London Pub Tour 44 - Clapham Junction: Slug and Lettuce, The Falcon and The Junction

Clapham Junction is a station and the surrounding Clapham area has a wealth of pubs. Being that Clapham Junction is only one train stop from Victoria, I felt it time to chronicle the three pubs right next to the station in my next London Pub tour. The sun was out and it was Friday after work. I stepped off the train at Clapham Junction and made my way to my first stop the Slug and Lettuce (SW11 1RU). Now I've debated whether the Slug and Lettuce chain can be considered a pub and I've yet to set down any true defined rules but in planning this trip I came to the conclusion it does indeed qualify as a pub because its primary purpose is to serve alcohol, it has draught beer and you aren't required to sit at a table to drink. I think I do need to flesh out the what counts / what doesn't a bit more but I feel Slug and Lettuce (and therefore also All Bar One and Yates) would meet any qualification as a pub, as to discount them would also discount many other venues.

It's been a few years since I've been to a Slug and Lettuce, and that was to watch a football match at the O2. I've never been in this venue before and hardly ever noticed it before. It is actually quite easy to miss when coming out of the station due to no standout branding, glass frontage and no outside drinking area. The pub inside is very modern and sleek. The bar is on the left hand wall. From the door to the bar, and around it, there are no tables in the way, creating a large open space. There are a few tables towards the rear near the kitchen, which is where I sat, but the majority of the tables are on the raised seating area directly in front of the bar. There were TVs on showing sport, whilst music played out at a low volume. The bar frontage is entirely tiles, which was a nice feature. There are some fake exposed bricks on the wall but the majority is just white painted walls, adding to the brightness of the pub.

The bar had two hand pumps but sadly only the GK IPA was on, with the Adnams Ghost Ship off. The keg selection was Guiness, Vedet, Amstel, Peroni, Stella, Estrella, Hop House 13 and Mortimer's Cider. I selected a pint of Hop House 13 which came in at £5.25. Sadly it was a bad pour which created a flat looking beer, but it tasted okay in this heat. When seated at the table drinking I realised all the tables are slightly taller than you would normally expect but the seats are at the perfect height to sit at and still have your feet on the floor, so it was a selected design reason. The clientele was mixed though the pub was sparsely populated and felt quiet. I finished up my pint and moved onto my next venue The Falcon (SW11 1RU) which was the complete opposite in crowd level. Everyone had spilled outside onto the pavement outside to drink and enjoy the sun, so I was slightly concerned how busy it might be inside. The inside was also busy but mainly around the front bar area. The bar is set as a large orbital bar that runs through the whole pub, but as there is no longer any service on the rear half of the bar, this area was quiet / empty.

The pub has three distinct sections. The main bar which is at the front facing out onto the road and has plenty of light coming through due to being on a corner. The rear bar now appears to be reserved for large groups or diners (if it wasn't a Friday). Lastly there is a little snug area connecting the main bar and the rear bar. The snug is carpeted and has grandfather chairs and book shelves. It only fits a few people and I've never sat in there as it's always taken. As a Nicholson pub there is a large ale selection and a variety of keg and bottle beers. The ales on during my visit were Pride, Christopher, Nicholson's Pale Ale, Ghost Ship, Doombar, Ilkley Hanging Stone, Sussex Best, Rev James Rye, Black Sheep and Sharp's Atlantic. A few pumps were off or coming soon. In the keg front there was London Lager, London Pale Ale, Stella, Carling, Guinness, Peroni, Hells, Amstel and Mortimers. I opted for a pint of Christopher's from Great Heck along with a pack of crisps for £5.60. The beer was cellar cooled which was perfect for this warm day. It was a slightly bitter pale ale but clear, good lacing and no bad tastes.

I had my beer in the main bar but at the rear where there was space and ledges to rest the pint on. The pub is well maintained from the wood panelling, to the booth seating facing out the window at the old Arding and Hobbs department store (now Debenhams). There are electric light chandelier's hanging from the ceiling and hops running above the bar. I did pop into the rear bar and seen that it was empty and lots of tables reserved, so it goes to show how many more people the pub can handle. I would certainly recommend visiting this pub for the wood interior and normally large and varied selection of ales. I walked round the back to avoid the crowd to leave the pub and head onto my final stop The Junction (SW11 1SA).

