The Gamekeeper's, Nottingham

One of the many Nottingham Road micro-pubs, this one is slightly larger and more comfortable than some of the others. Not a lot of furniture, but the small tables around the bar are supplemented by a couple of booths with pew seating in a side alcove. With four of the five handpumps in operation, offering real ales in a range of styles, my attention was immediately drawn to the Coal Face Stout from Industrial Ales (excellent, and just £2.50).

It was busy here towards the end of our Saturday afternoon crawl of some of the many micropubs in this area. I found it a little more awkward than at the time of my first visit, when I was the only customer. For example, I didn't see some of the hand pumps until I'd already ordered a beer from what I took to be a pretty limited offering, because some people were sitting at the bar in a very crowded space with no room to manoeuvre. My note made at the time, that all the beers were pale with new world hops may or may not be accurate, consequently. Seating was limited to low stools and small seats crammed into corners - I know some people complain about high chairs in bars, but low stools are a pain for me. Date of visit: 29th February 2020

One room with the bar to the right. Three hand pumps with cider in a rear room. Strange light fittings at the front. Would revisit.

A shop conversion where the owner has clearly given a lot of thought as to how to make the best use of the available space. There are five hand pumps, with beers all from local breweries: Blue Monkey, Black Iris, Leatherbritches and Aurora. It was very quiet at the time of my visit, but on a midweek afternoon in November this was not entirely unexpected. There is a lot of competition in Eastwood, with several new or re-established bars and micropubs - I hope this one continues to be a success. Date of visit: 30th November 2017