Pub Odyssey 47

Tuesday 29 November:  THE WHITE HART, HERTFORD (Chris Haden, Mike Horsman, Elvis Pile, Andrew Swift, John Westwood)

COMMENT:  I really like the White Hart.  Its an obviously ancient pub, in an attractive central square in Hertford, Salisbury Square.  The earliest reference to it I know is on 6 March 1802 when John Carrington, the Hertfordshire diarist, went there to pay for "3 Lds peas" and bought four more- another indication of the role pubs and inns played as a venue for commercial transactions in past times.  But the pub is clearly much older than this.  A bit puzzlingly, its described in earlier times as being in "Market Square"- whether this means it changed venue or whether Market Square was merely renamed Salisbury Square, I don't know.

However, although ancient, the White Hart has been well modernised by McMullens as a sports pub with three large screens to which I quite often cycle down to watch the football on Sky.  This is a very nice experience. The pub is frequented by large numbers of Arsenal and Spurs supporters.  I remember a lovely Saturday lunchtime with a game between these two north London giants, the fans, noisy and partisan, but friendly, sitting down in family groups to have lunch and watch the game.  Their kids dressed in Van Persie and Gareth Bale football outfits were running around the pub in severe danger of kneecapping the the bar staff as they brought out the food.  (Incidentally, not only Arsenal and Spurs.  Last Sunday, Liverpool v Manchester City, there were a couple of little Luis Suarezes running about.)  The staff are good fun too, friendly and helpful in my experience, on the Odyssians' visit bringing out the drinks as well as the food to our table thus saving us lazy geriatrics from even having to walk to the bar to get our beer.