This pub was previously known as the Windsor Castle and had a small front bar and large rear bar, with no connection to walk between them. After a refurb the bar was moved against the side wall allowing the pub to be one large room. The pub is a large detached building with a mock tudor beam front and is quite long but not that wide.. At the front are a mix of high and low tables. Beyond this is the bar area and a few tables against the walls. Then the rear area of the pub where there are quite a number of low tables. The pub also has a walled beer garden which has some amazing art work on them. The floor is carpet apart from block wood around bar area. Unfortunately the walls are the standard Taylor Walker with fake bookcase wallpaper in places. There was a large number of people inside the pub (40+) and as such no seats available. The crowd here was slightly older than the previous two pubs.

The bar 6 hand pumps with one offering cider (Lilley's Mango) and one being off (Thankfully GK IPA). The other 4 pumps were London Glory, Grandstand, Sheep Dip and Hairy Hooker. The keg options were Asahi, Peroni, Pilsner Urquell, Hells, Camden Pale, Over Easy, Spaten, Fosters, Guinness and Hop House. I started by having a half of the Lilley Mango Cider as I have a sweet spot for this drink. It is so sweet and delicious that you would think your drinking a soft drink and not an alcoholic beverage. After that I got two halves of the Plain Ales beers - Hairy Hooker and Sheep Dip. Both the beers were Bitter's which I wasn't expecting. The Hooker was more expensive at £2.50, and came in at 4.1%. This had a lovely toasted taste to it whilst also feeling sweet. The Sheep Dip half cost £2.10 and came in at 3.8%. This beer had the same aroma but had a reduced flavour. It was bitter with no sweet after taste. It was all upfront and nothing after.

I raise this just as a final pondering point. Whilst at the pub there was a table of 3 who had food delivered to their table. Then a fourth member of their group came in with a take away from McDonald's and sat down and joined them eating it in the pub. I raise this as I feel it's pub etiquette not to bring in your own food unless permitted and also strange he brought a McD's rather then order something better from their menu. Staff didn't mention a thing to them and considering three had bought food and they were all drinking there, from a business point of view it makes sense, but if it was the other way round with 1 eating and 3 bringing a takeaway, I've no doubt it would have been a different outcome.

London Pub Tour 43 - Aldwych: Edgar Wallace, Temple Brew House and George

It was another nice day and not busy at work so I popped out for a long lunch and a few beers. This time I went further afield to Aldwych with my first stop being the Edgar Wallace (WC2R 3JF). The pub sit on a cul-de-sac and is generally busy outside with drinkers after work. On this lunch visit it was quiet with two people outside drinking and five people inside, two of whom were eating. Upon entering the pub you are met with a large size nutcracker. Turning to your right takes you into the pub. The pub inside is quite dark and not much light comes in through the square lead windows. The bar is just on your left and does goes back to the rear wall but is separated by a pillar. The lagers are displayed on both parts of the bar with the ales only visible on the bit of the bar behind the pillar. The keg beers on offering were Heineken, Staropramen, Birra, Amstel, Guinness and Symmonds. There were 8 hand pumps but only 5 were on: Brewers Gold, Wakatu, Hopfest and Landlord. I went for a pint of Wakatu for £4.35 from Southwark Brewery. Again this was another disappointing New Zealand hopped beer that was lacking the flavour and aroma I would be expecting.

I sat on a table at against the rear wall so I could have a good look at the pub as a whole. There are about dozen 4 seater tables around the pub all on the carpet floor, with space for standing at the bar. The ceiling is filled with pump clips through the years. I actually spotted an old cardboard pump clip for Strongbow draught. The newer pump clips are just above the picture rail on the walls. The pub walls are adorned with old advertising including cigarette adverts and alcohol posters. On a high shelf there were a variety of old Persil boxes and some home brew kits. The window shelves were full of books. By the bar there was also a board showing ales coming up soon and which also confirmed that all ales are £4.35 for a pint and £2.30 for a half. I do understand a slight difference in prices for pints and halves and this is along the borderline of what might be acceptable price difference to account for time, cleaning and wastage. The pub itself is a treasure trove of old advertising but it was time to move on to pub number two.

Just a few doors down on the same street is the Temple Brew House (WC2R 3JF). The outside of the pub is grey and upon entering you see three large stainless steel brew barrels to your left. You go down the stairs and turn and your enter the large pub space. The pub has an industrial stripped back feel with lots of space and areas seeming incomplete. Upon entering on your right is a long bench style table with seats which I guess is guess for brewing talking. On your left is the main seating area with some booth seating. All the tables are wood tops but have a worn down/reclaimed feel. The main showpiece though is the bar which is straight ahead and is a concrete bar with a wooden top.

