If you are a traveler you will find all of England contained in this one micro pub. The Butcher's Hook set in premises of a Victorian village butcher's shop
All of the cask ales are excellently kept and better value than ANY other pub in Southampton. The young landlord Anthony is a sharp entrepreneur who has converted this once butcher's shop into a warm spot for regulars and visitors of all ages.
I say that you will find all of worth in ENGLAND here because of the spectrum of customers across all ages and classes. The gender balance is also refreshing to see with groups of smart, sharp young women meeting and drinking together sans partners.
What's Anthony's secret? How did he succeed in making The Butcher's such a successful and welcoming environment? The answer is profoundly simple: no sports screens, no music, no quizzes. Instead the longish tables, because of the shape of the pub, are set in a row so that customers have no choice but to face opposite either their friend or a stranger.
So you will meet college professors, students, scientists fraternizing with labourers, shopkeepers , software engineers and artists, all together like a congregation devoted to the superb real ale.
People on their own such as myself, come to drink here because the environment literally forces human interaction and conversation. I met good and lasting friends in this pub every night I went.
The Butcher's Hook is a conduit for conviviality and warm human relations. It gives myth to the notion that the English are cold, remote or indifferent. On the contrary, if you are a visiting foreigner such as myself, it is a visit to the heart and soul of this Emerald Island.
Absolutely worth going out of your way to find. And please mention my name to the attentive staff and/or Anthony so that I can get a pint on the house next time I visit! read more