Gipsy Moth, Waddon, Croydon

This is a huge, purpose built pub and carvery at the far end of the dreary Croydon Colonnades leisure complex. You enter to a vast main bar area with the servery on the rear wall - easily reached by passing through a vast open vertical drinking area. The bar is a modern interpretation of a traditional dark wood servery, with a plain mirrored bar back not really having the desired effect. A raised seating area opposite the bar looked quite tempting, but it had been set aside for diners, as had the entire right hand side of the pub, the rear half of which housed an impressively large carvery station which the last diners of the day were passing through on my on my Tuesday evening visit. The whole area is not too badly decorated, showing off some decent carpets, smart wall coverings and good quality wood fixtures and fittings. The left hand side of the pub is dedicated to drinkers and I have to say I was a little surprised to find that those just wanting a pint weren't marginalised but actually had arguably the best part of the pub. Initially it looked like there was only a small space to enjoy, with bar stools down the left hand end of the bar giving way to a tile floored space with a single table stood under a TV showing a Euro 2016 fixture. However, a doorway with a nice etched glass pane in the frame, leads through to a proper quarry stone floored public bar with tub chairs and standard seating all facing the rear wall where a large screen was showing the same match. A few old pictures dot the walls and there was more nice woodwork on display, especially near the side door that led out to a rather glum rear outdoor seating space (best to grab a table out the front if you want some al fresco drinking). Remarkably, there were three ales on the bar - nothing too exciting, but a welcome sight nonetheless. The options were Fullers London Pride, Greene King IPA and Wells Bombardier, with the Pride clocking in at £3.50 for a pint and in good shape, against all expectations. The barmaid who served me offered a genuinely warm welcome, engaged in conversation and couldn't have been any more friendly, remembering my order when I returned to the bar for a final swift half before my bus home. I was literally expecting nothing good to come from this visit, and whilst I must be careful not to paint the pub in too generous a light - it is a fairly corporate, uninteresting, food-led pub after all - I was nonetheless pleasantly surprised to find a decent public bar area, well kept ale and one of the friendliest welcomes to a pub I've had in a long time. It's by no means somewhere I'd suggest you seek out, but if you're in the area and want a quick pint, you'll hopefully be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

A grim carvery establishment situated on a desolate "leisure park" on Croydon's half-hearted attempt at a by-pass, containing a selection of the usual fast food outlets, a bowling alley and a Premier Inn. Its primary function is to serve 10 pin bowlers, workers at the industrial units hereabouts and those unfortunate enough to have been booked by their sadistic employers into the hotel. There are hundreds of these places on ring-roads throughout the country, they're completely indistinguishable from each other, formulaic and soulless, five identical lagers, freezer to microwave and chip pan, and the only possible reason to visit casually is for a 20 minute refreshment and loo break. This one is operated by Orchid pubco, not that you can tell. There's a solitary Pride pump, which was in remarkable good shape for these places.

Official pages of the Gipsy Moth, contains menus and wine list - www.greatbritishcarvery.co.uk

Official pages of the Gipsy Moth, contains menus and wine list - www.greatbritishcarvery.co.uk

Opposite Croydon Airport.Handy if you are waiting for your Imperial Airways flight.