Three Horseshoes, Houghton Le Spring

Official site of Three Horseshoes - www.threehorseshoesleamside.co.uk

Official site of Three Horseshoes - www.threehorseshoesleamside.co.uk

I last visited here late one evening in July, 2017. Very little has changed. But seeing the pub in the daylight made the experience slightly different. My last visit had primarily drinkers present. But this time, it was dominated by people having Sunday lunch. Timothy Taylor Landlord regularly features. Guests were Rat White Rat, Maxim Double Maxim, S43 The Doctor & Working Hand BBM. The latter is a stout from the in-house brewery. Thistly Cross Whisky Cask was also available. Sitting outside in the garden, with the A1(M) in the distance, we witnessed the continued vagaries of ordering using apps. One family had received their desserts before they'd got their drinks or their main courses. You couldn't make it up!

Visited November 2017 early evening. Several real ales from the Working Hand Brewery plus one called Atom which was an IPA. I had The Mogul (by the Working Hand) as I fancied a dark ale, and it was good. Very friendly, the locals (mainly older chaps) welcomed me in and we had a bit of banter at the bar (but not the cringey type).

Detached, white rendered cottage style pub with annex. The inside had a dining area in the larger cottage bit and an open plan area in the annex, with a bar and a pool table and dart board. The décor was black beam with heavy white artex, with a few old pictures and a parrot in a cage. The pub was clean and friendly enough, though the gaffer got angry (not with me!) when I returned the drink due to the thick lipstick mark on it. The few regulars up the bar agreed on the fact that lippy should be banned, otherwise it was quiet. Beer; usual tap stuff, with John Smith cask, which remained untested, Black Sheep bitter, that didn’t taste great, but there was Hook Norton, which was excellent. A so-so kind of of place really

5 real ales and one real cider on tap. The beers were in excellent condition on each visit. My friends and I had good meals that were reasonable priced.They have a good menue but not very flexible. The staff were friendly.