Plough & Chequers, Gillingham

Good-looking detached pub with a very traditional main bar at the front and a larger lounge to the rear. Clientele a good-natured mix of locals and visiting bikers. The solitary handpump (with a Doom Bar clip) is now disappointingly disused (although the bottled version is available from the fridge), so made do with a quick John Smith's (£4.20) from the limited selection on the keg taps.

The Plough and Chequers is a small community pub just outside the old bit of Gillingham in a small hamlet surrounded by new houses, which has been bypassed by the new main road. This means it now serves mainly the local area, an as such is not particularly busy, although the atmosphere is welcoming and the conversation is pleasant. It has a two small bars and does food, but despite being a freehouse they stopped doing real ale a year ago as none of the regulars drink it and there’s no real passing trade. Worth pulling off the main road if passing and hungry or tying in with a visit to the Hastings Arms just along the road, but not really worth coming for the beer.