The recent snap of warm weather meant Pubspy was hankering for a cold glass of something in a beer garden not too far away from home.

The Antelope, in Mitcham Road, just a five minute walk from Tooting Broadway station ticked all the boxes and then some.

It is early Saturday evening and the pub is comfortably full. It is surprisingly much larger inside than it looks from the outside, with two rooms for drinkers and a dining room serving food.

Despite the amount of punters supping pints it’s not hard to get served and a barman attends to me straight away.

With it being the onset of spring, I go for a bottle of dry white wine, served up in a posh ice-bucket. Chalkboards above the bar advertise hand-pull Ales, with Western Champion and Defender on this month. There’s also a good selection of beers and ciders, reasonably priced but not cheap.

The pub is part of the Antic Ltd chain, with a few others operating in the borough including Balham Bowls Club and The Wheatsheaf, also in Tooting.

The decor fits the usual Antic shabby-chic style, with mismatching chairs, bunting from the ceiling and antelope skulls adorning the walls, which sounds creepy but fits the style.

There is also a screen playing retro music videos (but with no sound, bit odd) and a DJ and keyboardist tucked away in the corner playing soul music, which no-one appears to pay much attention to.

The surroundings fit the clientele, mainly made up of tame middle-class types out letting their hair down over the weekend. They appear to be a friendly bunch and it feels like one big party.

The food on offer is quite fancy, with mussels, haloumi and sea bream featuring on the menu, each dish priced under £14. Even a bar snack of chips comes served with pizzazz in big fat slabs covered in aioli - a bit too garlicy for my liking.

It’s a friendly, cosy pub but with a bit of ponce thrown in and makes a great venue for a Friday or Saturday night.

The Antelope, 76 Mitcham Road, Tooting.

Decor: XXXX Cosy yet plenty of space.

Price: XXX Bottle of wine £13.80, pints from £3.30, definitely cheaper nearby.

Drink: XXX Good selection on offer.

Atmosphere: XXXX Bustling.

Service: XXXXX Served straight away and friendly staff