The Gate, Arkley  

Our review was nearly skewed from the off after we received a description of how the Gate once looked, courtesy of a regular at the nearby Lord Nelson: small rooms, snug bars, nooks and crannies. Then, like many other similar pubs, the food took over. So this is now a former country pub which has opened itself up and turned the focus towards food rather than drink. That said, on our Saturday afternoon visit we didn't feel pressure to eat, even if we did snack on a couple of starters; Sunday might prove more difficult when we hear it get very busy indeed. There's still a fairly olde worlde feel to proceedings, at least in the front of the pub where two real fires dominate and the wooden beams look genuinely ancient. There's a couple of ales on (only Young's and Abbot, but it's better than nowt) and efficient service from the numerous staff. We can't quite bring ourselves to award a three pint rating yet, as it felt like we were drinking in a better-than-average Harvester, but in reality there's little to complain about here.

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