At the bar you immeditaley are presented with 6 hand pumps all serving their own brewed beer under the Essex Street Brewery brand (Named after the road the premises are on). On my visit only 5 of these were on which were Brewhouse Small Batch Spring Golden Ale, Calcutta Club, Brown Toast Porter, Red Eye and Tempale. Behind these hand pumps there is a tap wall serving up 13 beers which are a mix of their own brews, London beers and mainstream. On this visit the taps were offering Amstel, Heineken, M.A.C Pale Ale, Hells Unfiltered, House Cider, Affligem, Essex Street I.S.L, Kernel Pale Ale, Cloudwater Pilsner, Boundary Chilli Stout Filthy Animal, Catch, Gamma Ray and Sambrooks Pale Ale.

Being presented with so many choices made it difficult to decide what to go for. I knew I wanted to try one of their own brews so I went for what appealed to me the most and that was the Essex Street Indian Steam Lager (I.S.L). It cost £4.80 and I was surprised to see what appeared to be a Red Ale, which was very nice. No one else was in the pub apart from the bar staff, a repairman and two guys who were checking out the space for a work do on the coming Friday. It was only when sat down drinking I also realised the large bottle selection available which included their beer of the week - Weird Beard Holy Hoppin Hell at 9.7%! There was acoustic music playing quietly in the background and I noticed hops hanging from the ceiling. They appear to have a key keg packaging facility on site, and I understand they also have a smoke room which is used by their kitchen to smoke whatever their chef desires. The top half of the walls in the pub also displayed previous guest beer pump clips. I wish I could have stayed longer for more beer, but I guess I'll have to come back to sample another time.

I had to move onwards to tick off one more pub before returning to work. Again just a few short steps away is the George (WC2R 1AP) a Greene King pub operating under their Metropolitan brand. This was the first time I had encountered a Greene King pub under this brand and I was pleasantly surprised, but it then begs the question of why they didn't convert some of the Taylor Walkers into this style. The George was built just before the turn of 20th Century and has a mock tudor beam exterior. It sits directly opposite from the Royal Courts of Justice and is certainly a beautiful looking pub. Upon walking in the pub had more of a Nicholson's feel with the varnished wood floor, the large wooden barrel for standing around and the large bar and space around it. There were some tables in the front bay window area, then some high tables opposite the bar, with the majority being at the rear of the pub. The pub also has a restaurant operating upstairs under the name Pig and Goose though it seems people can order from a normal pub menu downstairs, as it was a mix of diners and drinkers. The whole pub had a modern feel but also kept true to it age.

What made it feel less Greene King was the selection of ales. I was expecting to be presented with all Greene King ales and maybe one guest but surprisingly this wasn't the case. There were 9 hand pumps which offered Headless Cavalier, Old Dairy, Black Eel, Renegade IPA, Up and Udder, Fusilier, Common Pale Ale, Hogs Wallop and GK IPA. On keg there was Cote Breton Brut Cider, Hells Unfiltered, Peroni, Amstel, Guinness, Truman's Pale, Punk IPA, Neck Oil, Hop House and Camden Pale. I had no hesitation in choosing my drink which was the Black Eel by Twickenham Brewery for £4.60. The beer poured very dark in a lovely straight stein. The beer had a good taste to it and wasn't heavy at all. This was an excellent example of a Black IPA. As all the tables were taken in the pub I had to stand and drink this beer at the bar, but I'm glad I chose such a good one.

On my journey back to Victoria I reflected on the three pubs I had visited. The Edgar Wallace being a perfect example of a privately run pub which has its own quirkiness to it whilst serving a good selection of beers. The Temple Brew house offers unique brews and a wide array of keg beers, and having another brew pub in central is always a plus point. But most surprising of all was I found a Greene King pub that I actually liked and which offered a varied selection in ales. All three pubs today are certainly worth a re-visit sometime soon.

