Harvester Alwalton, Peterborough

Official site of Harvester Alwalton - www.harvester.co.uk

Official site of Harvester Alwalton - www.harvester.co.uk

Routine pub / restaurant, even by this chain's low standards... and with a very poor beer choice too... meaning just three dull lagers, John Smith's and Guinness. Only (very slight) saving grace was finding Sharps Atlantic in bottled form.

As this is a Harvester, you’ve really got a pretty good idea of what to expect before you get through the door. It’s a modern building built next to one hotel and opposite another, and I suspect that’s where most of it’s trade comes from. By the time we left at 10:00pm on a Monday evening there was only one other couple left in there, and they were just about to go. The décor is bland but not unpleasant. Plenty of pine wood around, mostly carpeted but with slate tiles leading up to, and around, the bar. Several different areas on different levels, separated by wood partitioning. There were a few abstract drawings on the wall and some old black and white photographs of the local area. There were a couple of sofa’s around and a gas fire which was a welcome touch on a cold January evening. Barman was friendly and actually had a personality which is something that often seems to be lacking in this type of place. The menu is no doubt the same as every other Harvester in the country but isn’t all together bad. Although I didn’t eat on this occasion, I have done previously and as long as you don’t have high expectations of home cooked food then it does the job. There’s an extensive choice on the menu at reasonable prices, and although many of the dishes seem to tend towards unhealthy fried food, they do offer their “famous” salad counter where you can help yourself to your own choice. Beers on tap were a disappointing Bombadier and Tetley’s Smooth, whatever that is, both from the keg. Ciders were also a little disappointing also, with just Strongbow and Bulmers.