Peacock Inn, Clifton, Nottingham

Typical suburban Greene King pub with an opened-out U-shaped layout, with the various seating / dining areas all having an anonymous semi-modern look. Customer base seems to be a good mix of families eating from the standard menu plus older customers playing pool, watching the sports TVs, etc. IPA (£2.93 with 10% Camra discount) and Old Speckled Hen were supplemented by Black Sheep and Wadworth 6X as guests on the four handpumps, with the seasonal Fireside coming next.

The Peacock Is a large pub at the end of Clifton’s main shopping street and the most centrally located and accessible of Clifton’s three pubs. It is now under the ownership of Greene King and has had a refurbishment in recent months. As you enter the main bar faced you and bends round on both sides. The decor is the usual generic Greene king family eatery type thing with a mix of carpets an floor boards and cheap generic furniture you see in all their outlets. This would have originally been several separate rooms but like many others has been knocked through into one large room. The right had side is set ore for diners with many tall and short tables while the left hand side is more for drinkers a has a lot of sports screens that on my visit was showing world cup qualifiers. The pub wasn’t that busy but neither was any of Clifton’s pubs but was more populated than the other two and had probably the most welcoming atmosphere. I don’t think Real ale has long been a staple of this place but since Green Kings takeover of what was most likely a Punch Taverns outlet there were four hand pulls on the bar all clipped. The choice wasn’t very exciting with Old Speckled hen, Greene King Starry night, Greene king gangly Goule and Abbot. The OSP was ok and was £2.95, the cheapest pint in Clifton. Overall this is not the most exciting of pubs but compared to its former guise and now with the introduction of real ale it is the pick of the (all be it slim narrow choice) of Clifton’s pubs. If it happens to be a Sunday night and the rare chance there is no nearby bus or tram to take you to town immediately to town you can at least get a well priced and reasonable pint of ale.