The Peacock, Derby

A splendid pub this one with a nice relaxed atmosphere and well kept beers across 7 handpumps. I went for the Stancill Barnsley Bitter and the Peacock Pale Ale and a slice of BF'S pork pie, which was exceptional. Other PG crawlers went for rolls, which were handsomely filled. Great traditional pub, well worth a visit.

My heart sank a little as I emerged from the footpath under the ring road to see this pub branded as a Marstons house. Thankfully, this seems to be a fairly loose relationship, as upon entering, I was faced with a wide ale range which barely acknowledged the Marstons portfolio. Ale options on my visit were Leatherbritches Reserve and Peacock Pale (the latter only £2.50 during the month of February), Lincolnshire Grafters Luvly Jubblies, Whim Arbour Light and Northern Brewer Dark Copper Ale, Marstons Pedigree, Oakham Bishops Farewell, Oldershaw Blonde Volupta and Bass served directly from a cask below the bar counter. In addition, there were two ciders on handpull - Oakham Apple and Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon - and two more direct from the barrel. I opted for a pint of the Bishops Farewell which was absolutely spot on and served to me by one of the friendly bar team who were coping admirably with a busy early afternoon crowd. The pub has a two bar layout, with entry through a lovely peacock stained glass door taking you into the bare boarded front bar with the servery directly opposite. The room has lots of low stools and some padded benches and has been decorated with portraits of some of the regulars, some old photos of the pub, a couple of old brewery mirrors and a number of signed Derby County football shirts. A small stove in a fireplace on the right hand wall created a bit of a focal point on that side of the room and a busy pre-match crowd filled the bar out and created a lively atmosphere. A door to the right of the bar leads out to a covered courtyard which has ample seating that was surprisingly unpopular with the locals, leaving plenty of free tables for latecomers. A door here takes you into the small rear bar which is carpeted and has a long banquette running down the left hand wall. This room is on a lower level than the front bar and the staff had their work cut out shuttling between the two bars. There is a lot more Derby County memorabilia on the walls in this room, including a few interesting bits relating to their old Baseball Ground stadium and a double-stacked collection of mugs runs around a high shelf on the left hand wall. There is a garden beyond the covered courtyard at the end of which is the outdoor toilet block. I thought this was a great pub with a really welcoming feel to it and a fantastic range of ales in top condition. The pub might not be the easiest to get to, but it is only a short walk from the Exeter Arms and the Tap, so it's no great difficulty to include on a crawl of this part of town. For me, this was the best of the eight pubs I visited during my day in Derby and I'd look forward to a return visit.