Leg Of Mutton & Cauliflower, Ashtead

According to the sign outside this is a free house, and this is borne out by the ale selection – Timothy Taylor Landlord; London Pride; and Skinner’s Cornish Knocker. The latter was an excellent pint, at £3.30. The only menu I saw was for a Thai set meal, comprising a starter (e.g. chicken satay), and a stir fry main course, for £6.95. Inside there’s a central island bar, with drinking areas at different levels (just a few steps difference between them) to the right and left. This is a pretty basic pub – bare-boarded, with mainly red fully upholstered normal chairs coupled with standard wooden tables that have clearly seen considerable use over the years. There were a couple of distillers’/brewers’ mirrors on the walls, but I didn’t see anything else worth mentioning. In fact the wall decor could do with beefing up, if only to cover those places where the paint has gone missing. It’s clearly a dog-friendly pub, as there was a large black dog (William) roaming around presumably in search of new friends or discarded crisps, or perhaps both. The pop music seemed unnecessarily loud, as the handful of customers in there didn’t look like the sort of people who would appreciate it, but maybe I’m wrong. It’s an OK pub – the excellent pint of Cornish knocker was a big plus - but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit again.