The Hand & Marigold, Bermondsey, SE1

Traditional corner pub just a short walk away from a rather trendy area of Bermondsey with some posh looking cafes, restaurants and shops. We were surprised to see this place fairly quiet with just one other customer, who as luck would have it we would bump into later in the day at the River Ale House in Greenwich. Perhaps this pubs gets busier at weekends, especially when the Bermondsey Beer Mile venues are in full swing. It's a simple square room with a small snug in one corner and two toilets in another corner. There are a few things of interest to admire on the walls and on pillars. At the bar, there are 4 cask ales. For our visit, these were Duration Best Bitter, Saddle & Goldfish & Crouch Vale Blackwater Mild. A cider was Ascension Shimmy. Craft beers were O'Hara's Nitro Stout, Cloudwater SoCal & Fresh, Duration Deep Fried, Adventure Defender, Cuttin' Grass, Strawberry Fields & Blue River & The Kernel Table Beer. Seemingly, there was a Duration tap takeover, similar to our visit to the Pocket in Canonbury at the weekend. I opted for the Blackwater Mild, which was enjoyable. It seemed a shame that this pub was so quiet. But it must be doing something right to be CAMRA's Southeast London pub of the year. Certainly worth a try.

I can't remember where I heard about this pub; I had written the name and postcode on a scrap of paper with a view to including it on a future visit south of the Thames. There was a group of five or six people behaving like they were regulars, who very kindly parted to make room for me by the four hand pumps as I approached. It turns out that one was the proud father of the man who was pouring my beers, and the others friends joining him in celebratory mood. I went for the two Nelson themed beers, of which the son behind the bar claimed at least part authorship - Nelsons Revenge 3.9% (with Nelson sauvin hops and brewed at Elusive) and Trafalgar 3.8% (brewed at Otherworld and named after the pub in Wimbledon, whose anniversary was being celebrated). The first named was NBSS 4 and the other was just a bit too frothy for that, but was still a nice drink; both were £5 a pint. The previous reviewers have described this place well, and I would certainly be happy to return, though I think I might have to look up the bus routes as the walk here from either Borough or London Bridge tube station would be pretty unpleasant if it was raining. On this sunny day it was pleasant and enjoyable, as was the whole pub experience.