Back to it's best ?

The Hoodener's Horse (formerly The Hooden Horse) is a testament to what can happen when a brewery doesn't understand it's clientele. Some years ago it was part of a small privately owned local chain (The Hooden on the Water & The Hooden on the Hill) and was always busy to the point of being overcrowded at times, especially at weekends. The reason for this was simple. 7 or 8 real ales which were constantly rotated, no draught lager, fantastic food and decent music (mostly Jazz and Blues) supplemented by the occasional live act. In other words, a real local success story. Then the owners sold out to a brewery and naturally, the first thing they did was to rip out all of the above. The result was predictable to everyone (except a brewery manager, I guess !)Now, after a number of changes of manager/owner (back in private hands, I think), it appears to be back to something approaching it's former self.Lager and Guinness are still on tap but so, thankfully, is proper beer - all well kept too !Food is consistently good from a mexican based menu (another nod to the old regime) and service is always friendly.Maybe this is the start of another local success story. This writer certainly hopes so !

A User - 11/09/2008 | report this review