The Home Cottage, Redhill

A highly refurbished pub in typical Young's 'posh dining' style, with arty decor and furnishings. Tables range round the central servery with the restaurant area behind. Just Young's Special and Original on handpump - not even a guest but a bit pricey. The history of the pub displayed (partly hidden) on a wall reminded me that I can recall its transfer to Young's in 1978. It was a very different pub then!

Young's pub tucked away the opposite side of the railway tracks from the town centre. It's quite a large building, with a drinking area wrapped around a central bar and a large dining area off to the rear right-hand side. Beyond that is a garden, that was proving to be popular on a warm early summer's day. Young's Ordinary & Special are the 2 regular beers. In addition, they had their seasonal Jubilee beer - All Ale The Queen. Despite it being over a week since the Jubilee celebrations, it was the first time I'd seen this one. So, I thought I should give it a try, not being a particular fan of Young's beers. It was as insipid as I'd expected. This seems to be more of a dining establishment than a drinkers' establishment, as was evident by groups of people arriving for pre-booked lunch reservations. I was the only customer there for just a drink and also the only person in the large bar area.

Hidden away around the back of Redhill station, the Home Cottage is a reasonably large Youngs pub with a very strong emphasis on dining. The pub has a traditional bar area to the front, with a couple of separate seating spaces for those just wanting a drink, whilst to the rear there are three dining rooms – The Noble Room, The Starr Room and The Stevens Room. The bar area seemed pleasant enough to be, with basic seating in the front section and plush tub chairs to the left, where a separate section of servery can be found. The bar has a dark wood counter and plain bar back with some old handpulls mounted on the top. Moving further back, you reach The Noble Room which in turn leads into the Starr Room. Both have quite a rustic feel to them, with untreated exposed beams running across the vaulted ceiling, smart tables and chairs through the centre of the room, tile stone flooring and fancy light features. The Noble Room also has an open kitchen to one side, whilst the Starr Room, named after a long-serving former landlady, has comfy banquettes down one side. The final dining area, The Stevens Room, looks like a fairly recent extension and has two rows of standard tables and chairs running front to back in a bright space with contemporary décor. Perhaps the pub’s finest asset is its beer garden which has been fitted out to a fairly high spec, including some very nice comfy ‘sofa’ style seats, as well as lots of nice modern wicker chairs, a criss-cross of fairy lights overhead, plenty of brightly coloured plants and some shady spots under giant umbrellas or the trees running along the back of the garden. Just the two handpulls in action on our late Sunday afternoon visit – Youngs Ordinary and St Austell Proper Job - with the other handpull unclipped. My pint of Proper Job was in good condition and went down very well after a long walk here from Mercers Country Park. The staff seemed friendly enough and had a real job on their hands tidying up all the empties from the garden, such was its popularity. I thought this was a pretty nice pub to come and have a meal in but lacking a little from the point of view of the drinker. My visit was rescued somewhat by the fine weather that allowed us to enjoy the garden, but I can imagine being stuck inside on a busy food day would be less than ideal unless you were planning on eating as well.

Liked this pub; good bar, and Youngs & Bombardier in good fettle. 'Facilities' above state Sky TV but that is incorrect (BITE - how do we get that changed?),so we missed the 2nd half of yesterday's lunchtime game but the barman kept us updated on the score, which was a nice touch.

The Home Cottage is located a stone’s throw from Redhill Railway Station, but can be missed due to it being the opposite side to the high street. The interior consists of the original building that houses a central bar that is surrounded by various seating areas. At the rear is a long extension that houses an open kitchen and thin seating area used for dining. Covered outside seating runs the length of the extension and at the rear is a decked seating area. The bar is stocked with premium draught products and the five hand pumps were drawing four Youngs’ beers alongside Waggle Dance. I didn’t spot a main menu, but bar snacks such as mini pies or chips were priced around £4. Youngs are not well known for sympathetic refurbishments, as is the case with this pub.