White Hart, Loughborough

Official site of White Hart - benpimlico.com

Official site of White Hart - benpimlico.com

Simple single room pub just off of the town centre ring road, which has been opened out from a former two room set-up, as evidenced by some retained sections of partitioning wall that are dotted through the centre of the room from front to back. The space is bare boarded with walls that have been painted in a warm shade of purple down one side and a far blander shade pretty much everywhere else. The servery is to the right and has a nice traditional panelled counter with a beautifully worked dark wood bar back centrepiece, flanked by sets of rather plain shelves. Tables and chairs fill up much of the room, with banquettes under the front windows and a couple of tub chairs here and there. Walls have been decorated with old brewery adverts and mirrors plus a great old beer engine which has been squeezed into a nook on the left. There are three very pleasant fireplaces around the room, at least one of which boasted a nice painted tile surround, and these provided some much-needed warmth on a cold Winter’s evening and worked well with the muted lighting to help create quite a cosy ambiance. A garden to the rear wasn’t explored on this visit and there were some good tunes playing in the background, although often lost under the chatter of a decent mid-week evening crowd. The pub felt a bit foodie, with menus lining every available surface, but I couldn’t see a single person eating at 6:30 on a Thursday evening, which helped minimise the impact of the gastro stylings. I was greeted by a very cheery barman and was able to pick between a decent selection of cask ales that comprised Charnwood Salvation, Vixen and Blue Fox, Taylors Landlord and Leatherbritches Ashbourne IPA. The Vixen was a well-kept drop and I enjoyed it whilst watching the comings and goings of what is clearly a popular pub. I quite liked this place but couldn’t fully shake the feeling that I might just as easily have turned up to find it full of diners. It’s a smartly presented pub with some good local ale options and easily reached from any of the town’s other notable ale houses, so adding it to a crawl is a bit of a no brainer.

Different take on a traditional pub, in your face block painting outside, inside its dimmed lighting and candles on tables. I quite liked the snug feel and rustic seating plus the beer was well kept