The Mute Swan, Hampton Court, East Molesey

A substantial and attractive looking pub directly opposite Hampton Court Palace and within yards of the Thames, it’s obviously a very popular spot and it was full to capacity on our recent Sunday afternoon visit, with pretty much all the tables being occupied by diners. Although we did manage to grab a small table as somebody left, what with waiters constantly whizzing past and everyone else eating, we felt slightly uncomfortable and didn’t linger. It’s quite contemporary in terms of décor, and a black, cast iron spiral staircase in the centre of the pub leading up to a mezzanine level floor is a prominent feature. The flooring was wood strip, whilst the lower part of the walls were clad with dark wood panelling and there was cream plasterwork up above. The large windows made the most of the outlook and the walls were filled with old black and white photos. The large bar had a mirrored backdrop and an extensive spirit selection. There was a surprisingly good selection of beers on tap for a venue such as this that must be a bit of a tourist trap and on our visit the selection was Wantsum Hengist, Old Pie Factory’s American Pie, Bingham’s Twyford Tipple, Sambrooks Powerhouse, Bunnings & Price Original Bitter, Ravensbeer and a further pump which appeared to have run out. From an initial glance the solitary cider appeared to be Aspall’s Suffolk, but when I expressed my displeasure at this, the friendly barman said that they had some Hallett’s PX “out the back”. This was a new one on me and very pleasant, if a little on the sweet side perhaps. Whilst this isn’t normally the style of pub that I’d go for, at a quieter time I could see that it would be quite appealing.

Could have been awful - chain pub, opposite a major tourist attraction. Was wonderful - six real ales and a barman who knew his stuff. Great pint of triple f moondancer, a decent meal and great service. Recommended. Photos at my walking blog - http://bit.ly/2a2SnEC

Located just over the road from the entrance gates to Hampton Court Palace, this is a smart, gastro-style pub from the Brunning and Price chain. You enter into a roughly square shaped ground floor bar, bare boarded throughout but with a few rugs to help dampen down the noise within. A plain modern servery runs down the right hand wall and there is a row of high tables and stools opposite with the rest of the room filled with standard tables and chairs and a few padded banquettes and pews. The walls have been covered with loads of interesting, vaguely locally themed black and white photos plus various maps, paintings, adverts and the like. A plain fireplace stands to the left in a part of the room that has been semi-partitioned from the bar area thanks to some sections of wall that have been retained. Opposite the bar is a spiral staircase which leads up to a first floor restaurant, also accessible via a standard staircase to the rear of the pub. The restaurant has the usual standard formal seating options and similar décor to that seen downstairs. The room runs around all four walls but the centre has been cut out, allowing you to look down to the bar area below. Music played quietly throughout my visit and I noticed the day's papers all piled up at the end of the bar. I ate here and found the food to be excellent quality, but very pricey by pub standards, as you might expect given its location (ham, egg and chips - £11.00). Brunning and Price pubs tend to do well on the ale selection front and this place was no different, with the handpulls offering Brunning and Price Original Bitter, Taylor Boltmaker, Hog's Back TEA, Surrey Hills Greensand IPA, Tillingbourne The Source and Thwaites Wainwright. The staff here were especially friendly and one barmaid served me up an excellent pint of the Greensand IPA. This is clearly a very well run, upmarket pub looking to cash in from the many visitors to the neighbouring Palace. I enjoyed my visit here but the prices don't make it conducive to a longer visit. Like other pubs from this chain, it also has more of a restaurant feel to it, despite efforts to create a separate dining area upstairs and it therefore felt like you would never be able to strike up much of a conversation with anyone in here. Still, it remains a solid pub and worth investigating.

MUTE SWAN: a lovely pub, in a salubrious area, right opposite the main entrance to Hampton Court Palace..! You don't get much better neighbours than that! Still quite new looking, as its not been open a year yet. Roomy enough main bar, an interesting spiral iron staircase in the middle of the room (up to the toilets..!) but I don't suggest you use it if you've had a skinful...use the proper stairs at the side! :o)

Official site of The Mute Swan - www.brunningandprice.co.uk

A new addition to the local area from Brunning & Price, possibly their most southerly outpost. The ground floor is a squareish room with a couple of recesses, boarded floor with rugs, thankfully no high tables, comfortable seating including a few wing back armchairs, a single tulip on each table. Some lower wall stained wood panelling, the walls are liberally covered with all manner of photographs, prints and advertisements including a series of maps of the River Thames, monks fishing, LT posters, bowler hatted city gents as well as local scenes of the river and Hampton Court Palace. Centrally in the room an iron spiral staircase rises to the first floor dining room and the toilets, the dining room has great river views from the front windows, I expect you need to book early to secure one of these. The menu is upmarket with prices to match, but looks very good. Bar snacks on a chalkboard such as pork pie and piccalilli, salt and pepper squid and enticingly, black pudding fritters. The barman was friendly and chatty, happy to talk about how the pub is doing, very well so far it seems, they have been open 32 days and have shifted 65 beers so far. Five handpumps on the side bar, Sambrook's Wandle, Twickenham Naked Ladies, Hogs Back TEA, Redemption Big Chief IPA (£4) and Tillingbourne AONB (£3.80). There were also an impressive selection of whiskies on offer. The general vibe was laid back and relaxing, no TV, low key background music, a proper fire on the go, newspapers and a few games available to borrow. I liked it here a great deal and despite the current pub climate this is evidence that if you make a bit of effort to be that bit better you can still succeed. I'm sure I'll be back in here a few times.

This is a newly opened pub, on the site of the former Blubeckers. They seem to be committed to real ale, with their house ale, Brunning & Price Original Bitter (£3.60 a pint), Windsor & Eton Guardsman, Hogsback HBB, Andwell Resolute, and By the Horns Diamond Geezer (£4 a pint) on. The background to their house ale is on the back of the beermats that are on all the tables – apparently it is a collaboration with Phoenix Brewery. I had a couple of pints of the Diamond Geezer, which was in superb nick. The main bar area is on the ground floor, and is rather elegantly furnished with a quartet of leather armachairs in the centre of the room, and good quality tables and chairs elsewhere. The floor is mainly varnished bare boards, but with several expensive looking rugs breaking up the spaces. All the tables had a sprig of chrysanthemums on them, and there were pots containing aspidistras, ferns and decorative figs around the place. All very gentleman’s club like. Other things of note were the “balance a coin on the lemon” game – the lemon floating in a bucket of water - wherein the prize for success is a free pint. There are free newspapers to read (together with an accompanying box of reading glasses!), and most importantly of all the chalkboard on the wall giving information (price per pint, ABV, miles from brewery) about the ales on and those coming next. Wall décor is composed mainly of prints featuring riparian activities. The toilets are upstairs, so it’s not very disabled friendly. There is a separate restaurant upstairs, reached via a spiral staircase in the middle of the main bar. You can eat in the main bar if you choose, and the menu is essentially gastropub class. However, it does include sandwiches at £5.75 to £7.95. There is not much in the way of pub grub pricing among the main courses – e.g steakburger, chips, etc, is £12.45. One of the ladies I was with succumbed to the temptation of the sticky toffee pudding (£6 or so) and she said it was very good indeed. This pub is a welcome addition to the Hampton Court pub list, and I very much expect to be visiting again.