The Black Horse at Aylestone

The Black Horse is the sort of pub you’d love to be your local. It’s warm, welcoming and comfortable. Stepping inside feels like you’re being transported into a restful world miles from the stresses of work. Antique hardbacks sit next to a sign advertising the monthly book club, polished brass glints at you from the bar, and the dark purple Chesterfield-style bench seats and dark wood furniture create an unusually opulent atmosphere for a traditional pub.

Alan and Sarah Merryweather from Nottingham are the married couple who have created this slice of pub paradise, in partnership with the building’s owner, Everards. They’ve transformed The Black Horse into a place that retains a lovely, traditional back-street pub vibe and yet also feels slightly – is this the right word? – luxurious.

Before they arrived the pub offered virtually no food but today it serves traditional pub fare: well-loved dishes such as homemade pies, fish and chips, and burgers freshly made in the kitchen. And it’s with the burgers that The Black Horse is making a name for itself. There are ten varieties on the menu, each made using lean steak mince supplied by local butcher Russell Smith of Cosby. The kitchen makes and serves up to 400 a week and they are spectacularly good.