Sadly, this town centre pub closed a few months ago, although hopefully there’s an opportunity for it to be re-opened. The local newspaper, the Cambridgeshire Times, referred to the landlord as “controversial” when he quit earlier on in 2019 after eight years in charge. That’s normally a word that I use to refer to someone as intolerable, although it seems that he achieved a great deal at the pub during his time there, so I’m sure that the media didn’t mean it in that way.
When talking to the press, the landlord said:
“There were battles of: eviction, arrest, re-arrest, application to remove my license, FDC health and safety, electrical notices, noise safety notices, planning validation notices, DPPO violation, battles with the Summer Festival, Battles with St Georges Fayre committee and food safety risk scores. These were just a few battles I fought on a regular basis, many of them carrying financial and possible imprisonment risks. Trying to run a business in March is simply too much of an uphill struggle.”
Sounds like an eventful pub, I think that I would have liked it.
I’m not quite that I entirely understand who the pub was aiming at, there seems to have been an attempt to offer real ale, gastro-pub food, live music, a coffee house and a community pub all at the same time. Good luck to anyone who can pull that much off successfully, seems rather ambitious. But, since I never got the chance to visit, perhaps it was excellent and the food does seem to have been well reviewed.
Sad to see the pub like this….
At least no-one has pinched what is left of the A-Board. Anyway, onto TripAdvisor:
“I have looked into this issue and have disaplined the individules reponsible , they do have the descretion to pop out and get mushy peas to order and i am looking into why they failed to do this . ref the scampie , it is as im sure you are awear cooked in deep hot oil and there for has to reach the right tempriture , is it lost some tempriture there must of been a delay geting your product to table. i have review who else eat at the same time and there was a similiar table severed within 10minutes of yourselve which was 2 x scampie who gave a great review . so i am sorry there was a delay in geting your food to your table again i have enquired as to why my staff had a delay . Tarter source, these things happen clealy you were given old stock it was the “best before date” , and not the “expiry date” however not acceptble and disaplinery action has been actioned .”
With this response to someone’s cold scampi, I’m never entirely sure that the reference to disciplining staff is always entirely wise…..
“from a publican to a fellow ex publican , the opening and closing times are up to the landlord , there are no requirments since 2005 for pubs to call last orders .”
The pub landlord is right on this. I’ve heard this from a few customers over the years, claiming that they are publicans and then claiming that bar staff don’t know the law, with it usually transpiring that they do….
“Biggest dump in March. Full of kids, space cadets and drinkers banned from everywhere else. Owner is a moron and on another planet”
One helpful review….
“Sorry it didn’t suit you :)”
And the pub’s perfect reply 🙂
Anyway, I suspect that this pub had a lot of character and I’m rather sad that it’s closed, I still think that I would have probably have liked it. Pubs can sometimes be just a little too bland.
