Churchill Arms

Cheery irish landlord at bustling old friendly local, with very well kept beers and excellent thai food; even at its most crowded, it stays relaxed and welcoming

The amiable irish landlord at this flower swamped pub will celebrate his 25th year at the helm in 2010 and we're sure there will be quite a few celebrations. The wonderfully cheery atmosphere here owes a lot to his enthusiasm and commitment. He's always very much in evidence, delightedly mixing with customers as he threads his way through the evening crowds, making everyone feel at home. A few years ago his buoyant enthusiasm led him to start planting up flower pots and baskets. It quickly became something of an obsession (indeed the façade has pretty much disappeared behind the glorious display) and a couple of years ago his efforts were rewarded when the pub's 85 window boxes and 42 hanging baskets won the Chelsea Flower Show's first-ever Boozers in Bloom competition. Another of his hobbies is collecting butterflies - you'll see a variety of prints and books on the subject dotted around the bar. He wasn't ready to stop there though - the pub is also filled with countless lamps, miners' lights, horse tack, bedpans and brasses hanging from the ceiling, a couple of interesting carved figures and statuettes behind the central bar counter, prints of american presidents, and lots of Churchill memorabilia. On handpump, the Fullers Chiswick, ESB, London Pride and Fullers seasonal beers are particularly well kept, and he offers two dozen wines by the glass. The spacious and rather smart plant-filled dining conservatory may be used for hatching butterflies, but is better known for its big choice of excellent thai food. Look out for special events and decorations around Christmas, Hallowe'en, St Patrick's Day, St George's Day, and Churchill's birthday (30 November) - along with more people than you'd ever imagine could feasibly fit inside this place; they have their own cricket and football teams; fruit machine and TV. There can be quite an overspill onto the street, where there are some chrome tables and chairs.

Good quality and splendid value, the conservatory has authentic thai food with everything from a proper thai curry to various rice, noodle and stir-fried dishes. At lunchtimes they usually also have a very few traditional dishes such as fish and chips or sausage and chips, and they do a good value Sunday roast.