The comfortable, quirky interior of The Stag

Let’s face it: makeshift BBQs don’t work. You can’t be bothered to heave a real BBQ up onto Hampstead Heath, so you raid the corner shop for one of those disposable numbers. You should really dispose of it before wasting 45 minutes trying to get the thing to light; but still, you and you friends cower around a tin foil container that’s half the size of your burger, trying to convince each other that it’s not that cold really.

OR

You could go to The Stag pub just off the heath, to enjoy locally sourced meat, ostentatiously classic desserts, and a BBQ beer garden that’s almost as beautiful as the heath itself.

The décor inside is slightly boho hunting lodge; stuffed animals overlook wax-covered candelabras, as book-lined walls glint with antique mirrors. The impressive menu is scribbled up on a chalk board (how else would any self-respecting boho restaurant advertise its menu?) and the bar staff seem as relaxed behind the ornate long wooden bar, as they are chatting with customers on the hodgepodge of antique chairs, salvaged church pew benches and communal wooden tables.

You can tell a Stag local when they whip out their own dog-eared copy of the pub’s Beeropedia. The chalkboard isn’t sufficient to list their 52 speciality beers, so they’ve developed a beer bible that fanatics work through, ticking off their latest sample. Independent UK and European Breweries are well represented, with alternative international beers shipped in from Laos and Mauritius. We sampled the heady Trappistes Rochefort Six Belgian beer; one of the last true monastery beers that’s not commercially brewed. The venue discovers new beers mostly by recommendation, with the bar staff often returning from their holidays armed with new, undiscovered ales and IPAs.

The quirky beer garden is busy on Friday nights, and all day Saturday and Sunday for The Stag’s legendary BBQ.  However, Thursdays is Steak and Wine Night. Choose from six cuts of prime steak, served with chips, dauphinoise or new potatoes from £10.95. Argentine reds and Bourgogne Pinots are usually on offer to match your steak for a bargainous £9.50 a bottle.

The fish goujons are tender and light, yet sordidly deep-fried in crisp batter. A sirloin steak arrives perfectly cooked to medium rare; smoky with chargrilled lines that look so satisfying and taste even better. Unfortunately, the chips are cut more like potato wedges, and are a little too soft and without much flavour. A Quinoa Super Food Salad is a healthier alternative; but with squishy chunks of roasted butternut squash, grilled tomatoes, roasted beetroot, walnuts and an orange and yoghurt dressing, you could be forgiven for feeling like you were indulging yourself.

For the next level of indulgence, look no further than the pudding menu where an insanely dark yet light sticky toffee pudding dominates the sweet spot. The strawberry cheesecake comes in a close second; with a thin biscuit base and crunchy flakes of chocolate across the fruit speckled filling. You’ll probably be too full for dessert, but you should get one anyway.

Comfortable and quirky, The Stag is going to be a firm favourite that will long out last the dimming coals of summer BBQs.

For more information, see The Stag’s website.