Pubs Galore - the UK pub guide

I agree with BF below, as I also thought that this was a good solid boozer. We called in on a Friday afternoon and were met by a very friendly landlady. I went for the Bradfield Belgian Blue, which looked in a reasonable condition, until the landlady insisted that she would run down to the cellar and put on the next barrel. When she returned, she said that was on the house, which was a really nice gesture, as I hadn't waited that long for the beer. The other beers on pump were Adnams Mosiac, Beer Studio Lunar Glow, Everards Suffragette and as this is a Hydes pub, Hydes Lowry and Hydes Original. The prices were also good in here at £3.10 a pint.

A multi roomed warren of a place. It looks like there's just the one room, but there are more rooms upstairs A couple of high tables to the left as you enter and some fairly rickety tables and chairs elsewhere. There's lots of dining tables and chairs upstairs and quite a few were eating, but it wasn't that busy. We had to wait to get served as there were no staff around. Eventually a guy got up from one of the barstools and said "If no-one else is coming I'd better serve you then, although I finished an hour ago". The ale choice was Windermere Pale or Roosters or Harrogate which I thought was a decent enough range. My pint was in good nick and Ms CAMRA liked her red wine. I'm not convinced about this place. We may well call in again, but with a great choice of better places in Harrogate, we may well not bother.

Again one I've only visited on a beer festival occasion when it was busy but very welcoming. Free entry for card carrying CAMRA members on regular days, or you can show the GBG if you carry it round with you. The usual club entertainment staples of darts and pool, a stage for turns plus TV are present. An outdoor courtyard served the festival beers and I assume also smokers on non-festival days. The bar mounted handpumps clearly show that real ale is a year round fixture.

Formerly a pub named The Raven, this has been The Mowchak Indian restaurant for some years now and is one of the few remaining places you can get a beer in Stokenchurch these days. As mentioned, this has a two room layout with a restaurant area to the right and a standalone bar to the left, with a number of standard tables and chairs with the odd upholstered bucket seating device and backed bar stools. Plush red carpet, an elephant frieze on the wall opposite the bar and a dartboard. Three handpumps, all dispensing Fuller's London Pride (£3.80 a pint and average). A keg tap also dispensed local tyros Rebellion's IPA. Quiet background muzak included "Rapper's Delight" and unsurprisingly I was the only punter in on an early weeknight visit. Not a destination place by any stretch, but at least they've kept part of the pub ethos going.

A family-owned village pub which has seen better days. The dilapidated exterior gives the impression that it’s closed, but it does in fact open almost every evening, though times can vary. It serves a village off the beaten track, and holds regular live music events which bring in custom from elsewhere. There is a car park at the rear and a large beer garden. Inside, there is a small front bar and a larger bar/function room at the back, plus another room at the side which would make a good dining room if they did food, which they may in future but don’t at present (other than barbecues in the Summer). In the hall is a perspex window set into the floor, through which a deep well can be seen. The barman, the son of the owner, was very hospitable and good company. They buy their ales from Fine Tuned, and on this occasion there were two on, Langport Bitter on cask, and Hop Culture on keg; both were in very good condition and rather enjoyable. I’d be very happy to drop in again whenever I’m passing, though they don’t open lunchtimes.