please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Best pub ever.
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Popped in the other night neither of the grumpsters were about so no fun there. Beer was good, food still on the restaurant price scale.
And got to ask whats wrong with a bit of witty conversation or do we have to pay extra for that ??? 6/10
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Another great evening at the "Jolly"! On a Friday evening my partner and I frequently visit from the other side of Guildford because it's a fine place to celebrate the end of the week! Chris and Steve certainly know how to choose their beers. I had Hog's Back HBB and Sharp's Doom Bar, and she had a couple of pints of Palmer's (Bridport). All great-tasting and beautifully kept. Food was good, too. Bangers (venison and herb!) and mash! Lovely! Our favourite pub in the Guildford area!
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I can't recommend this pub enough. Having moved to the area and been sorely dissapointed with the standard and most importantly the selection of beer in the area, this is a gem. Its one of a very small and reducing number of none-tied pubs left in Surrey, so you get a selection of ever changing best beers as chosen by the owners, not some big Co's mono-culture offerings. The beer is always in top condition. The folk who own it can tell you where it came from and what it tastes like becase they are genuinely interested in providing a decent pint.... oh and the food is very good as well.
This is your archetypical traditional English boozer.
If your looking for witty bar conversation, stay at home with your fizzy Tesco lager and watch re-runs of Cheers
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Went here on Saturday whilst walking from Guildford to Bramley with some friends to get some fresh air. Took in pit stops at the Weyside in Gford, The Parrot in Shalford and finally here. Best out of the three for real ale.
Unfortunately aforementioned (see previous post) landlord was not present but there was a nice young girl serving who joined in our conversation about beer gardens being discriminatory (what if you want to have a wine outside!). 10 or 12 real ales on tap, what a great selection. We were able to sample a few at the bar before making our choice.
Sat out in the PUB garden (hmmm, we were all drinking beer though, so maybe it is a beer garden after all), which is not the nicest (concrete and brick, no grass at all).
I'll give it 7/10 for now on the basis that I'll return soon and hopefully bump into the landlord for an updated review.
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Well the landlord of the Jolly Farmer (if it is actually him) sounds like he has got a chip on his shoulder and a pole up his ar$e. I was intending visiting as I live in the next village and a friend of mine has just started working in Bramley.
Will update you once I have been in the next few weeks. If his attitude in person is anything like his review then it could be an interesting visit after which he will be losing some potential new custom.
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Mmmmm, interesting. As someone who's family originated from this village but has not been in 'the top-house' for several years, time to take stock me thinks.
In the 60s, this pub was staffed and patronised by good solid working class folk. I first had a drink in here about 1968 I think and if I remember correctly, food was limited to a pork pie and packet of crisps ! This place also had a Landlord who did not bother about such things as 'customer service' as he sold quality products at very reasonable prices. If you did not like it, you were (impolitely) told to take your custom elswhere in very clear terms.
The establishment next door had a motly collection of neer-do-wells, decent folk and some pretentious types who thought they were something they would never be and boy...did you have to pay for the priviledge of having to listen to some of these half-witted nit-wits !
Times appear to have changed, now we have a Landlord engaging in bar-chat with a couple of 'moaning minnies' on a bloody website ! We also appear to have a pub that's trying to be all things to all people - not only stupid but impossible by any standards.
Back to basics please folks, lecture over so I'll nip out to the shed and smear a bit of chain grease on my chapped lips before opening time ! ! 7 / 10 just for the memories and I will make a point of calling in soon.
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Meoow someone stood on the cats tail here .
I think the last comment from the "LANDLORD"talks volumes for the "attitude" shown by this pub to customers.Shame thers not an alternative pub in the village.
I also thought in California you tip for service you get and don`t have it added automatically to the price you pay for food and drink.
