The Racehorse, Carshalton

A Stonegate pub which seems to have changed hands fairly recently and is rather lacking in direction. It is a good, traditional pub building with two separate bars (one of which seemed aimed at dining not that there was any sign of it) structurally unaltered but decoratively wrecked. It generally fails to achieve much at all, not least with the solitary handpump out of use leaving a tedious selection of bitters (keg Atlantic) or lagers (Madri, Fosters, Stella or Moretti). No surprise then that the place was empty, unlike the Hope down the road that was full. This could be a good pub. It isn't.

A very basic and characterless locals pub, rather like drinking in a club, totally featureless apart from a David Bowie fixation in the form of a few pictures on a wall. The beer choice was fittingly plain as well, Doom Bar, Landlord and Harveys Sussex Best, the last two being decent beers if thats your thing but the Sussex was of very average quality. My advice would be to walk past this pub and go straight to The Hope..