The Lamb, Bloomsbury, WC1

Ah yes. One of London’s classic alehouses. A great interior, no doubt about that. And a great atmosphere too. But still I don’t feel like London takes care of its most special pubs quite as well as other cities. Then again, maybe the nature of the city these days makes that impossible. there was an awful stench in here, presumably caused by the cooked food (does a pub like this even need the gastro element, really?). And it’s another place where I was made to feel like a luddite dinosaur for paying with cash. Still a must visit though, but frustratingly short of the brilliance it should be.

A traditional and attractive looking pub towards the top end of this pleasant road, it has a green tiled façade, etched windows including a gold coloured plan, several hanging baskets and describes itself not as a pub but a Wine and Spirit Establishment. Don’t be misled in to thinking this is somewhere young and trendy though, it’s very much a traditional pub and there was plenty of beer on offer as well. Internally it consists of one single room, with a large central bar counter which you can walk all the way around. The bar counter itself was very attractive and certainly a prominent feature, with wood panelling around the curved base and more etched glass up above. There were old wooden boards on the floor, whilst the walls had dark wood panelling on the lower half and pale yellow paintwork up above. The ceiling was clad with wood panelling that had been painted green, and the seating was a mixture of curved benches with green padded cushions and a number of stools lined up in front of the window. A number of small old black and white portrait photographs were on the walls, although I don’t know who the predominantly female subjects were, and there were also a couple of pictures at the rear of Price Charles and the Queen Mum pulling a pint. Perhaps it was her local! Beers on tap included several from Young’s with their Bitter, London Gold, Special and Winter Warmer and these were joined by Purity Bunny Hop, Adnams Lighthouse, and Sharp’s Lamb’s End. Ciders meanwhile were Aspall’s Suffolk plus Weston’s Old Rosie and Rosie’s Pig dispensed from boxes on the end of the bar. All in all, a great pub in this pleasant part of town and well worth seeking out.