The Blue Anchor, Reigate

An unusual looking building from the outside, the pub appears to have been built on to the end of a row of older cottages and now seems to incorporate one inside. The pub also has one of the largest pub signs I have ever seen. Inside there is an L-shaped space with a beamed ceiling, leaded windows and a large inglenook fireplace nowadays containing a wood burning stove. Mostly regular seating but with a few sofas by the fire where a large group of friends had secured their premium spot for the afternoon, the fireplace area is carpeted but the remainder of the pub is boarded. An immediate acknowledgement from the barmaid on entering who was serving someone, always a good sign, four handpumps, one unclipped, offered Doom Bar, Hobgoblin and Pilgrim Vulcan Alia (£3.60) which had travelled all of six or seven doors down from the brewery up the street. A nice fresh drop it was too. The interior is attractive and seemed to have a genuine age to it, particularly in the appended cottage area, décor included framed rugby and cricket shirts, both of local teams and sponsored by the pub, as well as the local pilgrim related stuff with pictures of travelling groups and Canterbury Cathedral. There were menus rolled into glasses on the tables but I didn't read, a specials board offered Bouillabaisse (£4.95), Steak and Wild Mushroom Pie with Mash, (£9.95) amongst other options. To the rear, doors lead out to a very attractive garden with views across a cricket field and to the wooded hillside beyond, a great spot I imagine in summer but not on a wild windy and wet November afternoon. I liked this pub, warm, comfortable and welcoming with a good buzz to it, worth a visit.

The Blue Anchor is an L shaped pub with a snug and inglenook to the right of the entrance. The bar is also towards the right and seating stretches down the left hand wall. I spotted a lone plasma screen that was turned off during Monday night football so I guess that live sport is not available. The bar is stocked with premium and standard draught products. Two of the four hand pumps were unused leaving Surrey Hills Brewery’s Shere Drop and Sharps’ Cornish Coaster as the ale options. Food is available from midday until 15:00 and 18:00 until 20:30 during the week and from midday until 20:30 on Saturday and midday until 15:00 on Sunday. I didn’t see any menus or food prices because the kitchen was closed for yearly extractor hood maintenance, which was a new one to me. Out the back is a huge beer garden full of picnic tables. On a depressing note this is where I saw the first advertisement of the year for Christmas (15/9/2014)

Looks a bit odd from the street, as the main entrance is located in a newer and higher addition to what looks like a row of traditional cottages. Together with a rear extension, these two parts have been opened out to form a 'L'-shaped bar with a mixture of traditional and more modern features. Refurbished relatively recently by the look of things, with bare boards and a rather sparse black and white decor scheme. Background music. Busy. Patio beer garden to rear. Two of four handpumps in operations, offering Hobgoblin and a decent pint of the local Pilgrims Weald (£3.20). Overall, one of the better pubs in Reigate (although this is not a difficult feat...).