its a sheperd neame pub. though the lager tasted just as good as the ale. decent atmosphere. fairly lively. does not seem like the pub people order fosters on a regular basis
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Visited again recently. There were widescreen Tv's in several locations but not all of them were on. Those that were on weren,t loud enough to spoil a conversation. Beer still Ok, don't drink lager.
Advised by friends who are regulars there, new landlord apparently trying out various forms of entertainment, with discos that range from OK to pure crap, karaoke which features the same few dreadful singers each time, to some guy on a Sunday that plays the same songs with such regular monotony you could set your watch by him. Apparently, most recently some woman with a couple of acoustic guitarists which was so dreadful my friends considered going to the Trades!! They left and went to Fleet.
Anyhow, at least the landlord is trying.
The evening I was in there was some clown trying to cause trouble, I think he lost at darts, probably due to an inability to count. said clown was asked to leave by the landlord in the end.
anonymous - 22 Dec 2006 00:59 |
Have a very mixed opinion of this pub. I go there occasionally and last time i went (before the takeover) i had a nice pint of youngs and the pub was busy but no problem getting served.
However now i hear bad things. Apparently the only lagers available on tap are holsten and oranjeboom? Although this may please some of the customers from what i have been reading in the last few posts. I also spoke to a couple the other day whos local is the plough and they said the food was ok, but the problem was more sky tv everywhere. I dont mind a few screens in a pub but apparently another huge one has turned up, they claimed sky tv was blaring out, music was on and you couldnt hear each other speak.
They also noted it is never that busy anymore.
I should stress this is what i have been told by a few of the people that use the plough a lot and i have yet to check it out myself, will do an update when i get round to visiting again.
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Not bad pub in terms of service and deco. However is more for those wanting food with the aim to seat as many diners as possible.
anonymous - 1 Oct 2006 21:23 |
It's been some weeks since the change of ownership, with new beers etc. have to say the Masterbrew is a very good pint. new owners have brought new prices (up of course)but on the whole no more expensive than the pubs I go into in Guildford. Some changes to the odd bits of pub clutter but no much needed refurb in sight yet. New manager Aaron seems Ok and at least took the trouble to stop ask our names and have a chat. the good news is, that the morons that used to get in there don't seem to have made a return. The pub can only improve if the likes of 'Mad John' and the character who thought it was comical to belch as loud as possible are thrown out permanently. i'm sure these are the inbreds and neanderthals referred to in previous posts. Will try the food again shortly, with an open mind!!
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no prizes for guessing who i am, if you've been in the pub in the last 10 months chances are i was behind the bar.
having never met Pete i cant really coment on his house rules but i will say the 'no swearing' rule has made a big come back! The way i see it, if i can hear you swear you're too loud and most likely offending other patrons. But if foul language is kept to your table (deffo not the bar) and is quiet enough not to be overheard i dont see a problem as its not hurting anyone.
I do consider Mark and Tina my friends so you wont see me writting anything nasty, everyone entitled to their opinion and i found them very good to work for,
the food is now 100 times better as we have seperate fresh meat, fish and veg delivered every few days and 90% of the food is made from scratch.
in retort to the Pride being suspect, i cant help but take it to heart as i pride myself (no pun intended) on maintaining the cask beers being a keen bitter drinker myself. the only defence i would have is occasionally barrels go off before they are out of date (1 every month or so) without warning and unfortunatly the first person to know will be the customer its served to. We now serve Spitfire perminently and we clean every line each and every time the barrel is changed!
on the smoke in the bar we are taking steps to reduce the amount hanging in the air (smoking anywhere near the bar is now considered a hanging offence) and even though i'm a smoker i cant wait for the smoking ban next year!! i'll smoke less and the pub will be a much nicer place to breath
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This once great pub has gone to pot. But salvation is on the horizon. As of the 20th of August a new owner will be in place. That owner is Shepherd Neame. This should ensure the booting out of the lager boys, some well kept ales, magners and a decent menu. Roll on the revolution, and the cheese ploughmans, avec chips mind!
