The Raven Inn, Walkley, Sheffield

I have to remind myself from time to time why I don't come here often, despite it being only a 20 minute walk from home. The beers from Loxley brewery are kept well, but I'm not a huge fan. The stout is made with lactose and the bitter has a dominant flavour of chocolate. At about 4:30 on a November afternoon of heavy rain and gloom, the barman turned down the lights and lit artificial candles on every table. When I asked why he said it's night time, it improves the ambience. In other words he'd been told to do it. Any ambience was already destroyed as far as I was concerned by intrusive pop music, and reducing the whole pub to a state of gloom just reminded me of seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Maybe I'll call back next summer and see if I feel any better.