The Barley Mow, Cambridge

From the outside, the Barley Mow is a typical country village pub set in a reasonably attractive village. Walk through the door however and expect a bit of a shock. All the original features have been ripped out and replaced by an interior designer's dream of a dining pub (Thai food appears to be the thing here). The colour scheme, décor and furnishings are a bit overpowering and the interior is totally out of character for the building. The 2 Real Ales (Greene King IPA & Abbots) were both off due to problems with the gas and the barmaid managed to overcharge us for 2 drinks and a packet of crisps. Interestingly, for a pub designed for diners and the more affluent and classier drinker (of which I am not one), they have a pinball machine and advertise live football on their plasma screen. Despite this being a Saturday lunchtime with live FA Cup football on the screen, there was no commentary, instead we had a soundtrack of rather bland music at quite a high volume considering there was no-one else in the pub apart from 2 of us and the barmaid. In the drinking area were a couple of coffee tables with chairs that were far too high to make them practical. There were some benches outside and this is probably the best option (weather permitting) as the pub is far more attractive outside than inside. As I said to my wife when we left, I would rather the place had been a dump (or similar such expression).