The Fleur de Lys, Sheffield

Revised proposals to convert the Fleur de Lys pub at Totley into apartments, and to build houses in the grounds, have been approved.

An example of 1930s roadhouse in fake Tudor half-timbering, the Fleur is right at the edge of Sheffield on the road to Owler Bar and Baslow. An Enterprise Inns house, it was taken over by Paul and Alex within the last six months. We received a friendly welcome and an interested enquiry into how our day had been - this was our sixth pub, so we were quite chatty. Alex remembered me as a customer at her Proper Pasty shop in Sheffield city centre - a cynic would suggest that she probably says that to any stranger who walks in her pub, but it felt like good customer service to me. There are six hand pumps here, but only one beer on when we were here: St Austell Tribute. This was a rare sighting in these parts: an excellent beer in good condition. Usually they have a second (Black Sheep Bitter) but the barrel waiting to come on hadn't dropped. We had a good time here, though it's a long way out of Sheffield and only the quest for completeness brought us here. It would make a fine local, but five miles is just a bit too far for me.