The Goat, Berkhamsted

This is a smart, modernised single room pub on Berkhamsted High Street. You enter the pub to find the servery directly opposite and a large seating area to the right. The room has bare floorboards and a colourful mix of seating options including some brightly painted chairs, coloured pouffes and high leather banquettes and stools. The walls have been painted in more modest neutral shades, with some exposed brickwork visible in places and are decorated with some modern posters of iconic musicians such as Hendrix and the Sex Pistols. My early lunchtime visit saw a couple of TV screens turned off in favour of some disproportionately loud music, given that there were only a couple of customers in, and it seems that the pub offers a good line-up of live music acts as well. To the left hand side of the entrance, there is a small area dominated by a pool table. The back wall has been covered with old record sleeves and the TV screen here was switched on and showing a muted football show. At the back of the pub there is a decent sized garden/smoking area should the weather be obliging. Four hand pulls were dispensing Sharp’s Doom Bar, Shepherd Neame Spitfire, Tring Side Pocket for a Toad and Wells Bombardier. I went for the locally produced Tring and got a lovely drop of well conditioned ale. The barmaid was very friendly and gave me the sort of cheerful welcome that makes you immediately warm to a pub. Food is available and I had a quick look through the menu which listed some fairly typical pub grub dishes at reasonable prices, with most mains coming in around the £6.50 mark. I thought this was a smart, well kept place that should have quite a wide appeal. The bright colours and modern look won’t do much for the pub traditionalist, but they certainly help to set the place apart from its competitors. A good high street pub and worth adding to your itinerary if you’re touring some of the town’s more established ale houses.