Lamb KT6

London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Southwest London: Other locations – Surbiton

Contemporary pub (Independent)
73 Brighton Road, Surbiton KT6 5NF
T 020 8390 9229
Open 1200-2300 (2400 Thu-Sat). Children very welcome until 1900.
Cask beer 3 (Surrey Hills, 2 unusual often local guests) Cask Marque, Other beer 2 bottles, Also 19 wines, some whiskies.
Food Specialist English cheese boards, Outdoor Beer garden with play area, Wifi.
Thu afternoon mums’ pub quiz, regular charity events, monthly cheese nights, board games, big screen rugby.

The place name Surbiton even sounds like suburbia – the sprawl of genteel housing downriver from Kingston would once have been referred to as the ‘stockbroker belt’, although these days you’re as likely to find a stockbroker in a converted Docklands warehouse than in the leafy Surrey fringes. It’s worth the trip to discover this gem of a local pub which, perhaps contrary to what you might expect from the area, is bursting with individuality and character. Don’t expect a huge range; the philosophy here is ‘less is more’ and the cask beers are deliberately restricted to three so all can be served in immaculate condition, one of the reasons why the pub was named Pub of the Year by the local CAMRA branch in 2012. One beer is always Surrey Hills Ranmore, the others may well hail from local breweries like Redemption, Sambrook’s or Twickenham. Leffe in the fridge provides another option. A second speciality is artisanal English cheeses, and the monthly themed cheese event, Homage de fromage, is often sold out in advance.

Landlord Adam, who first took over as a tenant in 2007, persuaded Enterprise to sell them the freehold in 2010, enabling the pub’s personality to shine through even more strongly. He describes it half apologetically as “Bohemian” – appropriate for a pub in Brighton Road. Giant spiders, trolls, cacti and a curious industrial art installation bedeck the walls of this smallish single room space, and there are board games rather than the TV for distraction. Children will also find plenty to amuse them, including a charming garden with play equipment. The pub has a proud record of near-monthly fundraising events, some of which are organised elsewhere, and has chalked up £70,000 for local charity Creative Youth. And you’ve got to love a place where you’re as likely to find the landlord building a giant Ker-Plunk game in the garden as pulling pints behind the bar.

National Rail Surbiton Cycling LCN+ Kingston, Tolworth, link to NCN 4, LCN+ 3 Walking Link to Thames Path