The King's Arms, Blakeney

I'm going to start with the positives - the beer is pretty good. As a CAMRA member I've learnt to appreciate how ale is kept and served and I have no doubt that the landlord knows what he's doing in that regard. The food is also superb with generous servings if a little on the expensive side.

But... that's where it ends. The black and white minstrels album covers on show says that this isn't the most progressive place ever, but I can appreciate that this pub is a long way from the liberal beating heart of London. However, the landlord's attitude to his patrons leaves a lot to be desired, with cheap jokes made at the expense of customers, and a brusque manner that even appears to rub his staff up the wrong way. The way a straw was thrown at me when I requested one, you would have thought I'd asked for the content of his wallet. This is a good pub, but these issues stop it from being great. The lack of competition for this place is telling as I'm sure a rival would make the landlord buck his ideas up a bit.

14 Jun 2011 21:41