They've more lagers than you can shake a big stick at, of course, but this famous old Leeds hostelry has no hand-pulls on its long double-sided bar.

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This sort of thing shouldn't be allowed, but perhaps it's only me that cares about it any more. If I keep writing about it, maybe someone will notice.

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What they ought to do is allow the city council to slap some sort of preservation order on the place – like they do with listed buildings and characterful trees.

But when a pub discards its bowling green as casually as the Original Oak did a few years ago, it should perhaps come as no surprise that they should ditch the traditional product too.

There is Tetley's on the bar – the smoothflow variety which is sold alongside John Smith's Smooth and banks of beer fonts dispensing Kronenbourg, Amstel, Stella Artois and plenty more besides.

The absence of a real beer and a bowling green, for so long key parts
of its character, seems to shear the Original Oak of some of its dignity, leaving it a poor imitation of what it used to be.

I should know. I've been coming here for years. Way back – it's more than a quarter of a century, since you ask – I pitched up here with a new girlfriend shortly after passing my driving test, and managed to impress her no end by scraping my Austin Allegro while trying to get out of the car park.

And despite the criticism about the beer, it's still all right. It's still a lively, interesting, comfortable place to spend your time and there's plenty about it which reminds you of its longevity. Like a lovely chequerboard tiled floor and lots of old, dark oak panelling both on the walls and the front of the bar.

Yet it cements its place firmly in these modern-day, credit-crunched times with a commitment to value-for-money which plenty of people are looking for but don't always find.

That fact strikes you as soon as you cross the threshold. You'll be well aware of price comparison websites, of course, as a rash of them are advertised virtually wall-to-wall on commercial TV these days, beating each other down on the cost of insurance.

Well, the Original Oak's main Otley Road entrance boasts its own price comparison blackboard which is marked up with the cost of various pub meals at the Oak, and at its three closest rivals – the Arc, Box and the Skyrack.

Hardly surprisingly the Oak wins each category hands down, but, as in the case of car insurance, it's important to know that you're comparing like with like.

Of the three, the Skyrack is the Oak's most obvious competitor, standing just a few yards away and directly across the busy Otley Road.

And it was actually serving real ale the last time I went in, though that may have changed now. Both pubs take their name from the ancient oak tree which stood at this junction until as recently as the Second World War.

In medieval times this original oak was the hub of local affairs conducted by the Wapentake of Skyrack – a vast local government area which stretched from Guiseley to Aberford, Otley to Kippax. The name "Skyrack" is a corruption of an Old English phrase meaning "Shire Oak".

The Oak and the Skyrack vie daily for trade at this historic spot, which comes into its own in Test match week when cricket fans pour out of Headingley at the lunch and tea intervals in need of refreshment.
It's a popular venue for the rugby league fans too, of course.

Certainly someone here is a sports lover. Not only are there big-screen TVs showing Sky Sports, but around the walls are various mementoes of sporting heroes past. I sat beneath a portrait of a young William Bremner, while rugby league photographs, a signed Leeds United shirt and cricket memorabilia compete for drinkers' attention, alongside lovely sepia photographs of old Leeds.

Further space is devoted to advertising the Original Oak's cut-price promotions, some of which are rather impressive. You can get a Sunday roast here and a drink for £4.99, big cocktail pitchers for £6.89 and a glass of wine for 99p.

The pub's colourful menu offers further value with main courses like pie and chips, lasagne, gammon and pineapple or fish and chips for £2.99. Sandwiches and jacket potatoes start at £2.95, burgers at £3.35 and salads at £3.45, though admittedly this is for a "chicken Caesar salad (without chicken)".

Equally bizarrely the drinks menu points out that "Listed drinks are available only where stocked", just in case you thought that drinks were available even if out of stock, as though the barman would helpfully nip out to the supermarket to make sure you got your favourite tipple.