Blue Stoops, Kensington

One block north of the Churchill Arms this site, previously a wine bar, has been re-opened by the team behind Allsopp’s Brewery. It is named in homage to the original Blue Stoops in Burton-upon-Trent, where Allsopp's brewed from 1730. Allsopp's recommenced brewing in 2020 using the original Allsopp’s yeasts from the National Collection of Yeast Cultures in Norwich; the original Allsopp’s IPA now has pride of place on the pub’s bar. Allsopp's has also commissioned the manufacture of beer engines with high “swan necks”, allowing the pumping by hand of ale from the cellar up to customers, in a theatrical manner. Four handpumps dispense three ales from Allsopp’s plus one reserved for a guest ale. Ale prices are reported as reasonable for the area. Also note the various brewery memorabilia and the marvellous Allsopp's mirror on the wall. The pub has also recently revived Double Diamond keg at 3.8% ABV, again with various wall references including Peter Probyn's famous cartoon adverts of the Double Diamond Little Man. The DD produced by Jamie Allsopp is brewed with pale malt and two American hops, Citra and Mosaic.

A menu of seasonal English food is available including a short bar-food menu. Note that if in the bar, you can order from the restaurant menu; but not vice-versa! And also note that on Sundays, only the Sunday menu is offered in both the front bar and back dining room. The pub has also recently announced a collaboration with Blandy's, the Madeira winemaker.

The pub has garnered very good reviews since it opened and The Times restaurant critic said after his visit "the headline on the Blue Stoops for me is that it is very good and not very expensive...it is a brilliant little pub trying out great new things". A well-known beer writer has also commented about the gastropub-good food "rarely found in the same place as perfectly-conditioned cask ale". And The Oldie magazine said that the pub "should be a place of pilgrimage for anyone interested in the history of British brewing".