There was a piece on Radio 4 yesterday about George Orwell and his lifelong pursuit of the perfect pub.  He wrote an essay in the 40's called "The Moon under Water" to make clear what he felt to be the basic requirements. He spoke about friendly staff and a warming welcoming atmosphere and all the things that probably most of us would think of.   The Moon under Water didn't in fact exist - it was his fantasy, a place he yearned for.

All the more poignant because, had he lived now, he might have been rather thrilled to hear about the Duchess of Cambridge at the end of Goldhawk Road (320) in Shepherds Bush (or Ravenscourt Park if you prefer), who recently received some of the most enthusiastic reviews I think I've ever read for a pub.

This is how The Purveyor started their review:

"At The Purveyor we don’t review pubs, but after a great night at the Duchess of Cambridge in Stamford Brook last night, I thought I would make an exception. Now this pub has a history of many owners, and a history of not being that busy either. The pub, which used to be called the Brook, needed some magic to get the punters in and the owners of the newly named Duchess of Cambridge are true wizards."

The rest of their piece continues in similar fashion - a truly enthusiastic review from an obviously very happy visit.

Next up was the revered Pub reviewer Des de Moor (who, by the way, if you don't follow him is an extremely good source of info on the very best places to enjoy our national drink).

Des ended his knowledgeable review of the Duchess of Cambridge's wonderful range of real ales with "It’s a bigger and more ambitious project than the Bree, and on a site less favoured than its sister’s central location, but if you’re not local it’s well worth making the trip. A lot of effort has gone into creating a very special and remarkable pub that deserves to flourish."

I can't think of a better couple of reviews for a pub that really does deserve to flourish.   And flourish it indeed is - I had a drink with the owner, Craig, on Tuesday and it's delightful to see the real pride he has, after investing a lot of money in the place, in seeing the venture doing well and pleasing a lot of visitors.

I wonder what George Orwell would have thought of it all - the Duchess ticks all of the boxes I can think of for a great pub but would the famously grumpy novelist have been satisfied?