The King Alfred, Street

Locals' pub away from the town centre in Street. The bar area is on the right as you enter, with a larger dining area straight ahead and to the left-hand side. Although, a couple arriving at the same time as me turned back when they discovered that food wasn't being served. The locals who were in seemed to be mainly lager drinkers. Although, the selection of Pedigree & Forty Niner was not particularly inspiring. Street is more famous for its outlet mall. So, I didn't stay long, as I also had Heck's Cider Farm to visit in the town too. A touch disappointing.

Official site of The King Alfred - www.thekingalfredstreet.co.uk

Official site of The King Alfred - www.thekingalfredstreet.co.uk

A rather grotty back street pub, which offers B&B and average pub food at a fair price. There is a reasonably sized garden and limited parking. The pub's publicity material claims it is friendly, food is freely available and that it is a country pub. None of these claims is substantiated by our experience. The most appetising food we could see was the dog treats available for sale from the bar, as they had stopped serving cooked food, and what was on people's plates looked rather sad. The decor is basic 20th Century urban, certainly not rustic, though if you were transported here from 1990s Kosovo you might see the countryside connection. The barmaid, who by coincidence did appear to have been transported here from 1990s Kosovo (though she might have been from anywhere East of Berlin), was just plain obnoxious, while the landlord was far from welcoming. It wasn't all bad – the beer was OK, reasonably priced, and the locals weren't too hostile. The bar is vaguely divided into 2 areas, a slightly raised dining area and a rather scruffier drinking area with the air of a NHS drop-in centre. Two ales on – I had a pint of Over The Bar, but didn't stay for a second pint as the experience was not a happy one. Much as I love traditional local boozers, I won't be coming back to this one.