Drink 4/5 Decor 4/5 Food 2/5 Price 4/5 Atmosphere 3/5 Staff 3/5

IT IS nearly two years since I last paid a visit to this place and it's safe to say, not a lot has changed.The Chequers is, and always will be, a proper pub. Everything from the wooden beams to the dodgy carpet screams the words traditional boozer.

The welcome I received from the barman was reassuringly familiar: "Alright, guv?" he said, as he poured my pint of Fosters.

I could see the ale drinkers sneering through their bushy CAMRA beards as I ordered the amber nectar only the finest brew should be sampled in a pub like this.

But seeing as I was already feeling a little light-headed after a hard day's work, I decided to play it safe with my choice of drink. But rest assured, there are plenty of ales to keep the Christmas jumper brigade amused.

The food was, if I'm being kind, disappointing.

More accurately, it was pretty bloody awful, if my BBQ chicken and chips was anything to go by. The dish was poorly presented and tasted about as good as it looked.

There are plenty of other choices on the menu however, with various sandwiches, soups and spuds on offer.

Hopefully these taste a little better than my chicken, all but cremated in cheese and something which just about passed for barbecue sauce.

But enough of the negativity there is too much which is good about this pub to be downbeat.

The best thing, as I said at the outset, is it looks, feels and even smells like a proper pub, an increasingly rare thing nowadays.

It even has a cosy beer garden for sunnier times.

As long as you avoid the food, I would say The Chequers is well worth a visit.

Cheque it out.