The Plough, St Johns, Redhill

The Plough has the feel of a village local, tucked away in what was probably a village before being swallowed up by the rest of Redhill. A park/green can be found just opposite and the impressive local church complete with nesting peregrine falcons is also nearby. Inside, the pub's traditional feel continues, with low ceilings and a few wooden beams. The landlord and landlady were both present, along with a couple of young lads serving behind the bar. Customers appeared to be mainly diners finishing off their lunches. But I did see another elderly couple arrive for a drink. Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter is the regular beer. However, the pub now stocks 3 guest beers, which were Surrey Hills Shere Drop, Butcombe Original & Constellation Draco, the latter being a brewery I'd not seen before. The unspoiled nature of this place made it my favourite pub of the day in Redhill. I was surprised that it had dropped out of the latest Good Beer Guide.

This pleasant, traditional pub is just a short walk from Earlswood train station, although we managed to walk here from the busier Redhill station in around 20-25 minutes. The pub has a rural feel, being set in an attractive area on the outskirts of town which was presumably more of an isolated village setting back when the pub was built. The front entrance takes you straight into a main bar which has the classic combination of dark beams on a white background and a bare boarded floor covered with various rugs. The L shaped room is furnished with plenty of bench and standard seating, with the area to the left of the bar looking particularly inviting. Behind the servery there is a smaller snug-type room which offers comfortable sofa style seating as an alternative to the options around the bar. The place has been decorated with an impressive collection of brass items, most of which hang from the ceiling or fill up window sills, all adding to the cosy, rural vibe. A large blackboard next to the servery detailed a rather enticing menu, whilst another in the corner of the room listed the wine options. We had a bite to eat and I found the food to be good quality home-cooked fare at sensible prices. Perhaps the pub’s greatest asset can be found out the back, where a beautiful garden stretches out with a covered, paved area to one side and a spacious lawn on the other filled with picnic style benches. The garden was in full bloom on our visit and we found it a very nice, colourful spot for summer evening drinks, enhanced by a few interesting decorative ornaments. On the bar, four hand pumps were dispensing Taylor Landlord, Thwaites Wainwright, Harvey’s Best and Young’s Ordinary – not the most thrilling selection, but the Wainwright was in great shape and we quickly polished it off before making a start on the Harvey’s. The staff were all very friendly and personable and put up with our long, convoluted orders. We ended up visiting this pub almost by mistake, after failing to find anywhere in Redhill that satisfied our two requirements of food and beer garden, but I’m glad we made the effort to walk out here as we enjoyed good food and drink in a welcoming pub with a lovely traditional feel to it. I’d be more than happy to seek this place out again.

Having seen numerous ups and downs at this local venue over the last 20 years, I am pleased to report that having sampled its wares in full recently, it appears to be back to robust form. The Plough has always had the potential for being a pub that can offer the best of both worlds; that is to say a 'country' kind of pub offering traditional character, yet close to an urban area harbouring a mixed clientele to whom its charms would appeal. It seems it might've struck that balance. For its appearance and character, both externally and once within, suggest a more rural venue with some history, given its pretty outer-Redhill location in St Johns near Earlswood Common. But its proximity to a market of mixed affluence who would appreciate good quality pub grub, beer and atmosphere, but eschew the pretence of a gastro or high-end establishment, means it has clicked. The Plough proves popular with a variety of clientele, excepting any rougher elements in the local vicinity. One receives a warm welcome which falls the right side of sincerity, and this helps endear the place to customers seeking victuals, or just a convivial and civilised drink at the bar. Food-wise, one has a generous array of dishes across the starter-main-dessert spread, focusing primarily on solid but well-prepared pub classics, with some slightly more adventurous leanings. A recent visit took in their steak and Guinness pies (best thing for Guinness if you ask me!) which were generous in portion, nicely-cooked, and accompanied by suitable vegetables. For under a tenner (all but a couple of dishes were), the prices are competitive for the area. We were more than replete after the mains. Drink-wise, as a cask beer lover, the ale range could be broader and more adventurous, but if i were less-fussy in this regard, I'd say the four options were reasonable to everyday beer lovers who want quality but from recognisable brands. Young's Ordinary, Harvey's Best, Fuller's London Pride and a changing guest appear (such as Sharp's Doom Bar or Hogs Back TEA). My last pint here, Harvey's Best, was kept and served to perfection (as good as one would expect from the nearby Garland which is a Harvey's house), and so it would be churlish to criticize them on grounds of poor choice. I understand that despite the extensive efforts of Dave the licensee in the last 5 years to restore the pub to the kind of market it should appeal to, it is still owned by Punch Taverns, so one must unfortunately regulate one's expectations when it comes to beer variety. For non-cask quaffers, the usual arsenal of domestic draught lagers and other beverages are available, including a reasonable wine list which is worth noting. All-told, the combination of cosy traditional atmosphere, broad and well-cooked menu choices, decent cask ale and sound customer service makes the Plough a consistent, if not exceptional, venue to visit in the Redhill area. It may well be rivalled or exceeded by other competitors, but that doesn't make it any the less worth a visit, be it for a sociable few drinks or a full meal.

Official site of the Plough, contains menu - www.theploughredhill.com