It’s the marshal’s event of the LDWA Hunnypot Hundred 2026 in Kent this weekend (2 to 4 May 2026) which means that I’m meandering down to Chatham today. I’ll use this as an index page for all the excitement and random witterings I might have to offer over the weekend as well as links to photos and videos.
There’s more information about the event at https://ldwa.org.uk/2026Hundred.
And there will be tracking of the very brave entrants at https://track.trail.live/event/hunnypot-100-marshal-walk.
I visited Milton Keynes in late 2024 and at the time I was working my way around all of the Brewdog venues in the chain, something which has been much easier more recently as they’ve shut most of them.
I didn’t post about this visit at the time as there’s not much point being negative about pubs and bars given all the challenges that they have in general. It was a highly sub-optimal visit though, I was ignored at the bar and one of the team members was merrily eating pizza and using the same hand to serve customers and handle their glasses. I don’t set my standards that high, but the whole combination of this and the lack of welcome made me feel that I was disturbing a private party, so I quietly walked out and went to another pub. My plan at the time was just to visit at another time, but I’ve now missed that opportunity as it has permanently closed.
It’s an interesting snapshot of time in terms of the pricing though, they’re way above the average for a craft beer bar for those same beers. Although I can’t say I predicted the demise of nearly the entire chain, it was evident that the standards between venues were very different and getting enough customers at those prices was always going to be a challenge.
The venue is currently being advertised for rental, but this is a former JD Wetherspoon outlet known as The Secklow Hundred and it seems that the chain is on the hook now for the lease because Brewdog have gone under. The rental price hasn’t been disclosed, but the annual service charge is £24,000 and the annual business rates are £38,000, so this is not going to be a cheap venue to take over. It does though have a late licence until 03:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, so if they can work out how to get a late night audience out then that might help with the huge costs of operation.
I like visiting pubs in the Good Beer Guide, but I’m also trying to work through every pub in the JD Wetherspoon chain.
Bracknell : Old Manor [I haven’t visited this one]
Maidenhead : The Bear – 8/10 High Street, Maidenhead, SL6 1QJ
Newbury : Hatchet [I haven’t visited this one]
Reading : Back of Beyond – 104/108 King’s Road, Reading, RG1 3BY
Reading : Hope Tap – 99/105 Friar Street, Reading RG1 1EP
Slough : Moon & Spoon – 86/88 High Street, Slough SL1 1EL
Windsor : King & Castle [I visited this one a very long time ago]
They also used to operate the Baron Cadogan in Caversham, the Diamond Tap in Newbury, the Greyhound in Maidenhead, the Monks Retreat in Reading, Lloyds in Slough, Windlesora in Windsor [I visited this a very long time ago] and the Gig House in Wokingham [I visited this a very long time ago].
I’m not sure how I get from writing about bar billiards to writing about German air raid posters from the First World War, but yet here we are. Back in the medieval period, people had a genuine fear of being attacked where they lived, but war evolved to be much more about front-line conflict. That was until the development of aircraft that had the ability to bypass the troops on the front-line and strike fear into the hearts of everyone.
This poster reads:
“Hostile aircraft can see you here! Vehicles must not stop here.”
A combination of the Government needing to warn people of the new threat, but this must have been terrifying to people living in Germany when they realised that aircraft could attack them in their homes. The number of actual attacks was relatively low and the British never attacked Berlin by air, the first planned raid would have been in November 1918, but the armistice saw the end of that.
I wouldn’t say that I was pre-annoyed when turning up at the Artichoke for our team’s second game, but I was certainly pre-stressed. We were playing the Black Stars and they have their own branded uniform and everything, so they’re evidently a force to be reckoned with and not just a bunch of accidental amateurs. So I thought that I’d calm my nerves with half a cider and an orange juice & lemonade, a drink combination that either suggested moderation or an imminent collapse.
