The Winning Post, Sutton

This is an attractive pub from the exterior, with its Hodgson Brewery signage, including the red lion depicting the pub's original name. But inside it's largely unchanged since the previous reviewer's visit, except that the pool table seems to have been moved to the right, and there was no real ale on when I visited. It's very basic - bare-boarded floors and exposed brick walls, with the brickwork of a standard that suggests that it was never intended to be viewed by the human eye. There was a TV on showing the racing, which I guess is appropriate bearing in mind the pub's name, but the overall sound turned into a cacophony when the music started in competition with the racing commentary. To be honest, I didn't think that this one had a lot going for it, but I'm glad that enough people like it the way it is for it to remain viable.

The Winning Post is a high street pub that had a large fish van parked out the front on Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. I decided to chow down a few cockles and prawns to line the stomach before entering when I noticed that the old pub name of the Red Lion that is still displayed on the gable. The interior is made up by a U shaped front bar area that has a pool table and dartboard to the left of it. To the right there is a corridor that leads to the toilets and a function room at the rear that was hosting a private party. A door to the right leads to a smoking area and well-tended beer garden complete with picnic tables. The pub was busy with passers-by who had popped in for a quick half and aged locals who had been in since opening to watch the horse racing that was being shown on the two plasma screens. The drinks selection isn’t the most interesting with some standard draught and Greene King IPA as the Abbot was off. I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink here again, but I suppose a quick pint if passing wouldn’t be out of the question.