London Pub Tour 42 - Westminster: Barley Mow, Royal Oak, White Horse & Bower and Loose Box

Since I swept up some of the remaining pubs in Victoria I thought I would make my way across towards Horseferry Road in Westminster to tick off the four pubs there resulting in another large part of the map being completed. I done this trip in two phases, the first two pubs during lunch the other two after work, but of course, both on the same day. The first point of call was the Barley Mow (SW1P 2EE) a large Enterprise Inn pub. The entrance door on the main road is actually the side entrance as you arrive at stairs to go up to the large function room or turn right to enter into the bar area. If your enter from the side road entrance, you face the bar straight on. The bar is in a U shape hugging around the wall. The space around the bar is very open and the floor around the bar is tiled. The bar has a large selection of ales (8 hand pumps) which on my visit were LPA from Southwark, Naked Ladies, Eagle IPA, Lighthouse, Doombar, Blindside, Session IPA and Sharp's Barley Mow Ale. On keg there was Blue Moon, Guinness, Sharp's Pilsner, Coors Light, San Miguel, 1664, Magners and Carling. Alongside this was a varied bottle selection of ales, lagers and ciders.

As there was a large ale selection I went for two halves. My first half was of Blindside by Truman's, a golden ale at 4.4%. This was a smooth ale and tasted good. My second half was Session IPA from Three Sods Brewery. I've not come across this brewery before which was behind my selection. This beer was also 4.4% but it just felt like something was missing in flavour, it wasn't all there. I had my two beers stood up on the quieter side of the bar. For a lunch this place was very busy, there were bout 50+ people in the pub and the majority were not eating. The pub does normally get busier in the evenings and to control the outside area there are large plastic barriers installed to prevent people spilling too far out onto the pavement. The pub has a wooden interior and where the walls are painted it's a dark red colour. The floor is wood apart from the raised seating area towards the front of the pub which is carpet. There are lots of tables around the pub all suitable for dinning, and there are some high tables scattered around as well. What I did find strange though was the food wasn't being made on site. Staff were ferrying food back and forth across the road from a cafe (about 200m away) on traps with the food wrapped in foil. Then a member of staff unwrapped it and would check to see if order was correct and send out to the table. I can only imagine this would lead to a large number of incorrect orders and delays in food going out.

I left the Barley Mow and made my way a short distance past the source of their food to a pub just off the main road. The Royal Oak (SW1P 4BZ) is a Young's pub set on a tight corner which provide a distinct shape to the pub, a triangle shape without the top point. Due to the shape there are windows on three sides. there are entrance doors on the two large sides to the pub, and both entrances are level with the bar. The bar is a small straight bar and offered up 5 ales but only three were on at the time of visiting, which were Bombardier, Young;s Gold and Young;s Bitter. On keg there was Coast to Coast, Thatchers, Fosters, Peroni, Hells, 1664, Estrella and Guinness. I wasn't interested in any of the cask or keg offering so went for a trusted bottle of Ram Rod. Although only 275ml it comes in at 5.2% so makes for a suitable lunchtime drink.

The area in front of the bar has high tables and always is well lit with the light able to enter from all sides. This section was busy with customers as expected. The pub goes back further on the right hand side and against the wall here are a few tables, with sofa seating on the wall side. These tables seem aimed at diners and there were a few people eating here. The front of the bar is mainly glass with the bits in between being painted white or wooden. The rear section of the pub was painted red. I took a seat on one of the rear tables as it was towards the end of lunch and no one else would be coming in this late for food. There were about 25 people in the pub and all of them were men apart from the two bar ladies working, who were clearing through the two hand pumps for tonight. I seen a sign saying happy hour was 4pm to 6pm Monday to Friday, which entailed 20% off all drinks. Once sat down I did notice the plates people were seating off, small slates, which seemed impractical for eating off and also too small. Excusing the 'plates' the pub was very nice and I could see this as a nice pub to relax in outside of busy hours, whilst the Barley Mow would be best during the after work rush, due to its size and outside area.

I headed back to work to put in the few hours as required before walking back to Horserferry Road to visit the two remaining pubs. My first port of call was the White Horse & Bower (SW1P 2EE) a Shep Neame pub. The pub is on a corner and has a small outside seating area. There are two entrances in, one at the front and one near the rear on the side road. This is a single room pub with the bar stretching about halfway down. The floor at the front is wooden with the other half being carpet. There were a few tables at the front with the majority of tables in the rear including two booth seats. The furniture felt quite basic and minimal though. There were no stalls at the bar which is probably a good idea considering the width of the pub at this part.

Being a Shep Neame pub the ales on sale were all from their brewery. There were 4 hand pumps serving Spitfire Gold, Master Brew, Whistable Bay and Hog Island. The keg beers aside from the Guinness are again all Shep Neame beers produced under licence with the likes of Ashai and Oranjeboom. There were a few Shep bottles including the wonderful Double Stout. In the end I opted for a pint of Spitfire Gold at £4.40. Although the styles are different, I really can't tell the difference between Spitfire and Spitfire Gold. I think I might have to do a side tasting at a pub one day. I found a seat, as the pub wasn't that busy with only about 20 people in. The pub was hot but thankfully not smelly. Towards the rear of the pub there is a dart board and the toilets. On the walls of the pub there were black and white old photos of London including the nearby Whitehall area. I finished up my gold and made my way across the road to my last pub/bar the Loose Box (SW1P 2AA).

