THE sort of place you drive by at 8.30am and wish it was open so you could nip in for a look.

It's quaint old England nestled in the stock broker belt. The million pound piles of Moor Park and its illustrious golf club are just a short iron away.

Inside, you will find lots of timber beams, a mix of floorboards and parque flooring, antiquated trinkets on the walls and a very attractive wooden fire surround with ornate marquetry, candy twists and leaded mirrors - straight out of Upstairs Downstairs.

The prices, however, are from an altogether different era.

A pint of Grolsch and a bag of McCoys weighed in at £3 while a white wine and salted peanuts was £3.25.

Sunday lunch will cost about six quid, burger and chips is £3.40 and something more cosmopolitan, such as Thai curry or mushroom stroganoff, is around £5.50.

There's lots of seating, mainly formal, but some strategically placed bar stools.

The staff were very pleasant. but reminded of the crows in Dumbo (remember the song "I've seen a crane fly, but I aint seen an elephant fly") as they stood, arms folded, looking out, waiting for something to do.

All in all, a nice, traditional pub, but nothing to set the pulses racing not like the Prince of Wales opposite.

That promises exotic dancers from 2.30pm. You know which pub I plan to review next week...

FA

July 5, 2002 10:00