The Old Hatchet, Windsor

Roadside Fuller's pub on the A330, perhaps nearer to Woodside than Winkfield. It is so-called as was originally a couple of woodman's cottages. It did have a fairly upmarket feel, but not overly so. Our midday arrival meant we arrived before any lunchtime rush, but we arrived to find the pub having some kind of photoshoot, with one table set out with drinks (a pint, a cocktail and something else), presumably for the pub's website or social media. I did initially think that it was a bit too early for cocktails. Pumpclips promised London Pride, HSB & Hophead. However, on ordering the Hophead, it turned out that the pumpclip had only been put there for the photoshoot! So, the selection was in fact limited to Pride & HSB. There is a garden to the side of the front, with various nods to music. Although this doesn't appear to be the kind of pub to host live music. A large car park can be found to the rear.

Official site of The Old Hatchet - www.oldhatchet.co.uk

Official site of The Old Hatchet - www.oldhatchet.co.uk

As mentioned below, this is a ‘fearsomely upmarket’ Fullers pub. There’s a decent bit of character in here and the interior rambles over a number of areas via the flagstone floor. The right hand area, with painted wood panelling and feature fireplace, looked like a tidy place to bag a seat. The suitcase tables were a unique feature, not seen them before. Real fire on the go, creating that intangible homely feel. Three Fullers stable ales on; Pride, Seafarers and HSB. The Seafarers went down well and the price at the till for a half of that and a lemonade was noticeably cheap for a Fullers pub. A glance at the menu found that the price for food was – even for this area – top whack. I rather enjoyed this one even if wasn't quite as good as the Edinburgh. 7.5

This is a fearsomely upmarket pub but then it's a fearsomely upmarket area. The locals will try to maintain the fiction that it's a genuine country pub in a genuinely rural setting. It was once but now it's in that semi-rural semi-suburbia that persists for thirty odd miles around London. Anyway it's been reasonably sympathetically, though of course needlessly, refurbished by Fuller's, who can be as dreadful as any when they set their minds to it. So there's a touch of the leather sofa disease but it isn't too annoying. And a touch of the gastro pretensions too, they like that round here, but that's reasonably low key and you can, remarkably these days, get a sandwich on a Sunday. The beer? Well it's a GBG pub so it's fine, usual Fuller's/Gale's suspects but no Chiswick annoyingly. Not a destination pub but if you are passing or staying in the area it certainly deserves a look.