Abraham Darby (JD Wetherspoon), Merry Hill, Brierley Hill

On the edge of the Merry Hill shopping centre, this elongated L-shaped 'spoons under a high ceiling could seem rather cavernous, but the interior decorators have done just enough with the fittings and furniture to avoid this. The full-height windows certainly help during daylight hours, but the relatively subtle lighting also assists later on. There is also a good amount of (mostly covered) outdoor seating. Nothing very exciting from the two banks of handpumps, with a duplicated selection of Abbot, Hobgoblin, Forty Niner, Oakham JHB (£1.99) and Exmoor Gold.

Large pub close to the bus station at Merryhill. Expected more from this one, but poor beer selection as the only guest beers out of JDW usual range Exmoor Gold and Oakham JHB

Modern and very busy spoons in the heart of "Merry Hell". OK to hide from the shops or if waiting for a bus from the nearby station. Enough said!

I've found that Spoons set in shopping centres are generally rather unappealing and this one was no exception. It's part of the Merry Hill (or Merry Hell as the wags in the Vine called it) shopping centre. Coming here on Saturday lunchtime a few weeks before Xmas was probably not a good idea as it was rammed. Luckily it was a warm day so I sat outside in what they laughingly call the garden. It's everything you would expect from a modern shopping centre Spoons, a boring modern decor with lots of small tables and chairs crammed together. On the bar were two sets of five pumps, the boring ones and the guests. On the boring side there were the two GK beers, Doom Bore, London Pride and Adnam's Broadside and the guests had Three Castles Tornado, Sadler's Mellow Yellow, Backyard Kris Kringle doubled up and an American Full Sail Wassail beer by Wadworth's. As I was approaching the bar I noticed there were two women one with a huge ASDA shopping trolley approaching it. Despite the barman telling her that trolleys aren't allowed to be taken inside the pub she just stood there while her friend ordered whatever it was they were having and blocking a large part of the bar. Give me the daytime Spoons brigade any day!! I went for the American beer which was in good nick and I was charged £2.35 despite it being tagged at £2.50. I can only envisage returning here if I had to wait a while for one of the less frequent bus services from the nearby bus station.