The Black Bull's Head, Openwoodgate

The Black Bull's Head is another gem. The exterior appearance belies the excellent interior - several rooms with open fires, quirky elements like a chair wide enough for Henry VIII, set up on a dais, and (on a Friday night) full of locals. There were several beers to choose from, from a number of breweries - a particularly nice flavoursome 'Manchester Bitter' - and, as is now quite popular, a range of ciders. A very convivial evening and probably worth returning for some beer-related event which happens in their 'slaughter room'. A pub that knows what it's doing.

The Hop Inn, Openwoodgate

Under new management, the Hop Inn is clearly still finding a direction. Whilst catering for families with kids who run around the pool table and teenagers who tear up beermats in acts of open defiance, the bar is well-stocked and the manager happy to offer tastes of the various ales on offer. The beer was from a range of breweries, some already known to our gallant band of quaffeurs, others new but the ones chosen were in good order. The place is also slightly overheated with steaming radiators and open fires. An odd pub but one to revisit to see how things go.

The Old Oak Inn, Horsley Woodhouse

An outstanding pub for several reasons. Architecturally interesting, with several semi-distinct seating areas; a good atmosphere, augmented by the live music provided by a quartet (later a sextet) of players of pipes, guitars and violins; more beers than you could sample in an evening and still find your way back home. All unusual, all in excellent condition. The barman (owner/manager?) left it to one of the regulars to provide a warm welcome but he did bring two of our drinks over later on. A little gem and one that could easily be tacked onto a visit to any of the pubs in Belper and surrounds.

The Bell Inn, Smalley

A cosy, friendly pub, situated in the out-of-the-way village of Smalley. They are obviously keen to promote the selling of food (we didn't explore the menu) but they equally had a selection of 6/7 real ales and the Harvest Pale was on good form. There are several sitting areas and an open (albeit artificial) fire to warm proceedings. A nice enough place to drop into although nothing outstandingly good that would make you want to miss The Old Oak Inn at Horsley Woodhouse (about a mile away).

The Philharmonic Dining Rooms, Liverpool

If this blog had a 'Classic' section, this pub would be in it, at No.1. The picture above tells you only part of what you need to know about this place. From the outside, you can see the Liver Building in one direction and the Catholic Cathedral in another but the outside, albeit splendid, is but a mere foretaste of the magnificence of the interior. It was built at the turn of the 20th Century in the style of a gentlemen's club and has retained all the ornamental glass, polished wood and snugs you might expect in such a place. The beer wasn't shabby either and there was a choice of about 4/5 proper beers. Just an absolute delight and no trip to Liverpool should miss out a visit here.

The Old Poets' Corner, Ashover

The Old Poets' Corner became such a favourite of mine, I was forced to make four visits to it over the Christmas period. The bar is a thing of splendour and beauty and features not only beers from the brewery that's outside in the car park (Ashover Brewery) but also ales from other small local brewers. The open fires, dim lighting and odd array of wooden furniture make it a wonderfully unique setting. The food is standard pub fare, reasonably priced. They pride themselves on the range of fine sausagery. Just go there - it's great!

The White Lion, Starkholmes

This pub has recently changed hands, and the new staff are clearly working hard to build up the business. As before, the right -hand end of the pub (as you enter) is the drinking half, while the left-hand section  is mainly for eating.

We didn't try the food, but the bar service was friendly and helpful, and there was a good range of beers on, including the very tasty Ugly Sisters (4.5%). So well worth a try, especially as this side of Matlock is not over-supplied with decent pubs.