Al fresco lunch - The Juggs, Kingston

It’s the hottest day of the year. The temperature is hitting 34 degrees. There isn’t a cloud in the sky. A good time for an al fresco lunch? No actually, it’s too hot. Nevertheless I head for the Juggs with an old friend in the knowledge that they’ve got a great shaded bowery bit in the garden. It’s funny doing a review of lunch in a pub you’ve been going to since you were five. The village pub of the village I grew up in. I look at the place with fresh eyes. My god, how quaint the building is. How low the door is. What a strange mood there is behind the bar.

In ‘Do the Right Thing’ Spike Lee looked at how oppressive summer heat can lead to an eruption of violence. I’d hate to be working in the busy kitchen of a 14th century pub on a day like this. I take pity and order a prawn salad. My friend goes for a ploughmans. It’s hot out there, did I say that? There are more people sitting inside than outside. The tables in direct sunlight are left well alone. What country are we in? When the prawns come they are swimming in that sauce they make out of salad cream and tomato sauce. Oh yes, we’re in England. It’s not sophisticated on the palate, but you can’t accuse it of being not tasty. A guilty pleasure, washed down with cold lager, all for £12. Roll on August. AL