I had never even realised this place existed, as its slightly covered with the bushes outside and that it seems to fit in with the government buildings next door. The place is a large single floor open plan pub. There is a slight raised seating area which was reserved for a work party. The rest of the pub had the seating and tables re-arranged to cater for different bookings and as a result although the pub was empty all the seats were reserved. At some points of the pub there were four tables pushed together and the seats arranged around them in a U. The floor in the pub was wood and the walls painted blue and white. The ceiling wasn't high so the pub felt dark, and wasn't helped with the fact the sun was shinning the other way, hence why the other pubs are probably more popular earlier in the evening.

The bar ran all along the left hand side wall. I was surprised to see that they served ale and that the ales weren't your standard national brands like Doombar. On the two hand pumps they served Wimbleon's Common and Truman's Blindside. On keg there was a bigger offering which has Bud Light, Toasted Lager, Honkers, Goose IPA, Leffe, Camden Ink, Caple Road, Camden Pale, Peroni and Estrella. So it was all in all quite a good varied selection of keg beers. I went for a half of the Toasted Lager by Blue Point Brewing Company. Considering the keg was from the US the price of £2.80 seemed reasonable though I didn't taste any toasted notes to the beer as the name would seem to suggest. The pub also had a nice bottle selection and so I opted for a bottle of 312 Urban Wheat Beer by Goose Island. The 330ml bottle cost £4.95 and didn't have as strong a wheat beer flavour as I expected but was nonetheless enjoyable. I would perhaps come to this pub again just to have the Honkers on tap as I really enjoyed it in bottle previously, but other than that I'm not to sure what the appeal of the place is, other than work drinks.

London Pub Tour 41 - Pimlico: White Ferry, Warwick, Brougham and Willow Walk

This pub tour was to do a final sweep up of the pubs I'd not visited in the Pimlico area. I started off at The White Ferry (SW1V 4LD) which is both a pub and hostel, run by Pub Love. The pub stands gracefully on a corner just away from the busy Victoria coach station, and its white frontage stands out from a distance. The pub now days is not near a river and set back quite a bit from the Thames, but when originally built there was a river that flowed by and was infamous with smugglers.

The pub has two bar areas with the front area being quite small and full of tables. The floor is carpet and the bar stretches into this area offering up some of the beers and ales that are on offer. A door connects through to the larger main bar where the seating is around the edges and are a mix of sofas, low tables and high tables. There are a few stalls at the bar, but otherwise there is ample space around the bar to allow people to flow around. The bar itself stretches all along the back wall which provides the opportunity for the establishment to display the bottle/can beers they offer. The beers are displayed on a shelf and are number 1 through to 30 and details of each beer are listed in their drink menu. On the bar there are 4 hand pumps which on this visit were serving Brains SA, Deuchars. Naked Ladies and the final hand pump was to advertise the Old Rosie cider sold from the bag in the box. On keg there was Guinness, London Lager, Yakima Red, Amstel, Sierra and Mortimers. As the pub has such a large bottle selection I decided to pick from there. My first bottle was the Chocolate Porter by Meantime (330ml). There were chocolate notes to the beer but nothing stand out compared to other chocolate stouts and porters.

I took up a table on the side which looks out into the outside covered bench seating area they have. There were games on the window seal. At the rear of the bar was a fire place (not on) and the hostel entrance. The pub is open till late and the menu is focused around burgers. There is a TV in the corner playing BBC News but without sound, as music is controlled by the bar staff from their large playlist. My second beer was a bottle of Red Rye from Barney's Beer for £5. This was a nice malty rye beer with a red-orange-brown hue. The pub remained quiet during my stay but must get a lot of trade from those staying in the hostel upon their return from the day out in London. I left the Ferry and made my way 5-10 minutes to the next pub The Warwick (SW1V 1QT).

