The Old Swan Uppers, Cookham

Lovely place to stop by on a stroll from Cookham rail to the river. Plenty of knicknacks to look at, low wonky beams and plenty of character, friendly vibe. I gave this pub an 8, although can't rate the real ale as I don't drink it. ... Fellow behind the bar at opening time was a nice chap, assume he was the landlord but they were very nice to us on our 2 visits in the same day. ... Like purplelizzy, I knew nothing about swan-upping until I visited this pub, now I certainly do! (Word of warning, don't get staggering pissed here, the pavements outside are single-file, so if you fall in the street you will get mown down by an SUV by some posh snob from Cookham driving too fast down the narrow road. Or if you make it to the river, likely to fall in there too! ... So mind your jars if you don't want to be buried in the nearby 15th century church cemetery).

15 Jul 2010 20:01

Bel and The Dragon, Cookham

Went here recently on a chance for a weekday pub lunch after being turned off by the nearby Kings Head. Mr and Mrs londonhalo were in for a pleasant surprise!

Staff were incredibly nice and attentive, good chat and gave us walking directions. Food was absolutely top-notch, the garden in the rear is beautiful and we were the only couple there for most of our visit. A well-stocked bar in the 15th-century main bar served up a splendid bloody mary for me.

Not sure what it would be like of an evening but for a sunny summertime lunch in Cookham's pretty high street, you pretty much couldn't beat our experience. We're definitely going back!

14 Jul 2010 12:00

Kings Arms, Cookham

Had high hopes for this pub after hearing good things, so when in Cookham last wife myself and mrs londonhalo decided to pop in for lunch. We were early, just before noon, and whilst we were practically the only punters in, the staff ignored us upon arrival as they were very busy preparing for a reserved funeral party in the back garden.

We asked if we could still have lunch anyway, despite the obvious downer of sharing our lunch with the funeral group, but the manager/landlady seemed only interested in telling us which locations in the massive back garden we couldn't sit. This being more than a little rude, we discreetly left instead, and our reward was a phenomenal lunch experience at Bel and the Dragon nearby.

Don't think we'll be coming back either, though you never know. Spent enough time there to notice that yes -- the interior is very ponced-up, gastro-ish, and yes ... Footballer's Wives meets Habitat? Or the Virgin Executive airport lounge. Not my type of pub.

14 Jul 2010 11:43