And it was time for the draw and many thanks to Luke for arranging some tags for our team so that I don’t have to tear up little bits of paper. I’m not suggesting the little bits of paper made me look amateurish, but they did perhaps hint at an operation not yet fully entirely touched by modernity. I didn’t mind who I secured in the draw, but I just didn’t want Dave Brewer as he’s in the singles final on Saturday. I’m not saying the other players are inferior to Dave, but he has an aura of invincibility and it would be unlikely that I’d draw him.
And just bloody typical. Dave in the singles and doubles. But, it’s important to remain calm and I just didn’t want a repeat of last week against the Serengeti when three matches went down to the final ball, so I mentioned that we should avoid those situations.
The first game was Andrew against PJ and they ignored my instructions about the final ball, which was disappointing as I had delivered them in the tone of a man who absolutely did not want to be ignored. Andrew went first and he was ahead by 760 to 580 with that final ball left.
Close…. But, as I’ve discovered, being close in this game is often rather sub-optimal.
And PJ was ruthless, he took the opportunity to win the game by just twenty points. I needed a sit down.
The second game and another final shot. Phil knocked the black over and that meant that Vaughan won the game, putting us 2-0 up. But there was an excellent break by Phil of 980 in the match, a very good game. It was then my game against Dave (pictured looking confident on the right) and what could possibly go wrong…. PJ and Vaughan only made their league debuts last week and now they’re looking like established players, it’s a joy to behold and all that.
My only photo of the game and the blurriness was not Dave moving so fast the camera couldn’t catch him, it’s because I was moderately shaking. Anyway, let’s not linger here, Dave pulled 900 ahead and I decided the only tactic was to knock enough 10s and 20s in to catch up slowly but surely without him noticing. The bar dropped and it meant that I would need something of a miracle, but fortunately, the ball went in the 100 and I was able to get the final 200 shot in as well. My strategy for the 200 was not to think about it, but play it quickly, which worked. I hope that I haven’t dented Dave’s confidence for the final of the singles on Saturday.
I don’t drink gin and tonic, but I needed one, along with a Flump, to steady my nerves. It was, in its way, a balanced response to events really and having access to an extensive array of bar snacks is quite important to me.
Thanks to Julian (sr) for supplying these for the teams. And thanks also to manager Cal for offering me therapy as the close games piled up one after another. Incidentally, he’s one of the best people to work with behind a bar and I am unanimous in that. He’s on the team and is practising regularly for when his time comes. I’m sure I’ve mentioned, but Tayto’s have become one of my favourite crisp options.
Julian (sr) arrived to look at the results so far. Although by this stage someone, who shall remain nameless, had already shared the result of the Brewer-White match with numerous other league players and about half the Lionhearts so news was leaking out to the local bar billiards world meaning discretion had not especially survived the evening.
However, the Black Stars were just too formidable for us to hold back, and Mark, Neil and then Russell won their games before they also won all three doubles games which I thought was a bit greedy but I didn’t say anything. Which isn’t to say that we didn’t come very close, with Terri and Luke scoring over 1,000 in their game. Terri has definitely mastered the 20s shot and Luke manages to knock some huge scores out, he obtained a break of 870 in his singles match.
And special mention to Gabriel on the right here who was playing in his first league match and secured a break of 660 in his first game. That’s more than I think most people get in their first competitive game and he’s going to be our secret weapon, I just know it.
As some background, the Black Stars only lost two matches last year, with one of them being against the Artichoke team. So Dave admitted that when they were three-nil down, there was some déjà vu coming back in. But we’re not unhappy with losing 6-3, it’s a long season and, as I am obliged to say, it is not all about winning. It is about having a fun night out in a pub. Unless we win, in which case it is at least partly about that. I also didn’t go to the King’s Head after as I’m reserving that only for when we win, but I did sit for a while to calm down.
We’re at home to the Coach and Horses next week and I’m very much looking forward to it. It might be just a little unnerving at times, but it’s a lot of fun and thanks again to the Black Stars for a really rather lovely evening.
I’ve been planning to come here for a long time and fortunately James was not difficult to persuade to come with me, perhaps because he correctly sensed that I was not going to stop mentioning it. James and I last visited this place when it was Orford Plaice, when he compared it to a Wimpy. Anyway, it’s been here for over a year now and it’s always looked busy when I’ve meandered by.
