The Oakley Arms, Bedford

One of a couple of pubs in the village of Harrold, this is an upmarket place that seems to focus on food. Although, it can be found in the current Good Beer Guide. You enter to find a person standing at a podium, with a procedure more akin to a restaurant than a pub, but the lady behind the desk was more than happy for us to come in for a drink, directing us to the bar at the far right. Tring Ridgeway is the regular beer. A guest beer was Tring Liberator. I ordered the Liberator, by the barmaid struggled to dispense it, wondering whether it had reached the end of the barrel. She said it had only been on for a day or two, but another guy visited the cellar and confirmed it had already run out. At least I was given what she could pour. Disappointingly, they decided to clean the lines instead of replacing the beer, instead preferring to save the next one for the Father's Day rush the following day. The barmaid turned out to be very friendly and chatty, but we remained at the bar and didn't get much chance to explore the rest of the pub. Suffice it to say that furnishings are well appointed. I quite liked this place for the friendliness of the staff. It could quite easily have been a really pretentious dining place. Despite running out of my beer of choice, it had clearly been kept well.

Official site of The Oakley Arms - www.theoakleyharrold.co.uk

Official site of The Oakley Arms - www.theoakleyharrold.co.uk