Summer is upon us, the world is opening up – get me to the beer garden | Hannah Jane Parkinson

These spaces are the crowning glory of the pub experience, and the British dedication to them is proud-making

The pub garden, or beer garden – that beverage befittingly muscling in and rowdily taking sole possession of the name – has come into its own during Covid. But I have always thought beer gardens the crowning glory of the pub experience.

Summer is upon us. Ostensibly. Which means sitting astride the benches of picnic tables dappled in sunlight, knees touching. The atmosphere is jovial under the influence of the sun. Cocktail umbrellas are matched by the real thing, shading burning shoulders. Cool drinks grasped and gulped thirstily. Caps pulled down to protect eyes. Gravel crunching under trainers as rounds make their way back from the bar.

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