The Jolly Gardeners, Mortlake, SW14

The Jolly Gardeners is a little gem. Good trad Youngs pub, now the only decent pub left in the area, with eers looked after. They put on quality live music. I heard that the 60's RnB band The Others is playing 5th October. I'll be there.

A timewarp pub to me, two rooms side by side, the main bar area with seating directly opposite at banquettes and stools, partly carpeted with a checked pattern but with a tiled bar splashback. The room returns slightly to the right where there is a dartboard as well as a hoover and various other domestic items. The side room is served by the end of the bar counter, there is a pool table in here plus a few framed football shirts from Brentford, Aston Villa and the pub's own team. Beyond is a walled garden with a few picnic benches and a large jumberrella with radient heaters. Youngs beers, four pumps but just Ordinary and Special Bitter on. No signs of food on Saturday afternoon despite the sign outside. This struck me as an old fashioned basic boozer that is rare to find nowadays, no frills, and nothing wrong with that if it's what you want.

I came here a few times in the 80s, but today paid my first visit here since then. As I recall it used to be a straightforward no-nonsense boozer – and it still is! It doesn't change much, which is most definitely a good thing. Just Young's ales of course, but the pint of Special I had was very welcome during a hot muggy lunchtime in August. It was very quiet when I was in during a weekday lunchtime; just me - and a couple of old lads reminiscing about how the pub used to look in days gone by. I guess it might be a very different place in the evening, but even when it's busy it will still be a very good pub. I like it, and would recommend it to anyone who likes an unpretentious pub.

I really liked it in here and that's not just because it has a pool table, a couple of plasma screens and TWO dartboards. I'm not that keen on watching ‘Cash in the Attic' whilst supping my beer, but I was able to sit at the rear of the pub near the exit to the beer garden to have some peace. Youngs Ordinary, Special and Directors were available with one pump being off. There is also a wide selection of standard lagers. This would be a great place to have an extended stop off for a throw of some arrows during a pub crawl.