It has been a while since I penned my thoughts on the borough’s boozers. I blame Christmas for that.

Having dazzled friends with my conga-leading skills and kazoo-blowing ability in previous years I found myself invited to all kinds of festive gatherings.

However, I need to clear my somewhat hazy head to recall a pre-Christmas visit I made to the Nightingale in Sutton where I enjoyed a few pints while sitting quietly in the corner and casting my eye across the pub.

Imagine my surprise when, suddenly, a huge hare ran in through the doors and was swiftly followed by a couple hounds.

I wasn’t hallucinating, but I did start to wonder if I’d had several pints too many.

It turned out to be three chaps in fancy dress on a pub crawl. They looked more like cast members from an episode of Scooby Doo than anything else but decided to paws (geddit?) for a bevvy in this boozer and their presence helped to fuel the Christmas feel-good factor.

My first impressions of the Nightingale were favourable. The colourful lampshades and Christmas decorations helped to create a cosy feel and the pub was pretty packed.

There was a sizeable presence from the geezer fraternity and let’s face it, Sutton is full of Barrys, Garys, Daves and Steves, so that was hardly surprising.

The girls who had braved this rather blokey environment preferred to chinwag about the X Factor outcome rather than join the lager-swilling boys picking the bones out of the day’s Premiership football action. I would hazard a guess that most of them support Chelsea, more’s the pity.

Anyway, the atmosphere was jovial and upbeat and, although not to everyone’s taste, the music was upbeat too. Whisper it quietly, but I saw a few punters tapping their glasses to the sound of S Club 7’s 2001 hit Don’t Stop Movin’.

I settled with London Pride as my drink of choice which at £3.10 was a little on the pricey side.

Despite this, the Nightingale was on song for my visit and when the hare and hounds belted out of the pub to their next destination I took that as my cue to move on too.

The Nightingale, 53 Carshalton Road, Sutton, SM1 4LG. Visit www.the-nightingale.co.uk

How the pub rates(out of five):

Decor: XXX Dark inside, tidy and cosy, with pictures of old Sutton and Carshalton dotted around.

DRINK: XXX I saw London Pride and Youngs on draught but the bar area was packed so didn’t see if there was anything else.

PRICE: XX £3.10. Blimey, steeper than a trudge up Box Hill.

ATMOSPHERE: XXXX Warm and welcoming. The sound of laughter was prominent and this cranked up a notch when the hare and hounds came racing through the doors.

STAFF: XXX The barmaid was very friendly and happy to engage in a bit of banter with the punters.