Gardeners Arms

I went here by accident (after reading reviews of this and the other Gardeners Arms, and forgetting the exact address of each). I wanted to like it — the lady behind the bar was very sweet, as was one of their regulars (an elderly grey whippet).
I decided to have the special: veg lasagne for £6, and an Aspall cider on tap (they had two on tap and another couple sorts in bottles). The lasagne was very gooey and sloppy, and seemed to be held together with a great deal of cornstarch or other thickener. The taste was only adequate. It came with a mixed leaf salad, which looked past its prime and really needed another picking-​over to remove the leaves that had turned to caterpillar poo.
The atmosphere is what I imagine a traditional neighbourhood pub would have: dark and close, with a small group of local gents smoking and commenting quietly on whatever sports event was on the TV.
However, they do have wifi, and a toilet, which together made this the best pub for me at the time.

Because one disappointing vegetarian option isn’t enough, one block away from The Other Gardeners Arms is this Gardeners Arms– but wait! This one actually serves meat!
As the difficult vegan in my group of friends/​coworkers, they prefer this option to the other because they can still get bacon/​cow/​chicken/​animal.
As for their vegetarian options? They’re more limited but cheaper than the Plantation Road version. I ordered the stuffed peppers sans cheese (came with cheese anyways… gah) and had a cider. Overall a pleasant meal for under £10.

I can’t believe this pub hasn’t been reviewed yet. Fabulous sarnies made to order — a lunchtime treat for lots of the locals. Publican couple are just brilliant and have been at this pub for decades. I used to spend a lot of time at this place and highly recommend it. I once saw Colin Dexter in here deeply in thought probably composing his latest Inspector Morse outing.