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Let me see now, how long have I been at the 'Jolly'.....oh yes, 40 YEARS. Twenty five as landlord. Quite an achievement in these uncertain times I should think. I wonder how many 100,000 great pints, how many 10's of thousands great meals. How many thousands of bloody good nights out that totals up to. A fair few I should imagine. It's a funny thing, owning and running a pub for a VERY LONG TIME you tend to think of it as your home first and a pub second. Personally I don't want everyone I meet in my home and If I'm not particulary keen on you ...get over it, move on, get a life, don't waste your time bleating. Of course, maybe I quite like you but to my certain knowledge the only creatures who are permanently happy are some dogs and the permanent residents of some mental institutions. So if you want people to smile at you all day and say "Have a nice day sir" I suggest you move to California where for a few measly dollars you can bathe in a sea of bonhomie and "hail fellow well met" all of which I'm led to believe is entirely genuine. This isn't just a consumer equation. This is a life. The are few enough real pubs left, populated by real people. You are completely right my friend "Grumpy Farmer" is not for you. Might I suggest a local just down the road from us "The Endless Sunshine of the Vacant Smile." I sure it's exactly what you're looking for.
THE MUCKSPREADER.
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Sadly, this pub should be named "The Grumpy Farmer"! As someone had previously mentioned, the chaps who run this place are both miserable as sin!! why on earth would you be in a customer facing enviroment if you cannot even muster a smile for people paying good money for food and drink?? It's a shame actually as the pub itself has a warm and comfortable feeling to it and there is a good selection of ales to choose from......just a shame that the service is so poor!!
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Good selection of beers and I have always found them well kept. They get some unusual ones, but you have to be quick as a barrel doesn't seem to last very long.
Great position if you are walking, but you shouldn't be late if you want to eat at lunch time.
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Regarding the 'attitude', I watched both landlords recently put up with the worst string of abuse, swearing, insults and aggression I've ever seen from a bunck of drunken rugby yahoos - and they dealt with it all (hours!) quietly, reasonably and with incredible patience. It was an eye-opener - fair play to them. Best real ales for miles and miles.
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This is an excellent ale house and certainly the best in this whole area, it's an absolute gem with eight excellent real ales and continental beers as well!
The food is excellent with a varied menu of high quality at a reasonable price. It's a beautiful old building with friendly clientel and bar staff.
The pub landlords are two brothers who are always friendly and willing to talk to you about the ales on sale at any particular time. All in all a great pleasure to go there!
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Been going to the Jolly for years and remember with fondness the legendary giant tacos they used to serve - put them back on the menu! The current Landlord's miserable attitude is unfortunately also becoming legendary. Always seems busy in there though so that's probably why he doesn't give a toss. Perhaps it has the opposite effect on punters and is an attraction for those wanting a "Basil Fawlty" experience. Shame though because it's a decent pub otherwise.
Food is always reasonable and a good selection of beer, which is normally well kept. One thing though - if I do have to take a bad pint back to the bar, I do not want to be told by an (otherwise pleasant)Australian lady that there's nothing wrong with it. I've been indulging that particular ale for 30 years and know when to drink it and when to put it on my chips!
I won't be informing the landlord of my posting as he'll probably "nut" me.
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The song comes to mind "Happiness" as you look at the landlord
anonymous - 31 May 2007 20:00 |
Great selection of well kept beers, good info on beers and a superb pub feel.Have eaten here twice, once was almost perfect venison, the second (lunchtime)was a dire 'harvester' type effort-or lack of!
Shame about the deeply miserable Landlord&lady who are happy to ignore perceived non-regulars for as long as it takes the delightful aussie barmaid to serve you.
I'll still rate it 8 as I'm going there to drink good beer not make friends with the owners.
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Petergoesrock could that not extend to what the landlord thinks about his customers as well?,(not giving a flying fig i mean).
Beer selection varied well kept,we did not eat so not FT there.Just a shame about the attitude.
anonymous - 21 Feb 2007 19:21 |
The Landlord didn't give a 4xxxx about his rating here, intelligent man. Ratings here are subjective, and often based on a one off visit, nothings perfect and some people like to moan, but will never praise...
The Jolly Farmer serves consistently good beer, and has been acknowledged so by more reliable sources.
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I mentioned to the landlord that the rating on this site, didn't do the place justice. He (was he really the landlord?) replied that he didn't give a ####. That was the only minus. Whoever ran the place however, was really good at it(except possibly,if it was him,the customer relations dept!). Really good food,beer:range and quality-and terrific barstaff.Two Australian girls that made everyone feel really welcome.One of them even pretended she didn't know how "The Ashes" were going! Over and above I thought!
