Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated!

As posted yesterday I headed off to the Huntsmans for dinner, albeit a little later than advertised, to see what they had to offer. Despite it's fearsome reputation the handful of people in there weren't drunk or spoiling for a fight and there were no dogs of any size in sight so I ordered my unadventurous chicken burger and chips and settled down with my beer in a seat near one of the big TVs. I find that having a TV in a pub can be a mixed blessing but it wasn't too loud and, whereas this time yesterday morning I didn't know or care who Lily Allen's top 10 British artists are I can only now say that I don't care.

My food arrived reasonably swiftly and I confess to being surprised when it arrived as I'd had very low expectations as to what would turn up and had a small chuckle about the "Fine dining at it's best" comment on the front of the menu but I was pleased to see a decent looking burger, salad and fries (the thin things, not 'chips') garnished with chopped parsley. It was all hot and tasty and inside the burger I was even more surprised to find pieces of real chicken, not some squashed down, breadcrumbed, 10-for-a-quid frozen food type stuff. The bun was a bit firmer than I might normally go for but I know some of you like your buns firmer than I do [snigger]. The picture doesn't really do it justice and on the whole I'd say it competes favourably with most pub grub I've come across so would urge you to give it a try.

The only slight downsides I could see were a couple of signs of the former clientele etched into one of the seats and a slightly forlorn Christmas decoration on the mantelpiece (see top picture) but gazing out of the windows at the bustle of people and traffic making their way home from work I could easily imagine it as a place to sit down and have a quiet chat or bring a group of friends to. It was a bit busier when I left and there were another couple having dinner, suggesting that I'm not entirely out of my mind for trying the food.

I know that picking one hour on a Wednesday night isn't exactly representative of what it may be like the rest of the time but I wasn't put off by the place so would encourage you to give it a go and support one of Worcester Park's most historic pubs!

And click this - http://worcesterpark.myminicity.com/