The Charles Holden, Colliers Wood, SW19

Across from Colliers Wood tube station. Large split level interior and a garden at the rear. 6 real ales and food served.

The indigo painted frontage and minimalist signage are clear indications of a food led pub. But they did have four ales on – the Courage Best won’t win any prizes from me, but the others were Everard’s Flourish, Kissingate Smelter’s Stout and By The Horns Diamond Geezer. Pints of the Flourish and Diamond Geezer were £8, so obviously around £4 a pint. The food is similarly expensive with the fish and chips at £11.50 and the burger and chips at £12.50. My chum and I had the burger and chips and although it was OK, I still think it was overpriced at £12.50. As you would expect, a section of the pub is furnished with tables laid for diners. There are some tall tables and chairs at the front, but the raised area at the back still has standard tables and chairs and has even retained the rugby themed prints on the wall. There are now no longer any signs for braais, so I guess that the barbies have been given the heave-ho. The large garden at the back has been smartened up and is in my view the pub’s best feature. It’s a shame that it’s towered by an electricity pylon though. This is a fair enough pub as long as the high prices don’t scare you off.

The ales on handpump were similar to the previous reviewer’s experience, except that on my midweek afternoon visit the Caledonian offering was the Flying Scotsman. The Thwaite’s Wainwright is still £3.65 a pint. The standard menu seemed to be available on my visit, with, as well sandwiches, also having some basic staples such as homemade burger and chips or gammon, egg and chips available. Main courses were around £8. At some times “barbies”, or “braais” (clearly indicating a southern hemisphere influence) are clearly available as advertised on a sign above the bar, and supported by the ranks of barbecues stored at the back of the garden. The rugby influenced focus on sport is still present. This pub is not particularly designed for luxury, although there are a couple of sofas in a dimly lit area on the left behind the servery. Most of the furniture in the main room is of the large, solid, wooden variety, with a couple of the larger tables being able to accommodate the best part of a rugby team. There were a couple of other welcoming touches that I spotted – the barbie/braai advert saying “enjoy our food or bring your own” (not seen that before) and the “book it tup” sign advertising the free party area. I would characterise this as a men’s drinking pub with the emphasis strongly on sport – indeed I believe it’s recently won an award for best sports pub. This sort of pub is not usually my cup of tea, but I quite liked this one. The friendly welcome from the barmaid and the excellent (if expensive) pint of Wainwright undoubtedly helped.