Chequers Inn

After a short morning walk, we ended up at the Chequers Inn, at Zoe's suggestion. Almost every building on the island is steeped in history. Chequers is no different. Dating back to the 1790's, this one time customs and excise house is now a full service pub serving fine real ale and food seven days a week.

The character of these old establishments draws me in every time. Whether it is the low ceilings, or the 300 year old uneven stone floor, I could spend hours just taking in the surroundings.

We arrived a little before lunch, so we I killed time with a pint. Featuring 4 ales on cask, and several on nitro, there was no choice for me, cask it was. First up, I had a pint of Hobgoblin. Hobgoblin is available stateside in bottles. The cask version is much, much different. The lower carbonation of the beer, really does a lot to bring out the flavor. I feel the cask version is much maltier than its bottled sibling. They are both excellent, the cask is just more...alive.

For lunch everyone decided to eat sensibly, except for me. Everyone else chose sandwiches: prawn, bacon, cheese...I opted for a monstrosity known as The Chequers Burger. The burger included bacon, onion, lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg. The fried egg is what won me over.

I have to tell you, this thing was great. The icing on the cake was when I sliced the burger in half, and egg yolk poured out from the bun and on to my plate. I am fairly certain I heard my heart gasp. Yes, this was my kind of burger, and one I will replicate at home.

Along with the obligatory bowl of chips (covered in malt vinegar and salt), I devoured my lunch. While getting a pint of Ringwood's Best Bitter, I noticed on the nitro taps they had Guinness and Extra Chilled Guinness. I know several years ago the "chilled" fad was creeping into pubs, but I was a little more surprised to see it on Guinness. I asked the barkeep on how it worked, and was told the beer line is literally submersed in ice. Wow, I think I'll pass and stick with my real ale, or at the minimum, my non-extra chilled Guinness.

All in all, a great experience at the Chequers Inn. To me, there is nothing cooler than eating lunch on an old wooden wheel, perched on top of an uneven 17th century floor, while looking out the window to see someone taking horses out to pasture. Great food, great beer, and great ambiance...my idea of a great place.