I arrived at The Princess of Wales pub at noon on a Tuesday and there was plenty of room. The friendly barman Ben, who is an actor when not serving beer,  allowed me to try several of the beers on offer. This pub always has a good range of beers including the ubiquitous Sharp’s Doom Bar.  I plumped for a pint of Roosters Yankee Pale Ale.  I was impressed with the flavour and had several more during the afternoon.

As time progressed a few more punters arrived including a few mothers with noisy children in push chairs.  We decided to have lunch before the beer filled us up and picked Ox Cheek Pie and Mash.  This was really good and the flavour  of the vegetables was far superior to any pub food I have tasted.  They were also cooked to absolute perfection. The pie had sufficient filling which was tender and tasty.  The attentive barmaid enquired about our level of satisfaction on the food front and our reply was positive.  We finished with a salted caramel tart which was also good.

The Princess of Wales is just outside the main part of Blackheath Village and has a nice view over the heath.  There is seating inside and outside and on hot days people sit on the heath opposite the pub.  It hasn’t changed much in the thirty or so years that I have frequented it and it maintains a good pub atmosphere.  I would recommend a visit.  The website is: http://www.princessofwalespub.co.uk/