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I haven't been here for years but glad to hear it's still as good as I remember it being. Hoping to go back there again some day. I wonder if the saucy pictures are still up on the walls or if the politically correct mob have demanded that they be taken down. I hope not for the country pub is the last bastion of good old fashioned English vulgarity.
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Stopped off in here yesterday on the way back from Guildford. Parking is no problem there is a car park at the rear of this pub!
Only stopped for 1 which was a pint of becks which is quite rare as you only tent to come across the bottled stuff, £3 a pint was alittle steep but it is 2006 not 1999!
The pub itself is excellent it has god knows how many beer pump clips which shows this pub has a very wide range of ales the food we didnt have because they had stopped serving even tho it was 3pm on a sunday afternoon!
What did put me off was the fact there was 6-7 kids running around this pub which made it feel a tad uncomfortable other than that i would visit again even if it means driving the 35 miles to this pub
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Good range of ales limited but reasonable menu.But what let this place down was being over charged not once but twice by same girl,leave`s a bad feeling.
anonymous - 7 Jul 2006 17:30 |
I dont know if there`s something in the water no one`s friendly in here staff wise.It`s as if you have to pay to get a smile.But good selection of unknown beers didn`t eat though.
anonymous - 21 May 2006 18:35 |
Ok place, food abit pricey, different range of ales not heard of them but tasted alright.
anonymous - 7 May 2006 17:46 |
You can certainly work up a thirst on the bus! Nice range of Spinning Dog ales on tap at he Jolly right now. All that I tried were well kept. Not the cheapest ale around but extremely drinkable. Fingers crossed for a return to Saturday afternoon opening in the summer!
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We have been visiting this pub for the past 3 years and we think it is great! We have found the many and ever-changing cask ales to be kept in excellent condition, and the food, though by no means cheap, is also extremely well prepared. Last week we both had trout to die for! The landlords make a point of making early-morning visits to the London food markets to source their meals. The ambience is terrific and there is always a buzz (Friday evenings anyway!)
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The 6 or 7 beers are always _really_ well kept and vary on a weekly basis. They're not cheap (I'd head for Weatherspoons in Guildford on bus 63 if you want good and cheap). The food is OK but I cook for myself so ...
The bar staff vary in friendliness (Oz professionals of varying sociability) the atmosphere is potentially fantastic (rustic scumbling and old beer mats on the ceiling to keep you amused when conversation flags)
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Great and affordable food
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Surley and rude owners, food gone down the hill since our last visit.
Staff training a must!!!!dont know who these people have met but we did not meet them.
anonymous - 2 Sep 2005 17:30 |
Excellent real ale pub, and good B&B accomodation too. Usually about 8 real beers, and constantly rotated - just go back in 2/3 and try another 8! All you can eat Sunday carvery is worth a tenner too.
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Been going there for about 3 years now. I have to say that the food is excellent but the bar staff are moody as hell and the atmosphere is oppressive.
anonymous - 8 Apr 2005 15:36 |
Really good range of real ales, regularly changed, plus some excellent imported lagers (Warsteiner, Lowenbrau, Budweiser from Czech Republic.) Recently the Jolly Farmer is finally open in the afternoons, and has some new staff well-trained in customer relations (the landlords - two brothers - are splendidly authentic and prefer an idiosyncratic ambiance.) Food is pricey but cooked from fresh by real chefs, so is worth it.
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free house; wide range of constantly-changing real ales, authentic Continental lagers on draught such as Warsteiner and Czech Budweiser. Landlords (two brothers) are charmingly authentic, young female bar staff are well-trained.
david orchard - 20 Mar 2005 15:03 |
great pub . despite doing excellent food,the pub felt and looked like a rural pub, not a restaurant . lovely, unmucked-about-with interior . superb selection of beers for ale and lager drinkers alike . 6-7 ales all varied and interesting a guest ale or two . the draught lagers are the usual suspects plus budvar and starapraemen .
dan - 14 Sep 2004 12:18 |
