The Fox & Pheasant, Chelsea, SW10

This was my first visit since James Blunt's takeover, and the refurbishment seems to have been fairly sympathetic. It's now more food-centric than the old fashioned boozer it used to be, as well as more expensive. Main courses are around £16 - £17, with sirloin steak at £24. The real ales are at top of the range prices as well, with three on - Truman's Swift (£4.70); Old Speckled Hen (£4.80); and St Austell Tribute (£4.90). My pint of Tribute was served quite short in a dimpled mug, but was in good condition. The pub still retains the two separate rooms that earned it its place on CAMRA's National Inventory of pubs with historic interiors. Unfortunately all the inter-war antique furniture has been replaced with a mish-mash of stuff - a couple of armchairs and new fixed bench seating in the old public bar on the left, and normal tables and chairs in the room on the right. They've added a conservatory at the back, but this doesn't impinge on the heritage features in the pub proper. The room on the left has a dartboard, a rack with newspapers in it, and a fox on the mantlepiece with a gun, presumably off to bag a pheasant in a less than traditional way for a fox to hunt a pheasant. The room on the right had menus on all the tables, so I guess might be regarded as the dining room. On the plus side, they have removed some of the paint from the exterior to reveal the original green brewery tiling. This is still a delightful little pub, despite the top of the range prices, and is my favourite of the Fulham Broadway pubs.

Official site of The Fox & Pheasant - www.thefoxandpheasant.com