The Warwick is a Greene King owned Gastro establishment. This little area in Victoria has a surprisingly high number of pubs and this is one of the least frequented ones for me. There are two doors at the front on either end, though these doors don't quite give away they're the entrance to the pub. The floor is wood and is filled with sanded wood tables which are nicely spaced out. The bar also has a sanded wood look to it as well. Above the windows are some stained glass windows and on the ceiling fans are spinning slowly, though the pub is not warm. There are some steps down to a lower seated area with only a few tables. The bar offered up three ales which were Splendid Tackle, GK IPA and Abbott. On keg there was Beck Vier, Carlsberg, 1664, Guinness, San Miguel, East Coast IPA, Noble and Aspalls. The bottle selection was very small here.

Based on the options I selected a pint of Becks Vier for £4.90. It's not my favourite mainstream lager but it was my preferred choice out of the options. The pub only have about 7 people in so I slotted in on a small table near the rear wall. An older man at the bar was slightly drunk and joking about not paying for his drink to the bar staff. Then two elder ladies walked in and sat down at a table unaware what they were in for. The old man came and joined them and starting hitting on both of them at the same time. I didn't hand around to see if he pulled it off, but judging by the time I left, I would say no chance.

I made my way round the corner and past the big Sainsbury's to Brougham (SW1V 1HP). I have to admit here that I've always avoided this pub, even under its previous guide, the Elusive Camel. The bar is bizarre. During the daytime it's empty and offering up cheap meals to entice people in, whilst after work it's full of people in suits and and turns into a high priced gastro. The pub is on the corner and is quite narrow but long. The bar runs against the back wall facing out towards the road outside. Considering the depth of the pub it's larger than you would think. The bar was busy and it took a while before I could order due to the number of cocktails being made up. There were no cask ales and the tap selection was Guinness, Amstel, London Pale Ale, 1664, Aspalls Suffolk and Heineken. I went for a pint of London Pale Ale which cost £5.30.

The pub though busy wasn't fully packed but all seats were taken. There was a low sofa seating running under the long window opposite the bar. There were two hide away areas (snugs) with seating that was reserved for groups. The staff were all dressed in white shirts and slim black ties. I stood towards the end of the bar and drank my pint though a smell did start to come through the pub of sewers. This is the same smell I normally pick up when walking past the pub, I just assumed it would be outside and not inside as well. I finished the pint quite quickly due to standing and the smell. I made my way back towards Victoria station and looking at the time, I realised I could squeeze another drink in, so popped into the Willow Walk (SW1V 1LW). The Willow Walk is the second Spoons pub in Victoria with the other one being plainly called Wetherspoons and being based directly above WH Smiths in the station.

The Willow Walk was covered up with boarding outside due to the offices above being renovated, so is easy to miss. Considering the outside of the pub, lots of people had managed to find their way there and it was rammed. This of course was the standard spoons layout with carpet floor, lots of low tables, and lots of ales and lagers. The pub was dim and quite long, with the rear door out to the other side closed due to the office renovation. I believe I caught the full list of beers available as there a large amount. The ales were Midland Red, Brouwejii'tii Flino, Mild the Gap, Pathmaker, Doombar, Twicknehma, Pride, GK IPA and Abbot. The lagers included Coors Light, Adnams Dry Hop, Sambrooks IPA, White Riot, Erdinger, Innis and Gunn Lager beer, Bud Light, Guinness, Shipyard and Stella. I went for a half of the Midland Red by Everards for £1.68. The beer was smooth and had nothing offensive about it but neither did it have anything that stood out. I did have a second half and this was for the pure taste purpose only and since it was newly launched. Yes, I had a half of Bud Light. The half cost £1.75 and I'm glad I only had a half. The beer was bland. Just no taste at all. The beer could be considered cold and refreshing but it was bizarre to drink something that tasteless. The only thing I could feel was the carbonation at the rear of my mouth as I swallowed. I finished off my drink and finally called it a night and made my way across the road to Victoria Station.

London Pub Tour 40 - Bulls Cross(Enfield): Rose & Crown, King and Tinker and Pied Bull

It was a sunny lazy weekday and what better to do than a walk through the countryside and visiting some pubs. I set off for my walk from Gordon Hill Station and walked through some housing before hitting hilly fields. The name gives away what the terrain is like. There are some steep paths which are rewarded with downhill slopes. At the far end of Hilly Fields on Clay Hill you arrive out onto a busy road, upon which resides the Rose & Crown (EN2 9AJ). The pub itself is the whole set of buildings in front of you and you have a choice of entering from the road and walking through a beautiful wood seating area with natural beams or going round to the car park in the rear and entering directly into the open bar area. No guessing which is the preferred route.

