Where next...

There are so many pubs still to choose from at this stage of the journey.  I’ve still got one very close to home to visit and review for this blog (the Cutty Sark) or there are numerous pubs on my list near where I work.  In two weeks I’m meeting a friend to visit a few with him so I think we will go to some of the more famous old London Pubs like the Cheshire Cheese or the Jerusalem Tavern. 

Also to consider are some pubs that are not in the guide but perhaps should be.  I’ve been reading so much about the Euston tap on various blogs that I am going to have to go.  Also I’ll try to visit some of the London beer festivals and comment on those.  Are there any others that I am going to miss if I stick strictly to the guide?  I’ll put this out there for anyone if they have ideas or suggestions.

Hare and Billet

For all two of my dedicated readers you may have been wondering what good pub guide pub I would visit this week.  You may have even had money on it.  But alas I was busy this weekend and as such this weeks review is a bit of a cop out.  I only managed to walk over Blackheath to have a decent pint of Moreland Original.  The beer hardly amazed my taste buds,  it was well kept but there is something about it which just didn’t excite.  Morland is owned by Green King and it is likely you will be more familiar with their other brew, Old Speckled Hen.

More about the beer later,  the pub itself is a well designed cozy pub with lots of nice wooden furniture and wooden flooring.  They allow dogs and I think there were three in there when I was there on Saturday night.  The pub has a warm friendly atmosphere.  It is a little outside the main heart of Blackheath and that lends to a nice crowd who are willing to go that little bit further to enjoy a nice location for the drinks and the atmosphere rather than just for getting drunk.  The O'neills down the hill has that covered on a Saturday night.  The crowd seemed a nice mix of people with some arty looking types in there.  One bloke was sporting a cracking multi coloured beret.  I was only in there for a cheeky pint so didn’t have any of the food but it looks like the standard fare and has had some good reviews on other blogs.  The Blackheath Bugle has a review of some of the food and seemed to think it was decent.  The pub has been refurbished since their review so don’t be misled.  The decor is now very tasteful .  The Greenwich Phantom has also made a trip there and they seem to be wine drinkers.  As mentioned I do not profess to know anything about wine so I will leave it to your own judgement on that one.  I believe that since that review the refurbishment has taken place and they have improved the wine list.

The pub has the usual mix of Green King beers, the IPA the Abbot, the Hen and a few lagers and wines to keep everyone happy.  I also had a bottle of Leffe which is a decent but not outstanding Belgium beer.  I think it is a shame when good beers get mass produced and lose some of their original quality.  I’m not against mass production of beer by any means as long as quality is kept.  Its a bit like how before InBev took over Hoegaarden  in 2005 it was a really good pint (or litre) but it seemed to lose some of its flavour and quality when taken over by a by a big company.   The best Hoegaarden in my opinion now is the Grand Cru.

Got a bit off topic there... The Hare and Billet is certainly worth a visit if you are looking for a nice friendly pub in the Blackheath area.  I can see why it is not in the good pub guide.  Being owned by Green King does seemed to have stifled it somewhat.  The generic template of Green King pubs is still too evident in this nice village style pub.  

Little Bo Peep

Little Bo Peep lost her sheep - But found them again, added a yorksire pudding and some veg, and had a very nice meal! 

Pub number two on the journey to visit all 59 Good Pub Guide Pubs in London, took me to the Bo Peep, which is in the South London section of the GPG, despite it feeling very much like a countryside pub.

Feeling and looking very much like a country pub was a very pleasant experience from my usual city life.  The slight glimmer of the docklands sky scrapers was still visible over fields in the distance, but all around is countryside.  The pub is not far from the M25 and would be a good stop off for anyone not from London, on their way somewhere.  I went along for Sunday lunch with some friends, and luckily I had booked a table because it was packed.

The food was good, we had lamb and beef roasts, and fish pie, and they were all well prepared.  The ladies serving were pretty switched on, service was good.  They even went the extra mile and made us extra apple and rhubard crumble.

The Bo Peep - Chelsfield

What can I grumble about...not much, the only minor thing is only three ales on tap, but that is just being really picky.  They were serving very well kept Harveys Bitter, Adnams and Courage Best.  They were also doing wine, but I wont profess to know at all what is good and what is not when it comes to wine.

I think my biggest gripe during the visit, was the world crushing news that there were no pork scratchings.  How can a pub hold its proverbial head high in the competitive world of pubs without getting its bar snacks in order? 

