The 50 best country pubs

[Evil Gazebo]

According to Saturday's Independent magazine thingy this week, at least. (http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/food-drink/the-50-best-country-pubs-2009337.html)

Infuriatingly, they have put each pub on a separate page which, as the sole comment points out, is one of the most stupid examples of web-page design ever seen.

Anyway, I actually bought the paper, and can report that I have not visited any of the pubs, except for The Feathers (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/43676/) in Helmsley when i was about 6. This is largely due to my deep-rooted pathological mistrust of the countryside and everything/one in it.

[Millay]

I've only been to one as well, the John Harvey Tavern in Lewes. That can hardly be descibed as a country pub or even one of the best, especially with the Gardeners Arms just around the corner. Pretty poor article in my opinion and I've just left the following comment on their site,

If you are going to use the word ‘pubs’ in the title for an article you really should make sure that’s what its about. You may just as well have called this ‘50 Best Country Hotels & Restaurants’. This looks like a lazy piece of work, with only a brief paragraph about each pub which doesn’t tell us much. Presumably your photographer is on holiday as many look like they’ve been wrenched from the National Archives. Then there’s the one of a person walking a dog and carrying a brace of pheasant with the pub nowhere to be seen. I thought the one of a double bed was the most ridiculous pub photo until I came across the Google Map screenshot. Rather than 50 I think you should have concentrated on 20 and done a proper job.

[Crossste]

Presumably in the paper there is a more in depth report to each "pub".

Pretty pointless waste of internet space IMO.

Millay am i to take it that fence sitting is not big down Watford way.:)

[an_ecumenical_matter]

I think the word you're looking for is "PANTS".

I assume the journalist did indeed visit all fifty???

The Flowerpots in Cheriton is well worth a vist. But where is the Crown in Churchill or Tuckers Grave where the drink is served from the corner of the room,or dare I say the Square and Compass,Worth Matravers(not my cup of tea but indeed a great country pub).

[Evil Gazebo]

If you are going to use the word ‘pubs’ in the title for an article you really should make sure that’s what its about. You may just as well have called this ‘50 Best Country Hotels & Restaurants’. This looks like a lazy piece of work, with only a brief paragraph about each pub which doesn’t tell us much. Presumably your photographer is on holiday as many look like they’ve been wrenched from the National Archives. Then there’s the one of a person walking a dog and carrying a brace of pheasant with the pub nowhere to be seen. I thought the one of a double bed was the most ridiculous pub photo until I came across the Google Map screenshot. Rather than 50 I think you should have concentrated on 20 and done a proper job.

Nicely put. I didn't look at all the pictures on the web - the article in the magazine is only accompanied by about 10 pictures (including none of the three wonderful examples you cite), so it probably is the case that someone just hunted about Google Images for the rest. Number 35 is a particular favourite, a lovely study of a pretty rainbow above some buildings which may or may not count the pub among their number.

Also enjoyed the justification for including the John Harvey Tavern. "Not technically a country pub...rates for easy access to the countryside."

[Evil Gazebo]

Presumably in the paper there is a more in depth report to each "pub".)

Nope. One short paragraph per pub. The text on the website is exactly the same as in the magazine. Only difference is that each pub gets its own inane picture on the web, instead of just one in five.

At least you lot only lost some minutes of your time due to this. I foolishly spent £1.60, as I tend to find the papers on a Saturday much the same, and usually get the one with the most interesting looking features emblazoned across the front, or one of those free DVDs, so that I can add it to my growing pile of free DVDs that I have never watched.

[Evil Gazebo]

I assume the journalist did indeed visit all fifty???

But where is the Crown in Churchill or Tuckers Grave where the drink is served from the corner of the room

The 50 were chosen by a panel of 5, including Roger Protz. They should definitely have included Tuckers Grave, if only so that I could then lay claim to having visited 2 pubs on the list. I went to Tuckers Grave in 1991, as part of some ill-advised trip to the countryside. I made it back to civilisation relatively unscathed.

[an_ecumenical_matter]

The 50 were chosen by a panel of 5, including Roger Protz. They should definitely have included Tuckers Grave, if only so that I could then lay claim to having visited 2 pubs on the list. I went to Tuckers Grave in 1991, as part of some ill-advised trip to the countryside. I made it back to civilisation relatively unscathed.

Probably not on google maps yet and the pickled eggs aren't laid by organically certified quails.......:whistle:

As for being "unscathed"...................????

[Millay]

Millay am i to take it that fence sitting is not big down Watford way.:)

It certainly isn't, well not at that time on a hot and sticky Sunday morning when I'm feeling the effect of too many Essex Beasts* during the football yesterday.

I'm hoping to be feeling a little more mellow around 5pm today :pray:


* That's the beer not the women

[arwkrite]

Sorry Millay, I dont think any of us will be felling mellow at five.

[Soup Dragon]

Another pointless pile of drivel, which i may be wrong, but seems to feature the food more than beer

[arwkrite]

I agree. There are far better reviewers on PUG. I am certain I have not visited any of them but then again they look the sort of places my wallet slam shut.

[oldboots]

I had to look, unsurprisingly pretentious carp is all I can say. I've been in about half a dozen of the pubs and none of those are that good. My least favourite comment has to be this one for the Crown at Amersham,

A properly designer pub, this Amersham bolthole was styled by Ilse Crawford and pairs an almost minimalist serenity with cosiness and warmth. The kitchen, overseen by Rosie Sykes, sticks to locally sourced modern British fare while the bar does a brisk trade in local ales and ginger beer.



Oh god help us, a designer pub :mad:

[Alesonly]

I Just looked though around twenty of the Pubs at random and found most too be just what I would call Licenced Restaurants.
None of the Pubs I looked at would make me want too visit them by the reviews as there all food lead with little or nothing about the Ales on sale or other facilities.
I did not see one traditional country Ale Pub.

[Eddie86]

It's obvious it's not really the 50 best country pubs.



Extremely cheeky grin :D

[Conrad]

By the sounds it is a compliment not to be listed.

The Independent did another similar pub article about a year ago, we had some fun trying to work out where they had nicked the photos from, couldn't work out any of them, but they must of been lifted from somewhere, they were of such inconsistent quality.

[aleandhearty]

Another pointless pile of drivel, which i may be wrong, but seems to feature the food more than beer
I'd agree. Sadly these pub lists seem to be increasingly dominated by food.


I did not see one traditional country Ale Pub.

I was rather underwhelmed when I visited The Tinners Arms, Zennor (dreadful sniffy landlady) and The Ship, Low Newton By The Sea (completely up itself, not a local in sight) but The Farmers Arms, Muker fulfils most peoples idea of a typical Dales pub: http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/63200/

[Farway]

I did not see one traditional country Ale Pub.

I think the Flowerpots at Cheriton may qualify, although I have not been inside, it does brew it's own, is in a small village. But maybe full of beard & sandals CAMRA members so thus not a "local" as such?