The last time I trekked to the pub in Wokingham was in 2017 during the bitter-cold Beast From the East, ticking off a couple of pubs in the beer guide, but promising myself I'd be back. Assuming we were less likely to get a sub-zero icy blast in July, I returned to visit a couple more pubs in the Berkshire town.
I arrived super-early, which was inconvenient as none of the pubs opened super-early.
The Wetherspoon's replacement, The Gig House, had stuck a sticker over its 11:30 opening time, disappointing a couple of old boys who turned up and tried the door.
Shame - I was intrigued by the latest Trip Advisor reviews ("Awful", "By far the worst pub...I've experienced", "Avoid! Avoid! Avoid!").
This is listed as being in Wokingham, but walking out beyond the last houses of town and into the countryside, it didn't feel like it.
I passed through the intriguingly named Wokingham Without...
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| Without what? |
Crooked Billet (Honey Hill, Wokingham, RG40 3BJ - web)
No denying it looks great with it's white weather-boarded frontage.
It'd be great in the sunshine with a pleasant garden and benches out front. Or in the winter with cosy corners and fireplace by the bar. So trust me to visit on a grey drizzly day when neither of those features were relevant.
Beers on offer were Brakspear 'Gravity', Hobgoblin 'Gold' or Charles Wells 'Bombardier'.
I sat with a pint of the local Brakspear's, with a cutting edge soundtrack of Dire Straits, Del Amitri and REM in the background.
There were enough people in the pub, from those dining around the corner, to a few folk with drinks and snacks in the main bar, to keep the young staff constantly on the move.
I always forget to turn the signs back to 'vacant' when I leave.
If you're still in the Crooked Billet, queuing for ages, wondering who's in there and what they're up to...sorry!
Pint finished and paid for, I walked back into the town and made a beeline for the Ship Inn...
I was met by the landlord, sat with his laptop in the marquee to the rear of the pub.
"Sign in on the NHS app, then we'll get you sorted out with a nice pint of beer - how's that sound?" he said, like a kindly uncle comforting me with the promise of booze.
I wasn't really 'sorted out' with my beer - being left to my own devices to tackle the Fullers app to place an order (£4.95 for a pint of ESB - cripes!)
This is a 400-year old coaching inn which has been given a recent refit. By smartening and brightening it up it's undoubtedly lost some of it's historical charm, though I liked the barn-like side room, where I sat, with it's wooden beams and interesting decor.
Hmmm...turns out ESB is quite lethal when quaffing it quickly. Lesson learned. (It's not).
Lord Raglan (30 Denmark Street, Wokingham, RG40 2BB - web)
The final pub that had caught my eye was the regenerated Lord Raglan, run by London brewery Big Smoke since 2020.
The staff member who welcomed me led me to the square dining room beyond the bar. "You can sit... well, anywhere actually, we don't have any bookings for this afternoon" she said, presenting the empty room to me.
So, not a thriller of a pub visit...
Perhaps it'll be livelier next time I'm here, and I will be back again for the beer choice - a number of cask ales alongside a wall of taps at the back of the bar. I went for the Big Smoke milk stout, 'Underworld', which was thoroughly enjoyable.
And that brought my short visit to Wokingham to a close. I was tempted at the craft cafe Sit and Sip, lured by the stupidly strong imperial porters they had on offer, but ultimately deciding this would be a bad idea, mid-afternoon.
I intend to be back, perhaps to visit the new brewery and make my own mind up about the Gig House.
And that brought my short visit to Wokingham to a close. I was tempted at the craft cafe Sit and Sip, lured by the stupidly strong imperial porters they had on offer, but ultimately deciding this would be a bad idea, mid-afternoon.
I intend to be back, perhaps to visit the new brewery and make my own mind up about the Gig House.
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