The Old Pheasant, Glaston, Rutland

Looking at these images you'd perhaps be forgiven for thinking the Old Pheasant was some kind of pub games classic. The kind of rural gem in which it would be easy to lose an afternoon pocketing balls on the vintage Billiards Table, sinking a few beers with friends, with little to disturb the peace other than the gentle rattle of the Dominoes and Skittles. Sadly this isn't quite the case.

The old heart of this village pub still exists as a comfortable bar facing the busy A47, but the reality is this is little more than a good hotel bar now, and a fairly modern hotel at that. Muzak is the background rather than Dominoes, and despite the comfort of the seating, a very good range of beers and cider, and the promise of a real fire in the Winter, it's just not the kind of bar where you expect to see a gaggle of locals bent over the Devil Amongst The Tailors, or any of the games for that matter. I suspect that the wealth of games on offer have been provided more for the benefit of hotel guests than locals, at least it seemed that way when I visited.

Despite this, the beer is good, and I would certainly recommend a game on the Bar Billards table, which is surely a bargain at a Shilling a play!