John Barleycorn, Reading

A back-street local with a proper country village atmosphere about it. The central entrance gives a choice of lounge and restaurant to the left, public bar to the right. I chose the latter, which has three small rooms, a sort of bar snug towards the rear with servery from the three hand pumps which face the lounge bar, the main room with a fairly modern-looking (20th century rather than 17th) brick fireplace and the small room up a couple of steps in the corner of the building, where there are a bar billiards table, two up-turned barrels, a modern pine dresser featuring commemorative Bells whisky bottles and two handsome wooden armchairs. There are terracotta floor tiles and cream painted walls throughout. There was a friendly welcome from landlord and locals, and the beer was excellent: Brakspears Bitter at £3.20 a pint, plus Oxford Gold and Ringwood Fortyniner. Certainly the best of the Goring and Streatley pubs that I tried on my recent visit.