The Elm Tree, Cambridge

A decent backstreet pub with a fine offering of cask beer from the eight handpulls on the bar, Mighty Oak The Old Man And The Sea was my choice and it was mighty fine. A good pub but just falling short of an elite pub for me.

One of several excellent side-street pubs in the area, with a fairly compact bar at the front with a small raised seating are up a single step and a rather larger rear lounge - both parts traditionally furnished and full of breweriana and other curiosities. We found all eight handpumps in use, with a wide selection of cask ales including Mighty Oak's The Old Man and the Sea (£2.75, half). Numerous bottled Belgian beers also available.

A very welcome return to this very good Cambridge pub, primarily because my last visit was at the end of a long crawl and for some stupid reason, I went for a bottle of strong Belgium beer which made my remembrances even more hazy. I remember it had a very decent ale range but I don’t remember the interior at all, so it was very good to reacquaint myself with the opened out two room space with the main bar room and it’s collection of breweriana and the larger back room with its strange collection of witches hats hanging from the ceiling. Well, I guess it makes a change from beer jugs and glasses. All 8 pumps in operation dispensing the beers and cider listed by Steve below. This time I ducked the bottled Belgium beer collection and went for the Siren Brewery's Bright Pale which, like Steve’s Anchorman, was in very good condition. A few of the group went for Mighty Oaks Old Man of the Sea and that was reputedly very good as well. A very comfortable pub for a decent pint and no quality issues at our end of the pumps, so happy to give the Elm Tree the rating it deserves.

Another backstreet pub with lots of knickknacks and brewery regalia, much of it Belgian and all very traditional. With a choice of seven on cask, I plumped for a half of Ghost Ship at £2.75 which really wasn’t great; I came close to sending it back. This is a nice and quirky place, but the ale quality needs a kick up the arse.

An excellent locals' pub, liberally strewn with breweriana and equipped with nicely mismatched furniture. The sort of pub you immediately feel at home in, helped by the friendly welcome. Yet another good selection of 7 ales available, plus a boxed cider. Why are there so many good pubs in this area?

This is a Charles Wells pub, but most of the beers on the bar are from anywhere but. Just one beer from their new brewery, Brewpoint: a "fresh IPA" (whatever that means) called Anchorman (NBSS 3.5). See photos for the other six beers on when I was here. My notes made at the time say it was "quiet and welcoming", so maybe it had just hit a flat spot (7:30 Thursday evening, and pretty poor weather). Definitely worth a visit, and together with the nearby Free Press fits nicely in the gap between the Champion of the Thames and the likes of Cambridge Blue and Live & Let Live. Date of visit: 28th February 2024