Palfreys Lodge, Cantley - Town Centre Pub of the Season

Originally known as the Two Palfreys, this pub caters for a wide range of customers. It consists of a bar, a lounge and a family dining room/play area which doubles up as a function room with a late licence when necessary. A distinctive feature of the lounge is an original red telephone box (no longer in use) which used to be on show at another of Toad owner David Bailey’s premises.

Of course, the main reason for this award is the beer. At least two cask beers are usually available with a third at weekends. Naturally, Toad ales are prominently featured, with Tadpole always available. The other two ales are rotating guests. One of these is another Toad beer – Leaf Kicker and Mature Toad have featured recently, while the other is usually from another micro-brewery. Ossett, Tom Wood and Lancaster are a few whose beers have been on offer.

In these difficult times, pubs have to offer a variety of activities to attract customers and the Palfreys Lodge certainly does that. There are general knowledge quizzes on Sundays and Wednesdays, a music quiz on Fridays and karaoke is a regular feature on Thursdays.

The Palfreys Lodge serves food every day from 12:00 until 20:00 and there’s a £3.50 carvery from Mondays to Fridays. In short, this pub tries to offer something for all customers, not just real ale drinkers. The pub is open from 11:00 until 23:00 each day apart from Sundays when it closes at 22:30.

The Kings Head, Pollington - District Pub of the Season

The Doncaster District Spring Pub of the Season 2011 is the King’s Head in Pollington, on the very northern edge of our branch area. The pub can be found at the Snaith end of the village. It is a true community pub, and whenever you go you will receive a warm welcome from the licensees and regulars alike.

Tony and Amanda have been at the King’s Head for about 4 years and have continued to run it as a traditional village pub - well supported by villagers and visitors alike. If you like well kept cask conditioned beer and putting the world to rights, then stand at the bar of this pub and you will find yourself at its hub. You may even come across relatives you never knew - as happened to Ian Round when delivering copies of Donny Drinker recently. He found a cousin he’d never met before.

This lovely pub has an open plan interior but with two distinctive parts; one a comfortable lounge and the other with a pool table, darts board and TV- mainly showing sporting fixtures. Around the bar people gather and there is always the buzz of conversation. On Friday nights there is a quiz and darts and pool teams meet here regularly. Outside is a seated area with views over open countryside. The pub is close to the Aire & Calder Canal and the Trans Pennine Trail making it a good stopping off point for boaters, walkers and cyclists. Bed and breakfast accommodation is available in motel rooms across the car park.

Tony has recently joined our LocAle scheme as he regularly has beers from many of our local breweries including Great Heck, Old Mill, Thorne and Toad to name a few. When we visited recently there was Tetley Bitter (the house beer) along with Tetley Dark Mild, Great Heck Heck’s Angel and Old Mill Bitter. Meals are served Monday to Friday between 17:30 and 20:30 (with fish and chips a speciality on Fridays), from 14:00 to 20:30 on Saturdays, with an excellent Sunday Lunch available from 12:00 to 16:00.

The nearest railway station is at Snaith but unfortunately there is no bus service. Don’t let this put you off visiting the Kings Head though, as it really is worth the effort. If you like a genuine village pub serving excellent beer (along with great banter and excellent food) then this is the
place to be.