And there’s the tagline, it’s Korean chicken which is nice with or without the rice. I like direct taglines, there’s no need for a manifesto when they have chicken.
There’s the menu board and the prices were a little towards the higher end, but that’s not unreasonable as it’s all on-trend, they have exposed brick, confidence and a modern font on the screens.
Customers order using tablets on the counter and I’m very happy with that whole process. It lets me spend a little longer seeing what I want to order, it lets me look at the options and it’s also handy for those who don’t speak the local language to be able to get a better understanding of the whole arrangement.
James ordered chicken with a load of vegetables. I think he’s approached middle age with a concern about his health and an acceptance of adulthood. As for me, I’m sure that I’ll be equally concerned about similar things when I approach middle age in a few years. Despite having ordering second, James’s food arrived first, which I outwardly accepted with a moderate amount of grace and inwardly treated as a small personal injustice. On the positive side, the team member soon called my name and handed me my food and he was friendly and jovial.
As I evidently have more basic tastes, I went for a chicken box and a side of spring rolls. I didn’t expect this mound of chicken if I’m being honest, the portion size was way more than I was anticipating. It’s fortunate that I’m quite greedy and I am not easily intimidated by excessive quantities of fried food. There was plenty of sauce on the chicken pieces, which were mainly thigh meat, but they were tender and had a depth of taste and flavour. The sauce is a sticky red Yang-Yum sauce and after fifteen minutes of eating all this chicken, my hands were certainly sticky. The spring rolls were fine, crispy on the exterior and they had a pleasant taste, although I would note that they weren’t really any better than most frozen spring rolls and I didn’t get the impression that there was a grandmother in the kitchen who had devoted a lifetime of work to developing them.
It was busy during our visit, but by the time I had finished, everyone had left or perhaps that was because I was so covered in sauce other customers were just put off their food. Carefully ensuring I didn’t end up with sauce on the camera lens, I took this photo on the way out of the seating area.
The whole atmosphere here is laid-back, informal and it does feel on-trend and interesting. The food quality is high, the portion size was generous and because of that, I felt that there was value for money. They have a loyalty scheme but it requires twenty purchases to get a free chicken box and that’s too many required visits to entice me back for the moment. But, I’m sure that I’ll return here at some point and I left feeling that I had eaten enough decent quality food, so I’ll take that as a win.
On a side issue, James and I will have to come up with a plan for a mini food series before Norwich Market 2027 begins in a few months. The anticipation….
These are two angels and their columns would have been used to place candles on. Apparently angels tended to be placed in pairs from medieval times, but I suppose that they don’t much want to be lonely. They date to around 1500 and were made in the Rhineland region, perhaps in Cologne itself.
The original location of the angels is lost to history, but they would have likely stood either side of an altar. They’re called Leuchterengels in German, the Leuchter means candle and is the same word origin as ‘light’ in English.
I think they’re well decorated without being overstated, it’s just a shame that the heritage of where they were once housed has now been lost.
Hmmm, I appear to have been so distracted with other pubs that during my visits to Reading, I’ve only briefly popped into the two JD Wetherspoon venues in the town. And this is one of the only two photos that I have of the Hope Tap which I would have taken for Untappd.
The chain say about the venue’s name:
“The site of this pub was once occupied by the Hope Brewery which had its own pub, The Hope Tap. According to the earliest trade directory, 103–104 Friar Street were occupied by the brewery, but by 1860 the brewery had gone.”
This map is from around 1900 and the Hope Tap is located just below the BM, with that inner courtyard now being part of the pub.
I mentioned I had another photo and it is from my visit in September 2025. The two photos are nearly four years apart but are both of the same beer, the Titanic Plum Porter, which was just £2.28 a pint on my recent visit.
Anyway, onto the reviews to amuse me, which are around average for the chain.
