Pubs Galore - the UK pub guide

Recently re-opened as Jones Bar. Called in today where they had 3 cask beers on,2 Moorhouses and Old trout from the Worsthorne brewery which was spot on. All 3 casks were a snip at £1.50 a pint.

A back street cafe bar with entrances from both front and rear - it's hard to tell which is the scruffier. Any finishing touches the building may have had have been long since stripped away - bare brick was what they wanted, apparently, and bare brick is what they got. The bar, in the front part, is made of recycled timber with a veneer top, and featured tea, cake and nibbles as well as plenty of keg fonts and three sets of two hand pumps. I spotted three real ales and a cider. I went for Arbor Shangri-La, with the also-rans being Thornbridge Jaipur and Vocation Bread & Butter. Those who know me well will appreciate that these are three beers that are definitely not to my taste, but I persevered in a spirit of public service. There's a roof garden, "weather permitting", says the sign, and on the day I was here it didn't. I ventured upstairs to the toilets, which were identified by the single letters M and F on their black doors. The interiors were enlivened by graffiti, which I assume were provided by the interior decorator rather than a gang of spray-can wielding youngsters. Or perhaps...no, surely not.

Date of visit: 12th October 2018

The former "Fat Cat", "Linenhall", "Mockingbird" and "El Sotano" has reopened yet again as "Big Hand Alehouse".

This time, under Big Hand Brewery of Wrexham, with eight handpumps to pull their beer, it stands a much better chance of success.
Entering down several steps, the bar is the basement below a two storey building. The curved arch ceiling with support props give a real underground feeling. Beyond the bar room is a larger room and a small cosy area which has a bagatelle table. Outside there is a covered seating area and a barrel of "Big Paw 0%" for four legged drinkers!
This bar is an excellent addition to the Chester drinking scene.

UPDATE:
The only thing that seems to have changed in this pub in Soho Farmhouse country is the name: internally the layout and decor remaining exactly as my previous visit two-and-a-half years ago, although menu-wise, it's not solely about the fish (a couple of 'warm' fridges holding hunks of meat testifying to that). Hook Norton Hooky remained on the leg stump, augmented by TT Landlord and a locAle I'd not heard of before - Chadlington Oxford IPA which was excellent, albeit £4.80 for a pint.

31st May 2016
Unashamedly gastro and with an emphasis on fish dishes, the Masons is situated on the busy A361 between Banbury and Chipping Norton. Internally it's geared up for dining as one would imagine, with a main dining area taking up the majority of the building, and further tables and chairs set up to the right of the small bar, although there were a couple of stools up at the bar and a smallish area opposite where drinking did not seem to be frowned upon. An attractive beer garden offered views out towards nearby Hook Norton. Ales were Brakspear Bitter and Jennings Cumberland, the latter of which came in at £2.00 a pint. Probably best to leave this one to the pescophiles.

Previously The Retreat, this is a village pub which also does B&B, has a restaurant and is trying to be an hotel; certainly the signage gives no hint that is is still, in fact, a pub, which is a little pretentious. It is entered through the car park off the main road, whence you have a choice between the B&B and restaurant entrance or the bar. There is also an enclosed garden at the back, and some bench seats for smokers at the side. The two bars are side by side, separated by a large 15th Century inglenook which contains a bread oven and a modern woodburner. The bars are carpeted, and there is a small snug with a sofa and bench. Water is offered for dogs who are also allowed in the dining rooms. Two ales on, Otter and Doombar. The Otter was in very good condition. Worth stopping for a pint if passing.