George IV, Baldock

Official site of George IV - www.chefandbrewer.com

Official site of George IV - www.chefandbrewer.com

This is a large Chef and Brewer roadside pub and restaurant just outside Baldock on the London Road, a short distance from junction 9 of the A1. Internally it’s nothing you haven’t seen before if you have been to other members of the chain, with a modern clean multiple area space radiating around the central serving area, mainly laid for dining. Usual modern dining pub decor straight out the Farrow and Ball catalog and a couple of feature walls sporting garish flock wall paper. However a positive of this one is the multiple level outside garden space out the back which is a very nice spot for a pint in the current heatwaves we are experiencing. And it also benefits from a large two level car park as nearly everyone will drive to get here. As Chef and Brewer is one of the brands for Greene King it’s only GK ales only on the bar with four pumps dispensing GK IPA, Yardbird, a summer ale called Golden Nectar and the fourth pump had Abbott but not on for my visit, I initially went for the Golden Nectar but it was clearly end of barrel and I had to take it back. It was swapped for a pint of Yardbird which frankly wasn’t a lot better but just drinkable, so I suffered it as the remaining IPA option wasn’t worth thinking about given the condition of the other two. Ironically on leaving I couldn’t help noticing the Cask Marquee accreditation and that they have given this pub their highest rating of 5, more evidence, if it was needed, of what an absolute farce that organisation is.

A GK eatery about a half-mile out of Baldock's centre with plenty of Farrow & Ball-esque flourishes. They offer a Sunday Carvery for £8.95 which gets bums on seats, and ale-wise I was limited to GK IPA, OSH and a GK brew called 'Barmy Army' which was an OK, inoffensive light ale.