Flowers of the Forest, Lambeth, SE1

Official site of Flowers of the Forest - flowersoftheforest.co.uk

Official site of Flowers of the Forest - flowersoftheforest.co.uk

Basic community pub with some hanging baskets enlivening the exterior but little in the way of decor once inside the irregularly-shaped interior of the opened-out bar area. Plain wooden furniture inside and a few benches out on the pavement. Also has a bigger-than-expected rear patio beer garden. Several silent TV screens, but music on a decent-sounding system (albeit of the MOR variety). As a notionally Irish pub, there is no real ale but as a small mercy keg Courage Best (£3.50) is an alternative to the inevitable John Smith's Smooth.

I suppose visiting an Irish (or Irish themed) pub on St Patrick's Day weekend is not the best time or place for a quiet pint. It was full of reasonably drunk people (nothing wrong with that) all having a great time, so I didn't see the pub as it really is most of the time. But the one-room pub is fairly ordinary - standard tables and chairs, replacement boarded floor, pool table, a bit of horse racing themed decor - and that's about it. There is no real ale here - keg Courage Best seemed to be the best bet as far as I'm concerned. This one really isn't worth bothering with if you're an ale lover.