Globe Inn, Leighton Buzzard

This is an old pub in an idyllic setting alongside the canal, and has apparently been licensed premises since 1830 according to a short history of the pub chalked up on a blackboard. Unlike many pubs whose gardens run down to the water, this fronts on to the canal with just a narrow road separating the two. The "road" incidentally is the access to the pub - try and squeeze past another car and you'll end up in the water! It's an attractive looking thatched building, and once inside the traditional look continues in the front bar with an old flagstone floor, plenty of black beams on the ceiling and wooden supports, an old leather sofa and various old black and white photographs dotted around. Beyond this though, it loses some of it's old charm. It's obviously had a refurbishment at some point, and with it's maroon paintwork, pastel wallpaper and contemporary artwork it reminds me more of a Premier Inn than an old canal side tavern. That's not to say there's anything wrong with it, it's all pleasant enough. It just doesn't have quite the character that it might. Beyond the aforementioned main bar at the front, the pub extends a good deal further on with a mixture of small snugs and a large, open restaurant at the rear, although the only view from here is of the car park. Flooring elsewhere is a mixture of carpet and modern laminate and there were plenty of old oil lamps around with church candles burning away inside. Staff all seemed friendly enough, although I'm always slightly suspicious of pubs which have a selection of sponges available on the bar. Besides the sponges, the food menu was extensive and was split in to sections such as sharing platters, steaks, classics, burgers and salads. There was also a chalkboard menu with a few specials on it. Most of the mains were around the £8/£9 mark, and whilst this obviously isn't out of the way, I found it perhaps a little expensive for what I got. My Chicken Tikka Masala was pleasant enough, but didn't strike me as being significantly better than something I could have got elsewhere for half the price. I guess you're paying a premium for the location. That said, I was intrigued by the desert option of Sticky Toffee Pudding Cheesecake since it combined two of my favourite puddings in to one dish, and I wasn't disappointed! Beers on tap were predominantly from Greene King with their IPA, Abbott Ale, Old Golden Hen and Hardy's and Hanson's Olde Trip. The only other beer option was their own Landlord's Choice. The solitary cider was Aspall's Suffolk.