When Pubspy was a wee whipper snapper barely old enough to drink, his boozer of choice was The Tudor Rose in Old Coulsdon.

This was for two reasons.

Not only was it the only pub within easy stumbling distance, but also because, despite most of the Tudor building being taken up by Harvester, the little bit left as a pub had a rather quaint and homely feel to it.

That was the old days though, and much has changed.

A little over two years ago, Harvester left and Ember Inns took over, completely revamping the insides and bringing the décor dragging and screaming into the 21st century.

It's a pity they didn't do the same with the food or drink.

My pint of Fosters may have been reasonably cheap at a little over £2 but had a rather metallic taste to it as if the pipes hadn't been cleaned since the revamp.

When ordering my barbecue chicken melt ciabatta for lunch, the bar lady congratulated me on picking her favourite so I was looking forward to filling my starving belly.

Eyebrows were raised though when it turned up within five minutes, sparking thoughts of a simple microwave reheat.

Those thoughts turned into full-on beliefs when the ciabatta, chips and lettuce leaf masquerading as salad turned cold pretty quickly.

By the way, if you're thinking of driving there and parking, don't.

In order to stop students from the college next door using the car park all day the pub have introduced pay-and-display machines, costing £1 if you stay longer than 30 minutes.

This is refunded though if you eat.

As times move on, places inevitably change but as I left I found myself weeping for the homely, unique, Tudor Rose of old.

  • How The Tudor Rose rates (out of five):

DECOR: **** Has a modern touch with comfy seats and funky art pieces.

DRINK: ** A good range of beer, cask ales and wine but Fosters was a bad choice.

PRICE: **** Pints were just over £2 and cheapest bottle of wine was £8.25.

ATMOSPHERE: ** Not going to get you in the party mood.

STAFF: *** Saw some old faces and everyone was pleasant.

The Tudor Rose, 270 Coulsdon Road, Old Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 1EB. 01737 553368 emberinns.co.uk/thetudorroseoldcoulsdon.