Rob, landlord of the Bull Inn, was away for a mid-week break at Butlin’s in Bognor, courtesy of a birthday treat from his other half Hazel.

This left Matt the barman in charge of this roadside boozer in Newington and when I walked in he was busy piling a curtain rail and old broom handles onto an already blazing fire.

At the bar, it felt like the original version of TV show Bullseye because it was immediately a case of ‘Look what you could have had’. The Reverend James bitter had been on tap but had run out and my second wildcard choice, Theakston Mild, wasn’t on either.

So instead, I found myself perched on a barstool, nursing a pint of Madri and listening to the locals natter about what they were planning to cook for dinner.

This Bull is about as old school as you’re going to get and everywhere I looked reminded me of the pubs I used to visit in my youth.

The Rose & Crown darts team would be in for a Thursday evening darts match later and Matt was guesting in the place of several absentees, not least A team players Rob and Hazel. By his own admission, Matt knew the step up from the B team was going to be a serious test of his darting ability.

There was also a pool table in the darkness of the back room, though there hasn’t been a pool team here for many years, and a big modern fruit machine, but neither were in action while I was in.

There was also a decent-sized TV screen in the middle of the wall at the back of the bar which was showing ITV news.

The fireplace is set about a foot above the floor and the fire was burning well by now and was starting to smell really good with wisps of smoke blowing across the room.

A reassuring mix of old and new was everywhere to be seen, for example, there might be a modern electronic till, but regulars are still treated to the luxury of maintaining a tab. And, the interestingly textured walls have so much paint peeling off them, to reveal various false brick fronts and other masonry, it’s hard to tell if the look is trendy, or just a bit tatty?

Barmaid Megan had now taken up position behind the bar and despite Matt’s insistence he didn’t care how badly he played or what the result might be, he still came out to find his darts and put in some practice.

The two rooms to the right-hand-side, like the small one at the front left and the pool room at the back were not in use and were left dark and empty. You need to pass through the long green room on the right to reach the corridor at the back of the pub leading to the gents and, whilst the toilets were warm and perfectly pleasantly maintained the walk through was decidedly chilly.

As I say, the gents was fresh, fragrant and clean but it was also old school, as reflected by the single stainless steel trough urinal.

This pub is certainly all about its punters and I have no reason whatsoever to question the view expressed by more than one person in the bar that landlord Rob does what he does for his love of The Bull and its regulars rather than to put money in his pocket.

Further examples of the wonderful role this place plays within its community were provided by the five baskets on display for a charity raffle, the certificates on the wall to commemorate occasions when dart players had hit 180 (including extra comments on some!) and the England flag hung at the front of the bar, presumably pinned up for the rugby, but not necessarily.

Of course, everyone knows everyone else and just about everyone sits at the bar but they’re still happy to chat to newcomers and I felt welcomed at this old-fashioned boozer which exudes the attitude – you can come in but you’d better be prepared to accept what you find and just get on with it.

Although I didn’t recognise what it was at first, I wasn’t surprised to find a cheesy-looking over-sized inflatable beer mug at the side of the fire (apparently part of the landlord’s birthday celebrations) but I didn’t expect the bloke at the bar to inform me he’d been shopping earlier and had opted for a truffle kiev for his tea.

Overall, if I employed marketing speak, I’d say The Bull definitely under promises, but happily over delivers.

THE BULL INN, 32 HIGH STREET, NEWINGTON, SITTINGBOURNE ME9 7JP

Décor: I love a balloon inflatable as much as the next man and the open fire was great, but it’s much more shabby than chic – however, it did transport me back about 35 years! ***

Drink: It feels a bit harsh, and I realise I might just have got unlucky missing a couple of ales, but there wasn’t enough available on tap to score it any higher than this. **

Price: The pricing seemed a little strange as a Stella was only £4.85 with shots costing £2.40 and Jagerbombs £3.40. However, if Matt got the price right, a Madri will set you back £6.10. **

Staff: Salt-of-the earth Matt, with sensible views about Premier League football and a lack of darts ability, is clearly a man who can be trusted to be left in charge and barmaid Megan was excellent. ****

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