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have to agree there is more smoke in the pub than air. Pub has just changed owners (as well as managers)and hopefully a refit won't be long coming. Just hope it don't become another plastic paddy pub. Found that if you make an effort to get to know people in there, they are actually quite friendly. Not struck on the food which seems to be pre packed portion controlled micro waved tat. have to be careful with the choice of beer. Fullers London pride has been my favourite for years, but don't have it here, I didn't recognise the taste but it certainly wasn't Pride. Bar staff are generally good with the exception of one particularly rotund female who always seemed to have something to do other than serve. However the noise it made at the end of the night trying to get you to drink up so she could get away early was very painful.
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Had a meal here this week. Salmon was excellent. Chocolate fudge cake served hot with ice cream was excellent. Waggledance bitter made with honey was different! Service was wonderful. Pub needs a refurb to brighten the interior. Table service from the garden for food & drinks was excellent. Small garden with no play area for children. Good looking pub with friendly staff.
(Inbreeds can be found at the bar smoking & letching at all women. Women find this off putting.)
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Not sure why Pete left, but it's certainly a lot worse since then. Used to use it for business meets over a pint or a coffee, but not now. Gobe down market, and what's worse, either the clientele all smoke or the place needs new filters - it's pretty unpleasant in the bar.
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I don't quite know what planet Cidermaster is on. I pop into the Plough on average once a week. Generally to eat. I have never found a problem with the locals or the staff. Pete was old fashioned and was on the take. That is why he suddenly left his flagship.
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Far from being one for a tit-for-tat arguement I have to say that MAB1 is both factually correct and completely wrong at the same time. The Plough is the best pub in Farnborough, I fully agree, the competition is hardly strong though is it? But you have to admit the clientelle is shocking, there's no atmosphere, everyone is spoiling for a fight and I'm happy to have moved away so I can drink somewhere better. Oh and you can never have too much cider, c'est impossible.
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one of the best pubs in farnborough.perhaps the so called cidermaster has drunk to much cider.
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A truly superb pub for observing the small minded mentality that living in a small hamlet on the outskirts of a mid-sized town can breed. Decent beer, suprisingly well looked after and average food. BUT what are the customers in this place like? Agree with others here, in the golden, nay halcyon, era of Pete this pub was quality. A sad decline.
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Used to be a great boozer back in the days of Pete and earlier then that. The pub can still furnish you with a descent pint of ale, 6X, Spitfire et al, though the current crop of clientele leaves a lot to be desired.
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Having frequented some dodgy boozers in my time, I can confirm its definately one of them.
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It was a sad, sad, sad day when the best ever landlord Pete "no swearing over here is there lads?" was ousted by the very hand that fed him, namely the brewery/chain of mediocre atmosphere-less pubs with terrible food. The plough, as it was known during the boom years, used to be packed out most nights of the week with friendly locals, happy to sample the fine array of ales and alco-pops vended by the ever friendly Pete. However all of this changed with the present encumbents. Not solely satisfied with putting up the prices 3p a pint week on week they forced out all but the hardiest of regulars who now resort to arriving for a couple at 10pm, instead of the normal 2pm. Since the change the clientele has scraped the bottom of the dirtiest barrel with all of the local scum who were justifiably banned darkening the door once more. Gone are the days of a friendly goodbye from the staff, nowadays your lucky if you dont get thrown out for accidently rubbing your face over the fist of one of the mindless drunk reprobates clogging the bar with their offensive patter, JPS lights and big hairy arses. Seldom have a seen a pub fall from grace as the plough has. From the livliest and nicest pub in farnborough to the biggest dump known to man. Its only a matter of time before the brewery pull out of the archaic white elephant as there are never more than 4 people in there on a Friday night, money spinning it is not. When it closes it will be a sad, sad day, being that its opposite my folks house its been a part of my boozing as long as my overactive liver has. Never the less, the days of whole groups of unrelated people singing along to Abba have been replaced with barmen jumping over bars to break up fights on christmas eve as they've continued to serve the obviously inhebriated semi-pro boxer whilst he engages in a heated discussion with a toothless, tatooed moron called Steve (go on you blues).
A great pub gone bad.
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