This popular, flower-clad haunt claims to be one of the area’s last freehold pubs. It’s also a nice example of a Chelsea drinking den that hasn’t been too gussied up – it’s refreshingly unpretentious on the inside, with an old-fashioned dark-wood bar, real ales such as Timothy Taylor Landlord & speciality ciders on tap, plus Chelsea’s B-team watching the sport on the TV. Tarnished mirrors, red lamps & time-worn, yellow walls might suggest a brasserie, & the menu certainly dithers between the UK & France, offering hearty Scotch eggs or Guinness & Cheddar rarebit alongside more refined escargots with garlic butter or Barbary duck breast with plum sauce. Quirks such as an antiquated, but fully functioning, staff telephone add to the personality of this local cracker.