As you approach them certain pubs instantly look inviting and are almost beckoning you in to order something cold or frothy. Visually they have what can only be described as a magnetic pull. Whether that’s from its stunning facade, the way the sunlight reflects off the building, or it might even be a glimpse of a garden or seeing a sign for your favourite tipple.

Before its superb refurb earlier in the year, this old dame (that’s been a staple on the main drag since 1898), looked dark and menacing. I recall pubs as a kid often had net curtains and this usually projected a message of ‘strangers keep out’. Going into some of these as a young adult enforced this and they were often very intimidating. This was such a pub, but as you approach now it’s huge plate glass windows branded in gold leaf dazzle in the sun and the building projects a friendly welcome and the warm image of a sanctuary from the noisy streets.

Inside its change is night and day from the work-in-progress I witnessed in February 2019. I particularly enjoy the wood floors, old Joanna, mirrors, and the stunning original tile mural is a wonder to behold for any purist. I’ve not eaten here just yet but the food looks excellent and I love that it has a number of bar stools to sit at and pass the time of day. Fully independent, it’s so refreshing to visit a pub that is not limited in what it can or can’t sell or do and the team behind it are a real pleasure to talk pub shop with.

If you want to stop out a bit later, the added bonus of “Elton’s” downstairs means you can have a little boogie if you’re carrying on the night. Or, if you wish to blow the cobwebs off from the night before on a Sunday over at Hackney Marshes you can join their men or women’s football team, Red Star Homerton. This is yet another nod to the traditions of the pub going past that both Guv’nors are keen to continue.

This is a fantastic proper modern boozer that embraces and values the meaning of the word community. During the Covid-19 global pandemic they and a pastoral band of volunteers fed Hackney children in half term and Christmas holidays when the government would not. As well as these lunches to local kids and food banks they also arranged through donations tech equipment so that those less fortunate in the borough had the necessary gear to be able to home school without restrictions. Pubs are more than just bricks and mortar that sell booze. They are the glue that binds our communities together and the Plough is leading from the front.