The Old Horse, Leicester

A coaching inn in days gone by also once serving the former racecourse (now Victoria Park) on the opposite side of the road. Significantly opened out inside at some stage, but the various seating and dining areas are still distinct so it doesn't feel as large as it really is. All parts have been refurbished in a smart semi-traditional style, with those around the main counter being lighter than the smaller bar on the right-hand side of the entrance and another room beyond. For a city pub (even if not exactly in the centre), a surprisingly large beer garden is available at the back. As an Everards house, it was no surprise to find Tiger, Sunchaser and Old Original (£4.80) being served from the eight handpumps, along with Lincoln Green's Archer as a guest beer and four ciders. Several of the brewery's regular and small-batch craft keg beers are also available.

Reasonably large Everard's pub about a 10-minute walk uphill from the train station and overlooking Victoria Park. The first thing that caught my eye when approaching the pub was the large black sign to the right-hand side of the entrance advertising a Beer & Cider Room. Sure enough, the room to the right of the entrance has access to the bar and had a large number of handpulls all sporting different ciders. The last time I visited here in 2012, they only sold Black Dragon cider. The presence of 8 different ciders certainly seems an improvement since then. Ciders on were Aston Manor King's Apple & Friel's, Weston's Old Rosie, Broadoak Moonshine & Perry, Lilley's Gladiator & Thatcher's Stan's Big Apple. Off to the left is a much larger sub-divided room also with access to what is an L-shaped bar. Where the real cider range has expanded, the real ale range has reduced. There were 6 ales for my visit in 2012. This time, the regular beers from Everard's (Tiger, Sunchaser & Old Original) only had one guest beer to supplement them. This was Lister's Best Bitter. A CAMRA discount is offered on the ales and the cider. The main bar area has a rather unusual feature, having a coffin for the table, as mentioned by Steve C below. Beyond this room, steps lead down to an outdoor courtyard area where the toilets can be located, along with table football and an air hockey table. There is a large pirate peering over the yard from the roof above, whilst a couple of skeletons can also be spotted. Beyond the courtyard, there is a very long garden which had a couple of fake rugby posts erected. The garden wasn't quite large enough for a pitch and the posts weren't full height. I guess they were vestiges of their Six Nations promotions earlier in the spring. Back inside, there was food available including cobs and rotisserie chicken in a heated cabinet at one end of the bar. I quite like this place and am likely to return again in several more years time. Although there are not too many other decent pubs nearby, making the uphill walk from the station less worthwhile.

The Old Horse is a large Everards pub just on the edge of how far I could be bothered to walk from the city centre. There are two entrances, one from the car park to the left and one from the front where there are picnic tables under a couple of jumbrellas. The front entrance leads to a wooden floored bar area with seating and a serving counter on the rear wall that supports eight hand pumps that were all drawing cask cider. To the right is more seating and some Six Nations bunting advertises the rugby. This area of the pub feels a bit like an Irish bar with lots of dark wood everywhere. There is some seating in the window to the left of the entrance where, oddly, a coffin is used as a table. The bar counter runs down the right towards the rear facing high tables to the left and a partition wall that houses a burner. At the rear is open plan seating. There are two banks of four hand pumps on this longer bar counter. Five were unused leaving Sunchaser, Old Original and Tiger as the cask ale choices. Standard and premium keg were also available. The service was friendly and I left thinking that the walk to visit was worth it.

Official site of The Old Horse - www.oldhorseleicester.co.uk

Official site of The Old Horse - www.oldhorseleicester.co.uk

Located just over the road from Victoria Park and within easy walking distance from Leicester station, the Old Horse is a fantastic rambling old coaching in, currently under Everards ownership. A huge central servery acts as a focal point for the pub's multiple room layout, with the main bar area to the left on entering. This room is partly bare boarded and partly carpeted and has the dark wood bar counter running down the right hand wall under a stained glass canopy decorated with a stuffed fox, US flag, pump clips and all manner of mugs, bottles, tins and the like. There is a raised seating area in the front window bay, masked slightly by some pleasant stained glass partitioning screens, with a tap and spile display to one side. Opposite the bar is one of the most memorable pub sights I've encountered over the years - a table made from a coffin under a 'Charge of the Light Brigade Union' flag, some pitchforks, a witches broom, a bat, a violin and a set of bull horns. To the rear there is a triangular space set up for diners with a carvery in full flow at the far end of the servery where some more stained glass can be seen, this time with a Belgian theme (one panel reads 'Smeets', for example). There is a lot of standard chair and banquette seating back here under fake brick wallpaper and a massive collection of tankards, jugs, teapots and mugs hung from the ceiling beams. To the front left there is a much blander second dining area with pastel shaded walls and a TV screen showing muted sports coverage whilst pop music played over the top. To the right of the main entrance there is a second bar which has two distinctly separate areas, presumably operating as individual rooms back in the day. The first area has a few standard tables and chairs under the front windows with horse and coach themed pictures on the walls. The bar here is notable for having eight ciders on handpull, but for ales you will need to go through to the main bar area. Further to the right there is a second area with a modern looking, unmanned servery to the rear. High banquettes fill the window bay with standard seating elsewhere. Both areas are bare boarded and a couple of large upturned barrels fill the dead space between seating and bar, offering punters somewhere to rest their pint. There is a nice fireplace with a modern stove in it on the far wall and some rugby themed items are prominently displayed including some framed shirts, a trophy cabinet and an Aylestone Athletic RFC sign painted on the front wall. To the rear of the pub there is a nice old courtyard and former stable block. The courtyard has a fun pirate theme which includes a Jack Sparrow statue and various skeletons and skull and crossbones, which made it a good place to let kids loose. An archway leads on into a huge beer garden with plenty of picnic benches in a good spot to enjoy the sun's rays. Everards beers unsurprisingly dominate the handpulls, with Tiger, Original, Sunchaser, Beacon Hill and Midland Red all available along with two guests in the form of Burton Bridge Mystery Mild and Hydes Provenance Prohibition Pale. Allied with the eight real ciders in the second bar, this is a substantial range and I was keen to try the Tiger, which has always been a personal favourite. I was pleased to find it was in excellent condition and most worthy of the pub's regular appearance in the Good Beer Guide. This is a great pub with so much going on that it positively demands repeat visits. I thought the pub worked as a great showcase for Everards beers and their and pub estate, but judging by other customers, it also works well for diners, children, al fresco drinkers and those just wanting a quiet pint. Leicester's pub scene seems to be in constant flux, but this place looks like a reliable venue that I will very much be keen to revisit when I'm next in town.