The Anglers, Walton Riverside, Walton-on-Thames

There were four ales on – Wychwood Paddy’s Tout, Caledonian Lipsmacker (apparently a lemon flavoured fruity ale – gave that one a wide berth), Deuchar’s IPA, and Sharp’s Cornish Coaster. The Cornish Coaster was excellent, but at £3.60 a pint not cheap, but what I’ve come to expect in this sort of pub. As the previous poster stated, it’s gone upmarket, and is now very food orientated. Main courses on the menu are from £11.50 to £15, but there’s also a daily specials board with two or three dishes on it, all at £8. The steak and mushroom pie plus veg (but no potatoes) was of a high standard. The main bar is downstairs (i.e. at ground floor level) and is very much how you would expect a “foody” place to look – taupe paintwork, bare-boarded floors, scrubbed pine tables, and more of those re-cycled school chairs. I have to say that for me the novelty of these small, hard and uncomfortable chairs has worn off. There is also a first floor bar, with its own bar counter, but it was unmanned during my Monday lunchtime visit. Unfortunately the outside seating is very limited, with only three or four tables on the river’s edge. The best thing about this pub is its superb location right on the Thames path, with lovely views down the river. Interestingly the pub sign, as well as some internal decor, now features a green parakeet, which is a bird regularly seen around this part of the world. It seems the prices reflect the perceived upmarket status of this superbly placed riverside pub, but nonetheless the ale choice was good, the pint I had was excellent, and I would visit again if I am in the area again (which is highly likely in view of Mrs R’s take on the place, which is totally uninfluenced by the prices I have to pay!).