The pubs interior bends and curves following the movement of the oak beams. There is an upstairs area as well to this pub which looks just as beautiful as the downstairs. The whole pub is full of table seating and setup for dinning. The only area that isn't setup with tables and is very open plan and plain is the bar. To be honest the bar area is a let down compared to the rest of the pub, but the rest of the pub could still do with a bit of tlc to bring it back to its full glory. The pub was empty apart from in the bar area where there were some dog walkers and lads off early from work. On the bar there was an offering of Amstel, 1664, Guinness, Heineken, Strongbow and Birra Moretti. There were also two hand pumps dispensing Pride and Abbot. I instead look into the fridge where there were a small selection of ciders and some bottled ales. I picked a bottle of Theakston XB for £4.50. I actually don't remember having XB before though have seen it around quite a bit in shops so I was pleasantly surprised at the lovely malty taste of the beer.

Whilst sipping my beer and looking around the pub my mind did turn to the history of the building. The pub was built in 1700 and is famous for two things. The first being that it was at one stage owned by the Aunt and Uncle of Dick Turpin. But the other claim to fame is that one of the cottages the pub has extended into was a safe house used by Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators in their plan to blow up the House of Parliament. No doubt this pub being next door, Guy Fawkes may have even drunk in the premises. I finished up my excellent XB and made my way out the bar entrance of the pub, into the car park. There is a playground situated out here to keep the kids entertained during the better weather.


I now set off across Whitewebbs. The sun had come out and the walk through the open fields and then the woodland was beautiful. I stuck to the paths as the trails were muddy. Not many other walkers were out which gave me the opportunity to enjoy the surroundings. The walk to my next stop was around 1 mile and not as hilly, so much easier than the first leg. My next stop was the King and Tinker (EN2 9HJ).

The pub is on a quite busy country road and has a large car park, beer garden and children's play area outside. The pub looks like a very large country pub from the outside though perhaps needing some repairs. Upon walking in through the latched door though you see how well maintained the interior is. You walk through the small porch area and straight into the bar. To the left is a raised snug area with sofa's, a fire, tv and a carpet. To your right are some tables, with one reserved for dog walkers. Beyond this and up a step is a further room with 10 tables which is geared towards dinning.

Hanging all above the bar, from the wood beam ceiling, are drinking jugs in a variety of styles. There are jugs with destinations on them, others shaped like creatures and some just standard branded jugs. On the bar there were 5 hand pumps with 4 currently on, which were: Greene King IPA, Tribute, Wainwrights and Hobgoblin. The keg offering was Carlsberg, Fosters, John Smith, Stella, Aspall's Suffolk, Thatchers Gold, Strongbow Cloudy and Guinness. I went for a pint of the Wainwright's which actually tasted quite watery. I took a seat on the sofa facing the TV which was playing an old black and white movie (though I was unable to make out what). There were 6 older fellas in the bar around 40-50 who were chatting and having a bit of banter with each other. One of the fellas turned out to be the landlord and the girl serving behind the bar was his daughter.

The pub was warm and cosy and it had just started to lash down with rain outside, so I prolonged my stay slightly by having a bottle of the Young's Light Ale for £3. Though these beers are meant to be used as a part mixture for a mild and light, I actually do rate them on their own. The rain let up and I finished off my bottle, said goodbye to the gentlemen at the bar and headed on to what would be my final stop just over a mile away, The Pied Bull (EN2 9HE).

The walk was on a path alongside the road and actually took me past the Tottenham training ground in Bulls Cross. You arrive back into a residential area and opposite a green is the Pied Bull. Again this is a building with character showing its age. The outside area is a bar garden with lots of benches and round the rear is the car park. I struggled to work out where the entrance was but turns out any of the doors I did look at would have led me in. The pub has a low roof in places due to the wood beams (I'm 5'8 and my head was brushing along parts of the ceiling). The floor looks like it was a wood floor which had been varnished previously but through the years the varnish has worn off but also made it difficult to see the actual wood flooring. The pub was split into multiple sections with two front bar areas and a rear bar leading into the car park. The sun was pouring through into the rear and was quite bright, which instantly made my decision to remain in the slightly dimmer front, all the more easier. The front of the bar is a cream white wood panel, with a mahogany wood top. On the walls the cream panels were on the upper half with a painted lower half

The pub is a Greene King so it was no surprise to see Greene King IPA. On the other three taps were Grand Slam, Splendid Tackle and Pied Bull. The Pied Bull appears to just be Greene King house ale packaged up. On keg the options were Peroni, Stella, Fosters, Estrella, Aspalls and Guinness. I selected a pint of the Splendid Tackle by Skinner's for £4.50. The beer was usual fare from Skinner's, middle of the road.