“A nine year association with this once good pub is at an end. I have used £sterling over the nine years and a mix of English and Scottish bank notes without question. Tonight I handed over a Scottish £20 note, to have it returned with a stern warning, “although it states Sterling, we do not accept Scottish Bank Notes”, is this racism, it felt like it, I was person non grata. I politely refused to hand over Sterling in an acceptable format. Thank you, Hope Tap for the humiliation.”
Racism because they have stopped accepting Scottish £20s in their English and Welsh pubs because of the amount of fraudulent notes in circulation?
“Ordered food 10.59pm, kitchen closes at 11. Come to my work at 4.59 and we’ll honour that by allowing your vehicle into our workshop for whatever repair/maintenance required. Hope tap didn’t allow us to get our food, a man just came to our table and refused to make us the food ordered, and didn’t answer why, he just smiled and laughed. Pretty poor customer service. Use to love this place. Now I’ll just go hungry, or even better, pop to McDonald’s for a cheese burger, as they’ll always accept money for food no matter what time, or however late from closing time.”
This reminds me that for a while they had a situation where some JD Wetherspoon pubs took food orders until 23:00 and also closed at 23:00 which felt like a sub-optimal arrangement. I personally wouldn’t dare order on the app at 22:59, but each to their own.
“Ordered a Doom Bar and an IPA via the App, arrived at the table, and the kid said, “I don’t know which is which”, then turned to leave. I asked if he could take them back and re-pour them to know for sure, and he proceeded to return to the bar with them, wait 30 seconds at the end of the bar, then return with the same drinks pretending to know. I took them up to the bar, and after explaining to 2 highly confused staff, finally a bad tempered ‘manager’ came in and reluctantly proceeded to pour new drinks with quite an attitude. Par for the course, I guess.”
I’ve had this and it’s not ideal, but I’m not sure I’d send them back as that would admit that I couldn’t tell the difference by taste. But, once again, each to their own. The attitude is understandable in my view….
“i was out for the night with some girls on holiday from Denmark. when we got our drinks, we clinked our drinks together and said woohoo. the short bouncer was very aggressive and kicked us out without finishing, saying we were too loud”
Good, there’s too much frivolity in pubs.
“Organised trip to meet family on basis of Google including it as accepting dogs, but it didn’t.”
How is that the pub’s fault?
Anyway, enough of this excitement. They’ve usually got six real ales on and the prices are about the brand average, although that’s all towards the lower end of the scale.
I’ve rarely lingered for long in here, it can get really quite busy and I prefer the vibe at Siren’s taproom over the road and there are a fair few interesting Good Beer Guide pubs around as well. But, I’ll likely pop back at some point and I might remember to take a couple of photos to surprise and delight my two loyal readers.
Julius Stafford-Baker (1904-1988) painted this view of the Eden Hotel in Berlin on 20 July 1945. He was particularly drawn to ruined Germany, which in artistic terms was understandable and I suppose there’s optimism that can come from the chaos. Although it was painted only weeks after the war in Europe ended, it belongs to that slightly odd period when the fighting had stopped but the consequences were still sitting in full view, impossible to tidy up with slogans.
The Eden Hotel itself had once been one of Berlin’s grand establishments, it was built in 1912 and it was situated on the Kurfürstendamm before it was destroyed in the war. It had become infamous in 1919 as it’s where the military who killed Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg were based, and the executions took place outside the hotel.
Stafford-Baker, eldest son of the illustrator, Julius Stafford-Baker (1869-1961), worked for the RAF Public Relations Directorate and he remained working as an illustrator after the war.
This is a family photo album from the 1930s and the museum uses it as an example of how people were manipulated by the Nazi regime. The text here talks about “the creator of Greater Germany” and the photo is of a “triumphal drive through old Cologne”. I don’t know if the creator of the album survived the Second World War, but I wonder whether they thought it was all such a good idea with millions dead, German’s size reduced by 25% and Cologne left in ruins.
This particular visit appears to be from when Hitler visited Cologne on 30 March 1938. He toured the city in his car and then gave a speech to 60,000 people at the Cologne Exhibition Hall. The museum doesn’t give more information about the album but it appears to be on loan from the city’s NS-Documentation Centre.
