PubSpy does try so very hard not to judge books by their cover, or pubs by their decor as the case may be, but with Sutton’s The Gander that proves a tough proposition.

With two letters missing from its huge outside signage, and a musty old carpet welcoming you upon your arrival, it is with trepidation rather than excitement that the PubSpy team begin their critical analysis.

Worse still, an early trip to the lavatories (surprisingly nice by the way) sees punters eyeball to eyeball with a poster proclaiming a ‘zero tolerance’ to the usage or handling of drugs on the premises, suggesting a somewhat chequered history.

Not the greatest of starts then, but if The Gander is aiming to build a strong reputation, it is going about it in the right way.

After all, what more can you want from a visit to a pub than cheap food and drink?

This the Sutton venue delivers in spades, with the team greedily munching through the two meals for £5 option (a Cumberland Sausage salad and a Tipsy Steak pie in case you are interested).

There are also vegetarian options, a hosts of tempting desserts and an impressive sauce list that even allows you a smothering of Jack Daniels with your steak.

Three meals and drinks all in for £14 is a good start and the service was great, although the fact there were only two people apart from us might have something to do with it.

This looks every inch a ‘bloke’ pub, complete with two dart boards, a big pool table and a smattering of screens showing Sky Sports around the venue.

PubSpy may need a bit more coaxing before we would consider visiting this place on a Friday night, but for some lunchtime nosh it sure hit the mark.

DECOR: Unimpressive from the outside, the dated carpet offsets the nice furnishings 2/5 DRINK: A good selection, with plenty of cheap wines up for grabs if beer is not your thing 3/5 PRICE: Exactly what you would expect from a Sutton pub drinks-wise, with the food very good value 4/5 ATMOSPHERE: What atmosphere? With only two other punters it was hard to tell 2/5 STAFF: Very friendly and attentive, although that could have been skewed by the low numbers 4/5