In the pub there were around 14 people, with an even mix of Women and Men, with the average age being 40+. I sat down near the bar and got speaking with some of the locals. We discussed some of the pubs I went to earlier and some of the pubs that used to exist in the area. I enjoyed my chat so stayed on for another beer, though this time went for the Stella. During the course of this pint the sun set and by the time I walked to the bus stop to return back to Enfield Town it had gotten dark and cold.

The day had been enjoyable, though not much of a challenging walk it was more to reach some of the more countryside pubs in the boundaries of the M25 and London. The pubs were a pleasant mix and all ones I would visit again.

Beers to note - April 2017

Black Eel (Twickenham) - 5.0% | Cask Pint
The last pint in a three pint lunch time on a nice warm spring day and though it may black it wasn't a heavy body. Added to this the stein glass it was served in and the pub surrounding, and it all made for an excellent pint.



Birra Chiara (Brodie's) - 5.0% | Keg Pint
I've not been a massive fan of the Brodie's beers. I want to love them but can only ever manage one or two before I have to switch off them. This time I notice that Brodie's now had Keg beers and thought I would give them a go. After careful selection (point at anything) I select the Birra Chiara which turned out to be very much like a euro lager but with an extra hit. It went down very nicely whilst watching the football in the Old Coffee House.



London Pride Unfiltered (Fullers) - 4.1% | Keg Half Pint
So after holding off, temptation set in and I finally had a pint of London Pride Unfiltered. I had easily held off as to me Pride is one of the ales I never order due to the off taste it has. So I only had a half pint expecting the worse and surprisingly I liked it. The keg version was much more maltier and that off taste normally in Pride was more subdued. I got to the bottom of my half quite easily and ordered another half.




Whitstable Bay Black Oyster Stout (Shep Neame) - 4.2% | Keg Pint
I wasn't even aware that Shep Neame had made a Black Oyster Stout in their Whitstable Bay range so when I happened upon this I jumped straight at the opportunity. This stout is more creamy than the standard Shep Neame Double Stout but a straight comparison between the two is not possible as both are great. It's a shame these other Whitstable Bay beers aren't more commonly available in Shep Neame pubs.





Stout (Pirate Life) - 7.1% | Keg Half Pint

I only opted for a half due to the high ABV. The beer had a beautiful tan head and dark body. There is a lovely roasted smell coming off the beer. The taste is slightly bitter but with a nice malt kick.



DIPA v13 (Cloudwater Brew Co) - 9.0% | Keg 1/3 Pint
I finally had me a DIPA from Cloudwater, and it might so happen to be their last in this line. The pub was only selling in thirds due to the ABV and this is sensible. The beer is cloudy (as expected) and has an amazing citrus smell. The hops come straight through in the taste alongside a bitter orange taste.




BBC1 (Brentwood Brewing Company) - 1.5% | Cask Half Pint
Well I don't think I've ever come across a beer with this low an ABV. At 1.5% I knew what to expect. There was a weak but nice aroma coming from the beer but it severely lacked in the taste department



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Vintage Ale 2016 (Fullers) - 8.5% | Bottle 1/3 Sharer of 500ml
I had this previously on tap at GBBF but now it was time to crack open one of the bottles for a tasting. The beer was malty and dark with a clear alcohol punch coming through. Perhaps leaving to age the other bottle for longer is called for so that the flavours can develop more.





Apricot Jungle (Grafton) - 4.8% | Cask Half Pint
I had this fruit beer at the Reading beer festival and it proved very popular. The smell is spot on and the taste even better. I had this as an early starter (more like breakfast) and it went down a treat.






Old Tom (Robinsons) - 8.5% | Cask Half Pint
I've seen Old Tom in all the shops but as it's available always in bottle I've shun the need to buy and try this classic Ale. At Reading this beer was on cask and it finally called for me to tuck in to it. Although 8.5% ABV it didn't taste like it. Wonderful plum notes coming through along with a nice warming feel after. This is a top notch ale.






Afgan Pale Ale (Grey Trees) - 5.4% | Cask Half Pint
The beer with no tasting notes at the beer festival and worth a punt. This was the best Pale Ale at the festival I tried a fruity aroma that carries through into the taste and made for a wonderful beer.