The Orange Tree

I had a lovely night out with my friend tonight. It was quite tonight because usually ot is very busy especially on weekends it is very hard to find a table. I have to say the atmosphere is lovely, and they do the best pub food ever. I had the soup of the day which was leak and potato and a lovely salad with cous cous and halloumi cheese. I have to say that it is pricey but considering the area and the quality of food it is worth it. I love this place in the summer too. I recommend it for a casual night out with friends.

It was a sunny May bank holiday when a group of us decided to come here to spend the day. (We have a regular place we go, but the trains weren’t running, so it was easier for us to try something new.) Someone recommended this place as they have a huge outdoor seating area. Done. They were also advertising that they were doing a barbeque on that day, and it was also part of the draw. In the past, they’ve also won some CAMRA awards, and since we love good real ale, this place was really ticking all the boxes.
So the outdoor area is gorgeous. That’s why they get two stars. They have Greene King IPA on draught (which is a bit of a markdown to be honest, not my favorite) regularly with some guest ales. Unfortunately the guest ales weren’t very nice and they all seemed to taste the same. We ended up moving onto PImm’s due to the lack of decent beer.
The barbeque didn’t start until 2:30. Which was also frustrating because we were hungry. And when it did start, you had two options: a hamburger (no cheese) or a hot dog (which was really a sausage). You get get either of them with onions and they were only £2.50 each. Well it’s clear why it was so cheap. The burgers were basically pre-​made patties and the bun disintegrated while I was trying to eat it. Not nice at all. The sausage was better, but they split the bun completely in half which made it really difficult to eat. So a disappointing BBQ as well.
We packed up early to try a different pub as the only other food they were serving were cold sandwiches which we weren’t really in the mood for (although to be honest the sandwiches did look pretty good). Also we wanted to go someplace with better beer.
So unfortunately The Orange Tree was a huge disappointment. If you don’t mind average beer on a hot day, the outdoor seating is pretty amazing (which is why they get two stars instead of one), but don’t go out of your way to search for it.

The Orange Tree is one of those untouched locals’ pubs that you rarely find in London these days, the floral displays and friendly service lend to it’s popularity with the locals.
The pub is particularly popular in real ale circles, John and Marie (the landlords for 20 years) have won multiple CAMRA awards over the years. This Orange Tree is the place for a traditional Sunday lunch, do try their roasts. Make sure you are hungry though. Good Food is available throughout the week at very reasonalble prices.
There are two dartboards good enough for matchplay. Wednesday is Darts Night, but Sunday is a good night if you want to join a game of darts for fun.
There is a pool table and multi-​screen sports are broadcast to cover most sporting events. There is a Quiz Night every fortnight on a Thursday Night.
During the summer the beer garden at the rear of the pub is a hidden gem and not to be missed with beautiful floral displays and ample bench table seating. There’s a couple of gazzeebo’s should our english weather take a turn.
Children are welcome during the day up till 9 pm in the evening. There is a childrens play area and often a bouncy castle is thrown in for good measure.