The bar was certainly bustling with customers,  I'd like to have the chance one day to go there for a quiet pint by the real wood fire they have.  The low beamed ceilings of the main bar and the views over fields would make this a great spot for a chilled out beer any winter evening.  In the summer the pub garden would be good too, I'd imagine.  Whether I'll make it back this year or not we shall see, but overall, if you live nearby, I'd say it's worth a visit to get out of 'London' and feel a bit of that country pub atmosphere for a while.

For a 'London' pub, or a pub that close to London (only 30 minutes drive from my house in Greenwich) to have that atmosphere and decor, was really nice.  I would say however, that if you were to venture only a little further out into Kent then you be able to visit some better (my opinion) 'country style' pubs like the Swan in West Peckham or the Spotted Dog near Penshurst.

Where are they?

Where are all the 59 pubs that made it into the good pub guide in London?

Central London 22
East London 5
North London 8
South London 13
West London 11

I wonder how these pubs will match up to any North - South or East - West stereotypes.  Will the east London pubs be full of cockney geezers and will the West London pubs be full of toffs?  I hope to see a good array of the London culture on this trip.  Even though I'm from the South I'll do my best to hold no bias against the The Spaniards Inn the most Northerly pub on my trip despite the mission its going to be to get there. I think all areas will have some outstanding pubs!!

All pubs mapped based on post codes

The FIRST pub

Of all 59 excellent sounding pubs how could I choose which pub should start my year long journey.  I was thinking about this for a long time reading reviews, researching histories, thinking I could start with the newest and finish with the oldest but in the end I decided to go start with the Greenwich Union.  The decision was simple, its my nearest 'good pub guide pub'.  I'd been to 'the union' on a number of occasions and even celebrated my 25th birthday there.

The pub is in such a fantastic location being close to Greenwich Park and Greenwich Market it was nice to have a short stroll through the park first to work up an appetite.  The pub is always popular and can be tricky to get a table but we managed to get one fairly quickly.  The place is clearly popular with the young professionals of Greenwich who have young children.  Even though I'm only 26 I have been known to be a bit of an old man when it comes to children in pubs.  I personally don't find it conducive to have chat with my friends and enjoy a nice beer with lots of children screaming around me.  Also breastfeeding just freaks me out.  However I guess being 26 and not having any kids I may change my mind when I want a pint if I ever had any.  The crowd changed after lunch and so did the atmosphere, what I would call a more usual pub atmosphere took over.  The pub is well set out for a pub of that size.  There is a garden which is great in summer.

Being aligned with the Meantime brewery means that the selection of beers is exemplary.  The staff also seemed knowledgeable and even if they weren't the beer menu is probably the best I've ever seen with great descriptions of types of beer.  They've even added in their own inventions for new types of beer like their London Lager described as 'a brand new style  created by Meantime' (there I've mentioned lager).  The pub also stocks a great range of beers from across the world that are good examples of different beer styles.  On the day I enjoyed a nice pint of Brugge Zot from the Halve Maan Brewery in Bruge (which incidentally offers a really good tour if you can ever find your way over the channel).

I couldn't visit a Meantime pub and not have any of the well tended Meantime beers.  Starting off with the London Stout was very enjoyable and a great pint for a cold winters day.  The London Pale ale however was a slight disappointment and did not have as much flavour or bitter finish as some of the better English Pale Ales out there such as a the Marston's EPA.  Not a problem though as it was more than made up for by the Meantime Winter Ale at 5.4% with great colour aroma and taste.

As mentioned I'm a big fan of real ale and have been a member of CAMRA since I was 18.  So I moved on to see how well kept the beer on tap was.  I had two excellent pints, the first, keeping with the London theme a pint of Sambrooks Junction followed by Dark Star Hophead which was my favourite of the day.  It went very well with the Alfred Stubbs pork scratchings they serve behind the bar.

The pub design is modern and my friends and I were lucky enough to get the window seats at the front.  The Union is located next door to the Richard I pub which has a more classic pub style if that is what you are looking for.  Personally I find the Richard I a better pub for general pub outings, its a Youngs pub and have well kept beers on tap.

The food at the Union was pretty good too.  We tried some of their burgers and the fish and chips which were all good, better than most pub food and priced fairly reasonably for London.  

Overall if you are looking for a great choice of beers then the Union is the place for you.  I love beer more than most so I have to say I was very pleased with the choices and quality of the pints.  However I still feel like the Union is lacking something in terms of character.  With great beer a  good location and good food this pub will continue to flourish so if you are ever over in Greenwich pop in and try some of the locally brewed beers.