Rook & Gaskill, York

This was my first pub of the PuG crawl, and it was good to start on a high. My pint of Acorn Eggcracker was superb, as was the price of £2.80 a pint. Mrs R also thought the Pinot Grigio was pretty good as well. But there was no food at Friday lunchtime unfortunately, although I did see food advertised, available in the evenings presumably. This pub is traditionally furnished - I did see a barrel doing service as a tall table, but otherwise it was a bit of banquette seating, normal tables and small stools. This felt like a real, unpretentious pub. I would be delighted to have this one as my local.

A bit of walk from the centre and outside the walls this is a decent pub with a good selection of ales. This visit had Revolution Debaser, Jolly Sailor Cue Brew, Roosters Azzaca (superb), Acorn Eggcracker, Great Heck Treason Stout, Town House Armstrong Ale, Castle Rock Harvest Pale, and Wharfe Bank Yorkshire IPA. All the beers were £2.80 irrespective of ABV, how good is that? Additionally ciders from Moonshine, Jumping Jack and a dubious strawberry version from Mr Whiteheads. The pub is poignantly named after Peter Rook and Leonard Gaskill, they were executed for stealing sheep back in the day, you'd probably get a community order now. You enter to a mosaic stone floored room, similar to the York Tap, the front area has an exposed brick fireplace with a pair of model petrol pumps on top, a mural of a Lambretta scooter on the wall, up a step to the bar area where the room extends back and reveals cases of cricket, rugby and snooker artefacts. Some wood panelling here and there and a beamed ceiling around the bar area. There are games on a cupboard top, plus bagatelle and shove ha'penny boards on another ledge. Another very acceptable York pub.