Sir Henry Royce, Peterborough

Sir Henry Royce is a large open plan pub with long bar counter up the left-hand wall that faces a mix of high tables and standard furniture. Televisions are found throughout for showing live sport and there’s a pool table at the front and on a raised area at the rear. The bar supports a standard keg range alongside Birra Moretti and Camden Hells. Two of the six hand pumps were unused which left cask options of Sharp’s Doom Bar and GK Abbot Ale alongside Lilley’s Cherry Cider and Berry Cider. Not being busy it was OK in here, but I probably wouldn’t think the same if I visited on a weekend evening.

One of those large 'spoons-alike Stonegate pubs, with similar furniture and decoration, but not quite the same range of food and drink offers. However, the cask range has certainly improved in recent years, with all five handpumps clipped on this visit. The choice was Doom Bar, Abbot, Hobgoblin, Bass (in surprisingly good shape) and a Lilley's cider. Admittedly, this was a mid-morning visit (and things may get trickier later, especially at the weekends), but the place seemed to be well managed - ensuring compliance with the coronavirus restrictions, but in a sensible way.

Definitely a spoons alike, you can even get Abbot and Doombore from two of the six pulls, service is better than many spoons, but the beer quality is rough and the sound is up on the tellys and there are rather a lot of them.

I also thought this was a Spoons when I walked in and it was only the menus that proved me wrong. OK during the day but I reckon this place will get rammed at night. Half way decent ales on hand pump.