The Champion, Fitzrovia, W1

This attractive street corner pub was notably quieter than many other pubs in its general vicinity, in the side streets off Oxford Street. Being a Sam Smith’s pub, the place has much more of a traditional feel to it than most of the boozers nearby, although there was still a relatively mixed clientele in attendance, perhaps grateful for somewhere a bit quieter than the likes of the neighbouring Adam & Eve. The interior was dimly lit on my evening visit, making for a cosy, warm feel that was enhanced by the exposed floorboards, dark painted walls and wonderful servery, which the room wraps around. The bar has an excellent dark wood counter, brass foot rails, a partly removed dark wood and mirrored bar back and some impressive snob screens with etched glass panes and a decorative stained glass top piece. The whole servery had been decked in fairy lights, which further enhanced the ambiance on a cold Winter’s evening. The pub’s finest feature has to be the amazing run of highly decorative stained-glass windows, most of which depict ‘champions’ of various sports, complete with a smaller pane above containing a potted biography. There are also some excellent stained-glass panes in all of the doors, and I had to wonder quite how great this would all look if the sun were streaming through. Seating is mainly arranged around the perimeter and mostly comprises well upholstered chairs serving tables of differing sizes. The rear wall has been decorated with a collection of old documents, paintings, plans and the like and a staircase back here leads up to a restaurant space, which I didn’t explore. Sadly, there’s no sign of any cask ales here – Old Brewery Bitter was available in keg format, along with all the usual Sam Smith’s regular brews, so I ended up with a pint of the Extra Stout for £5.50. The lone barmaid was doing some sterling work keeping up with all the orders and my pint of Stout was reasonable, if perhaps a bit too cold on such a freezing evening. I really liked this place and thought it had a very striking interior with some genuinely interesting features and a really nice warm ambiance that made me want to just settle down for a session. The place is let down on the beer front though, so that session may only be appealing if you’re okay with Sam Smith’s keg or bottled options. Either way, definitely worth popping your head in here, even if it’s just for a quick half, to check the place out.

Having slightly lost my way to the next pub on my list, I stumbled across this gem of a Sam Smiths back street corner pub. The windows feature likenesses of some rather outdated sportsmen and other celebrities, the only female I can recall from a brief perusal was Florence Nightingale. As with all Sam's pubs, certainly in this part of London, this is a well-presented pub with the impression of a well-preserved (or restored) interior. It was busy with a post-work rush at the time of my visit, so I had enough cover to use my phone to find my way on to my next port of call. My half of Old Brewery was ok, considering it was the keg version. Having had a half of the same beer at the previous pub, I was able to make a direct comparison. Only slightly too cold and gassy, was my conclusion, and lacking in the complexity that this beer has when at its best.