The Gate Inn, Canterbury

I had been looking forward to visiting this tucked away country pub for some time given its glowing reports and high recommendations in various pub and beer guides but rarely have I been so disappointed. The pub itself is pleasant enough but there is little about the interior that sets it apart from other similarly recommended pubs. The two rooms are divided by a double sided open inglenook fire and lit by lanterns that eminate a cosy glow. The walls offer several archive local sports team photos along with other various nick nacks. It has to be said that some of the seating is amongst the most impractical I have encounteredin a pub with pews that are far too long for the room and merely serve to block everyone in (I certainly wouldn't want to be stuck in the furthest corner on a busy night if a fire broke out!). Being a cold winter evening, I didn't get a chance to experience the beer garden with its menagerie of ducks and geese but it certainly sounds like one of the better assets. The bar itself has no pumps or beer engines, the 3 Shepherd Neame ales are poured direct from the cask either on the bar or in a room behind the counter – a small blackboard behind the bar will advise what is available. The Porter I had was very good (Master Brew & Spitfire were the other options). We would have stayed for more and possibly even entered the Christmas Quiz for which the locals were gathering (one of many interesting events lined up over the festive period) had it not been for what I will presume was the landlord (apologies if incorrect). With all the personality of a corpse, we were greeted with a stony silence and not a single word uttered until it came to paying and even then it was a curt “six pounds” (not even a please!). Presumably a graduate from the Slaughtered Lamb School of Customer Service, he made absolutely no attempt to make us feel welcome or wanted and we almost felt like we should have apologised for turning up. I arrived expecting to add to my increasing portfolio of all time favourite pubs and left half an hour later feeling like an unwanted intruder.