The Orange Tree, Winchmore Hill, N21

They had four ales on in here - Old Spooky Hen (really Old Speckled Hen with a jokey pump clip), GK IPA; Jenning's Red Breast; and Orange Tree Landlord's Choice (£3.70 a pint), a 3.9% beer brewed by Hook Norton. When we visited last Wednesday lunchtime the only food available was sandwiches. My three companions and I all agreed that this was something of a hidden gem. It's an old school pub. Both the landlord and the landlady seemed enthusiastic about the pub, and they took the trouble to show us around, including the large garden at the back, and showed us the old photographs of the pub, as well as the bric a brac thay had accumulated over the 24 years they have had the pub, and which adorned all the walls. The pub dates from 1912, and the bar counter and wall panelling on the walls both appear to date from that time. There are doors at either end of the pub - the one the right used to lead to the Saloon Bar, while the one on the left obviously to the Public Bar. There's both a dartboard and pool table in the old Public Bar area. An unused door in the centre would have led into the jug and bottle bar. It's all completely opened up now of course. There are attractive fireplaces in both ends of the pub, both with fires on the go when we visited on a very cold day. It's carpeted throughout, with just one tall table with tall stools, and with the rest of the furnishings being normal tables and chairs. There was a pull down screen on the right, but there was thankfully not in use when we visited. This is a cracking little pub, and one to which I would dearly love to pay a return visit.

Fairly traditional locals pub just off the main road. Interior has been opened up a bit and now wraps a good way round the long bar. Décor-wise it’s pretty much as I imagine it has been for 30+ years - traditional furniture, pub carpet, three quarter length dark varnish tongue and groove wood panelling. There is plenty of bric-a-brac to see, from a collection of Toby Jugs above the bar to vases, brasses and general granny ornaments on the fireplace and windowsills. Lighting came predominantly from standalone lamps. To the rear left is a discrete games area with a covered pool table and darts board. Bit of a let-down was the commercial radio being played, always a pet hate of mine. Four ales on, all GK brews: IPA, Abbot, Old Nutty Hen and a rebadge house brew. Went for the Nutty Hen which was pump tired. It's a bit of a throwback but none the worse for it. A double header of here and the Dog and Duck makes Winchmore Hill a worthwhile stop off on a Z1-6 Travelcard.

Randomness Guide to London - Orange Tree entry

Randomness Guide to London - Orange Tree entry

The Orange Tree is a traditional untouched locals pub. In essence a one bar horseshoe layout , but with the separate pool and darts section to the left of the bar and a seating section with its own fireplace to the right of the bar. Cosy in winter as there are two fireplaces, one on each side, and then a fairly sizeable garden area out the back equipped with kids play things for the summer months. Plenty of pub artefacts adorn the walls, a collection of Toby Jugs above the bar, porcelain pots in one section, and various framed certificates for the times The Orange Tree has won the Enfield and Barnet CAMRA awards and the ‘Enfield in Bloom’ awards. Four real ales are usually on offer and it is a GK house with IPA and Old Speckled Hen as the house ales. But there are usually two regularly changing guest ales as well. There are two flat screen teles, one at either end, which are supplemented by a large pull down screen for the projection unit, which makes it a good place to watch sport and is usually very lively when one of the North London Clubs is being shown on the satellite feed, The Landlord is an Arse*** fan, but those of us of the other persuasion forgive him, as he runs his pub for the benefit of all fans and will invariable show both Spurs and Arse*** at either end when both games are available on live feeds. But when the footy finishes , the screen goes up and the pub returns to being an excellent place for a social drink. And with regards to the final comment of the previous reviewer, yes I do feel very lucky to have the Orange Tree and the Dog and Duck amongst my locals.

I really liked it in here and I am of the opinion that this pub is almost perfect. I say almost as the affiliation with Greene King (Old Speckled Hen, IPA, Greene King xx Mild) is a let down, but I am going to gloss over that. I tried the Ffiagra which I wasn't really that bothered with and I wished that I had opted for a Guinness. The pub has Sky and Setanta which are shown on the two plasma screens and the projector screen which was rolled up during my visit. There is a room towards the rear which has a dartboard, but there is a pool table on the oche. There is another dartboard in the front bar and I overheard the barmaid telling a local that the pub was quiet due to no football or darts being on so I'd imagine the board in the back room is only used when the darts team is playing. I found the barmaid to be very friendly as were the locals that happened to be within ear shot. I'm not very keen on pubs that play commercial radio as I think adverts being played bring an air of depression to a pub so hopefully Capital was only playing as the pub was very quiet. I would make a detour to visit here again and people living locally are very lucky to have this place and the Dog and Duck on their doorstep.