The Verulam, St Albans Central, St. Albans

One of a number of back street pubs in this part of town, the Verulam Arms has set itself apart from the crowd by defecting into the world of upmarket gastro pubs. In this case, the venture is known as ‘Foragers’ and, as the name implies, they specialise in food and beer made using foraged ingredients. It seems like the sort of daft marketing move that would do well given the fads of today, but there were only two other people in when I visited on a Bank Holiday Monday afternoon. You enter into a lop-sided U-shaped room with exposed floorboards and a similarly shaped tongue and groove panelled bar counter to the rear. The entire pub has been furnished with very fancy looking chairs and scrubbed tables, with no other forms of seating available. This makes the place feel both upmarket and formal, neither of which are really conducive to relaxing over a few pints. There is a neutral colour scheme throughout and a small but plain fireplace to the left, but thankfully there is some etched glass in the windows that helps give the place a bit of character and sense of history. The decor is heavily themed around the idea of foraging and includes pheasant feathers, dried herbs, jars full of sea shells and hops, an ivy-lined bar canopy and a set of mounted antlers with a load of grass tangled up in them. Boards around the room detailed upcoming foraging events, so you can presumably source the food you intend them to cook for you! To the rear there is a sunken beer garden with a fair bit of seating. The pub has its own brewery out the back somewhere and they specialise in beers using unusual foraged ingredients. Options on this visit included Foragers Mediocria Firma and Slingshot, Squawk Oat Pale Ale and a house cider. My pint of Slingshot claimed to be brewed with Douglas Fir needles and I can confirm that it did indeed taste as though I’d fallen face first in the forest. The pint was also served unpleasantly warm, which made getting through it quite a chore and I was rather amazed, as I sat there slowly supping, to find that no other customers came to the pub the whole time I was there. Considering I probably visited this pub at an ideal time, when it wasn’t rammed with diners, I still came away feeling that his place didn’t really offer much for the casual drinker beyond the prospect of trying some potentially grim experimental beer. I could imagine enjoying a nice meal here – it’s the sort of place you’d gladly bring the family along to – but I’ll definitely be chopping it from future crawls.

The Verulam Arms is a decent looking back street corner pub,there were no signs of Foragers on its signage. Once inside the bar faces in a single U shaped room which is bare boarded,the seating is normal tables and chairs,the left side of the room was set for diners,none in on my Saturday dinner visit. The pub advertises foraging trips with the next one up Scotland,all very strange in my eyes. The pub brews its beers which all seemed pretty weird to me with their pump clips looking strange with leafs and the like on them,i had a drink of Slingshot,which was alright,but not really to my taste,the other real ales noted were Meroicria,Saint Cloak and Grindcobbe. The pub was busy with locals. I thought this was a very strange pub. Pub visited 24/6/2017

You would think from the name that this may be a pub of great history and character, it's not. The interior is modern and bland. 'Great decor' gingerprince? I think not! The pub was completely empty yesterday at 17:00. That said, the staff were friendly enough and the beer was ok. The pub is already no-smoking throughout.

This pub was a little too on the gastro side of things for me, either it works or it doesn't, and it didn't for me so I didnt linger long here, a quick half an Adnams Ghost Ship was sufficient.Unlikely to make a repeat visit.