Bentinck Hotel

A genuine surprise. I thought that this old dirty football pub / "hotel" had finally closed to become a Starbucks. And it had. But what I didn't know was that the hotel and bar had been refurbished and continued to welcome drinkers and travellers upstairs. Including a real ale bar overlooking the new Nottingham station. Smart and apparently not a bad hotel either. A good little find that sort of made my day.

Robin Hood and Little John

A rare and exciting story in the world of the English pub. Arnold's oldest pub has been bought and re-opened on 21st August 2014 as a classic pub specialising in real ale and real cider. The building has been restored to its former glory and the welcome, decor and ale is world class. Home Ales memorabilia is all around the pub including a timeline of previous landlords. In an age of 30 pubs closing a week this is a wonderful success story and of the 10 real ales I saw the 'Marion' pale ale was amazing. Congrats to Mark and Lorraine and all the best for the future.

The Old Green Dragon

My new favourite pub.

This is the perfect blend of a traditional village pub with loads of history and character that has been modernised without losing its charm. It's still very much a locals' pub in the village of Oxton but is welcoming to outsiders and combines great real ale with fantastic food. But without becoming a dining pub. You can still just enjoy a drink here. And the landlord and staff are among the most welcoming I've met. Oh, and the beer named after the place, Oxton Gold, is actually Castle Rock's Elsie Mo. My favourite beer.

Gladstone

A return to an old favourite in the summer.

The Lambley

Just reopened after a long time closed. New owners. New concept. A quality village pub with excellent food and stunning interior. Really well done. Everything seems top end. More of a foody place than a drinkers' pub but still great real ale. Harvest Pale was excellent.

The Old Volunteer, Carlton

Now reopened as the brewery tap for Flipside Brewery The Old Volunteer is a really smart real ale pub. Great staff and really well decorated.

Crafty Crow

The new brewery tap for the Magpie Brewery is open. The former BZR is now a smart corner pub facing Nottingham Castle and has a smart contemporary and airy feeling. The service was OK - maybe more staff needed. But the beer was very good.