The Royal Standard, Dereham

Backstreet pub to the south of town. We walked in to find the barmaid's chest covered by some kind of improvised clothing. Apparently the landlord had thrown 2 litres of water over her. The large number of bottle tops near the entrance door and where the landlord was positioned would suggest that she had retaliated with her own missiles! Music was loud. Apparently my wife spotted a parrot near the door. But it would have been drowned out by the music and the shouting. Language from the customers was choice. So, I'd imagine the parrot could have taught us some new words. The pub is split into two very different rooms. The bar is on the right-hand side and we were invited to play pool at a free table in the window. Off to the left was a separate dining room. Carpets were filthy, windows were suffering from damp and the remains of Sunday lunch meats and vegetables were sat in the open air on a trolley. None of the handpulls were clipped, but we spotted a small pin of cask ale sat on the back of the bar back. Nobody seemed to know what it contained. The barmaid enquired with the landlord (apparently they were back on speaking terms). He told her that it was a beer called "Tackle". I asked which brewery and was told Wolf. I cannot find any such beer and dread to think what it would be like, given the lack of cleanliness in the pub. I was certainly impressed by the number and range of different spiders in the gents, but was left wondering why anybody would risk eating Sunday lunch here! As a pub, it was good for its entertainment value. But I'd struggle to recommend it for a decent beer and definitely not for food.