The Windmill, Rochester

Traditional village pub, with a modernised and partly opened-out inside to leave a central servery with a bar at the front and on one side and a lounge / dining area to the other. More real ales thank I was expecting from the four handpumps: Whitstable Bay Pale (£4.00), Doom Bar, London Pride and a 'house' beer from Sharps.

The Windmill is a fairly rough village pub owned by GK. The downstairs has been knocked through to form an open plan bar with a small games area with pool table at the rear, all served from a single central bar. There are also a dartboard, gaming machines and TVs (in both senses of the term) in evidence. The staff were a bit distracted, the locals were friendly enough, though, one of them stepping in to run the bar for a while. The Speckled Hen had just gone off when I arrived so I had a pint of IPA which was predictably over-chiiled and over-gassed. It's fine as a local but the beer situation means I wouldn't make it a first choice of destination.