WHAT MAKES A GREAT PUB? YE OLDE SHIP INN
No matter where you lie on the political spectrum, I hope we can agree that we are fortunate in at least one regard in this country. Pubs. Pubs are great. And great pubs are unlike any other venue on this planet. If that sounds like a bold claim then may I present to you the Golder test of a great pub. Will Ye Olde Ship Inn cut the proverbial mustard?
A great pub is one of the few places on the planet which can entertain these three disparate groups and scenarios;
-A date with a long term partner or someone you’re meeting for the first time
-A night out with your mates
-A family drink or meal with your nearest and dearest
In all my travels abroad, I have never encountered a forum that can accommodate all three. For sure, there’s bars and restaurants in almost every country that can achieve ONE of those tasks better than a pub can. Maybe even two. But no bar or bodega glues a society together quite like pubs do in Britain.
So for this edition I had to pick a heavy hitter. Somewhere that aces the Golder test. For me, that place is Ye Olde Ship Inn.
Reinventing the Wheel or Triumphing with the Tried and Tested?
For many, going out for a few pints or a bite to eat has become an increasingly weighty decision over the last few years. The need to stand out from the crowd has thus become essential for pubs and restaurants to stay afloat. The promise of interactive games, speakeasy bars transporting you to a different decade and boozy bottomless brunches are dangled like the bulb of an angler fish over our town centres and cities, luring in our tipsy masses and their cash.
However, there is a second option in my mind; getting the basics right. The desire to offer something for everyone is an ever-present temptation for any business owner, but the simple and effective combo of a cozy pub atmosphere with pizzas as delicious as they are enormous is a winning pairing.
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This pairing speaks to a quiet confidence in their business model and an underlying respect for their customers, something that came across instantly chatting to the owners, Jeremy and Jenny.
‘People are always making a decision to come here, and it’s not taken for granted,’ Jeremy told me when I had a chat with him and Jenny over a pint. Their choice to use free range, locally sourced ingredients for their pizzas becomes apparent when looking at their menu, with toppings ranging from duck salami to wild boar!
“Walking into Ye Olde Ship I think if there’s a coSier pub in Guildford, I haven’t been to it.”
Pizza and Pint Perfection
To get the most of a place like Ye Olde Ship Inn one should approach the menu knowing this is a place where new years resolutions come to die.
Walking into Ye Olde Ship I think if there’s a cosier pub in Guildford, I haven’t been to it. I always think it’s hard to quantify what we missed about the pub during lockdown, but the answer in my mind is the image I get of walking into the Ship and soaking in the soft lighting, dark wooden beams, and every wall decorated in such a way that you feel transported back to a simpler time.
There’s a cracking beer lineup for lager lovers and ale appreciators alike. Pravha, Peroni, Camden Hells and Staropramen are all top tier lagers in my books and as for the ales, Hop Tipple, Tribute and Hogs Back Tea never fail to hit the spot especially in these winter months.
As for the Pizzas, well, they are huge. In fact they’re so big you could probably use them as a surface to eat a smaller pizza off. But there would be little point if the flavour wasn’t a knockout, and I’m glad to report it certainly is. I had to try the Wild Boar Pizza, while my partners in crime went for a more traditional Cheeky Chorizo and the Vegetarian Ship Special. A more traditional selection of pizzas is also on the menu for less adventurous tastes.
The Wild Boar was a rich, flavoursome beast whilst the Cheeky Chorizo feels more like a traditional choice but with a meaty Spanish twist. The Ship Special offered a more subtle array of tastes with the black olives, rocket and chili cutting through the normal tomato and cheese flavours you’d expect of a pizza.
If you haven’t guessed already I’m a big fan of Ye Olde Ship Inn, and for me any visit to the pubs of Guildford isn’t complete without setting foot in this hidden gem.
words + pictures: Adam Golder
YE OLDE SHIP INN, Portsmouth Rd, Guildford GU2 4EB | TEL: 01483 575731 | yeoldeshipinn.pub