The Plough

Just what London needs - another pub near Heathrow claiming to be a cut above the usual airport-adjacent watering holes. The Plough sits there on its quiet street, all smug with its hanging flower baskets and fresh paint job, daring you to be cynical. Well, challenge accepted.

I'll admit, walking in, I was armed with every prejudice about suburban London pubs: sticky tables, microwaved meals, and the lingering aroma of decades-old beer spills. The Plough, irritatingly, defied most of these expectations. Most of them. Let's not get carried away here.

The first thing that hits you - besides the shocking realization that the floors aren't actually tacky enough to claim your shoes - is the atmosphere. It's what every corporate pub chain desperately tries to manufacture but fails miserably at achieving. The Plough in London has somehow managed to maintain that elusive balance between "proper pub" and "place you wouldn't mind bringing your mother to." I'm almost angry about how well they've pulled it off.

The bar staff, curse them, are genuinely friendly rather than performing the traditional London pub ritual of treating customers as inconvenient interruptions to their day. They actually seem to know their stuff about the impressive selection of beers and wines, which is both surprising and somewhat suspicious for a venue where I was fully prepared to be offered nothing but room-temperature lager and questionable house wine.

Now, about the food. I arrived ready to pen a scathing critique of another pub serving frozen-then-fried everything, but The Plough had the audacity to serve actually decent meals. Their burger - and I can't believe I'm writing this - is legitimately good. Not "good for airport vicinity" good, but properly good. The kind of good that makes you question your life choices and wonder if you've been too harsh on suburban pubs all these years.

The pricing is what really throws me off my game. In a city where you need to remortgage your house to buy a pint, The Plough keeps things surprisingly reasonable. It's almost like they didn't get the memo about London pricing strategies. Don't tell them - they might realize their mistake and jack up the prices to match their Zone 1 counterparts.

Their outdoor seating area is another annoying triumph. Instead of the expected collection of wobbly tables next to a car park, they've created a rather pleasant space that somehow makes you forget you're a stone's throw from one of the world's busiest airports. The fact that they welcome dogs is either brilliant or madness - I'm still deciding, but my dog seems to have made up his mind in favor.

For sports fans (I refuse to call them "enthusiasts"), they've managed to set up screens that are visible without turning the place into a sports bar nightmare. It's possible to watch the match without feeling like you're in a massive corporate chain pub where sport is religion and conversation is heresy.

The parking situation - free, validated parking near Heathrow? In this economy? - feels like some sort of elaborate prank, but apparently it's real. Combined with its proximity to the airport, it's annoyingly convenient for both locals and travelers looking for a last taste of proper British pub life before departing.

Look, I'm not happy about this, but The Plough in London has forced me to reconsider my stance on airport-adjacent pubs. It's maintained the soul of a proper local while adding just enough modern touches to stay relevant. The combination of good food, decent prices, and staff who actually seem to enjoy their jobs makes it... (and this pains me to say)... worth visiting.

If you find yourself near Heathrow - whether killing time before a flight or living in the area - you could do much worse than The Plough. Actually, you probably couldn't do much better, but don't tell them I said that. We can't have them getting complacent, can we? Just go, enjoy it, and join me in being quietly annoyed at how good it is.