Smoking Outlaw, Redhill, Bournemouth

Previously The Horse and Jockey, this late-Victorian roadside inn can easily be missed due to traffic and a sharp turning in. It has a tight car park off the adjacent side road and a courtyard garden at the back, plus benches at the front with a good view of the duel carriageway. It was once popular with the local fetish community but has now been taken over by new management and turned into an American-style pub. The smaller public bar has comfortable seating, while the larger restaurant area is quite strange – the décor consists of old pallets on the ceiling, wriggly tin revetment on the bar counter and walls, and the floor is formed from uncoated chipboard. There is a motorcycle – a 1967 BSA C15 – dripping its oil casually in the restaurant, a feature much more interesting than the mute TV screen in the corner. The local staff were friendly, but there seemed to be a Turkish family living in the pub who, with the exception of a lady who might have been a waitress, were less so. Food is American in nature, burgers and racks of ribs prevail. The bar had several pumps on it, the handles of which were formed from garden forks. Three of these dispensed Orchard Pig cider, while three more offered Exmoor Ale, Courage Best and Flack’s Double Drop. There was also an interesting array of bottled beers on sale. The draught beer was not best kept, but it was drinkable. This is a fresh approach which has saved a failing pub, and while I’d be happy to drop in for a pint when passing, the beer quality doesn’t justify an evening of it.