Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Good Beer Guide

Liverpool Weekend (Day Two) – Bridewell Pub

Next on our Liverpool drinking agenda was the Good Beer Guide listed Bridewell pub. CAMRA’s Whatpub notes that it’s where the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood was formed and I note this having no idea whether that’s true, but I’m using this fun fact as I’m pleased that I’ve heard of a band.

One of the draws of the pub is its history and that’s evident from its name, it’s a former prison. The word ‘Bridewell’ comes from part of Bridewell Palace in Westminster was used as a jail. The former prison cells are part of the venue and we were hoping to be able to sit in one of them. The venue is very well reviewed on-line and it seemed to attract a diverse range of ages and a mixture of locals and visitors. I liked this review:

“Not allowed to play live or loud music what’s the point”

Good. Anyway, I digress.

The pub has a comprehensive history of their building on their web-site:

“The Bridewell – Argyle Street bridewell and fire station was built in the 1840’s at a cost of £2675 and was mainly used as a lock up, playing host to over refreshed and excitable seamen and dockers, there were 7 cells which housed over 100 “guests” each month, bread was free as was the floor – if you required use of a bed or better food then these would have to be paid for. Charles Dickens was sworn in as a special constable for one night only in 1860 whilst researching his novel “The Uncommercial Traveller”

The Building ceased to be used as a prison in 1932 but was brought back to life during the second world war by the US military – rumours of German POW and conscientious objectors – but as these activities were shrouded in mystery for fear of letting the enemy discover, any evidence has been lost in the passages of time.

A nightly bucket of Guinness was supplied to The Bridewell patrol from the Guinness boats that were tied up at the nearby Salthouse Docks, and there are tales of staff from the nearby Guinness bottling factory on Norfolk Street bringing buckets of Guinness to encourage the Sergeant to let their friends and family out.”

Here’s another of my Untappd photos. The beer is the Three Swords from Kirkstall and it was well kept and at the appropriate temperature, a reliable pale ale.

After a bit of waiting, we were able to sit inside a former cell and I then immediately decided it was too hot. I like to add my constant joy to proceedings. They clearly didn’t worry much about air conditioning for these prisoners in the nineteenth century.

Oooh, another Untappd photo. This beer is the True Grit from Millstone, a slightly thin pale ale where I couldn’t detect the grapefruit aroma that the brewer mentioned.

We got talking, or rather more accurately Bev got talking as is her wont, to a local who gave us a list of places that he thought we should visit. He was a friendly soul and keen to help, although many of his suggestions seemed to involve getting a train to somewhere else which seemed to take away a little from the point of visiting Liverpool. But I always enjoy getting some local insight and I’m impressed him briefly, for around ten seconds, with my knowledge of Everton football club in the 1980s. Always up-to-date I am…..

There were lots of elements to this visit that I liked, although I’ll put how busy and hot it was to one side as that’s not really the venue’s fault that they’re popular. Well, it is, but I can’t be negative about that. The heritage was of course exciting, it reminded me a little of the The Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in Keswick. The service was prompt and despite being busy the team members were mostly serving customers in turn, which often isn’t the case and it’s sometimes a little sub-optimal. The landlord was visible throughout the service, whether serving drinks, fixing things or trying to gather customers back in to his licensed area outside the front of the pub. It’s definitely a recommended venue as far as I’m concerned, I’d visit here again as it’s evidently very well run.

September 19, 2023
Liverpool Weekend (Day One) – Ye Cracke Pub

The next pub on the itinerary was the Good Beer Guide listed ‘Ye Cracke’ pub, perhaps most notable for being a haunt of the young John Lennon. There’s also a plaque on the wall to The Dissenters, a band of sorts which included John Lennon, Bill Harry, Stuart Sutcliffe and Rod Murray.

The pub was busy so it was a little difficult to take too many photos, but here’s the inside of the front window. Readers can build their own story up here about how it’s likely John Lennon looked out of it or something…. It saves me being creative when my two loyal readers build up their own picture of a pub.

A brief moment of quiet at the bar. The service was friendly and efficient, with the venue feeling more of a locals’ pub, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t welcoming. The prices were reasonable and the pub itself was clean and organised.

The Sun isn’t the most popular newspaper in Liverpool for numerous reasons, but mostly the Hillsborough disaster reporting in 1989.

I had a couple of beers, nothing really of note but they were well-kept. The Dangerous Dave from Empire Brewing sounded promising though, but I’m not sure where the danger came in. That’s not Dave in the photo, that’s Steve.

Bev helpfully collected up some chairs from around the pub so we could sit at the end of a table meaning we could then all spend some considerable time gossiping about matters in general. This is the first time that Bev and Steve had visited Liverpool and their first impressions were positive. I’ve been a few times, but never before to this pub, which had a traditional and back street feel to it.

The pub is generally well reviewed on-line and it had a lively, but safe, atmosphere when we visited. There were some slightly different beers to the norm and there is a heritage element given the John Lennon link, so there are worse places in the area to visit.

September 11, 2023
Norwich – Alexandra Tavern (Two Julians)

Next in line on our little tour was the Alexandra Tavern which has been a pub since the 1860s, taking its name from Alexandra of Denmark, the wife of King Edward VII. It’s a well reviewed pub on-line and it’s also listed in the Good Beer Guide.

As a pub history side note, the Norfolk Chronicle reported on the Brewster Sessions held in August 1877 in which the Alexandra was mentioned, but I think it’s an interesting snapshot of licensing at the time.

“Mr Carlos Cooper, barrister, applied on behalf of Messrs. Steward and Patteson for the transfer of the licence of the Cock and Pye public house, St. Simon and Jude, to other premises situated in St. Philip, Heigham. Mr. Cooper said that of course it was unnecessary for him to state that he was not applying for a new licence, but was now asking for the removal of one. The late Mr. Winter’s representatives had about 16 acres of land, very well adapted for building purposes; this was now in course of being sold and built upon, and there had been about 40 or 50 houses built there up to the present, and when the whole of the land was built upon there would be about 300 or 400 dwellings, thus forming, as it were, an entirely new locality. This locality would require a public house, which would be of great convenience to the inhabitants, as there they could fetch their dinner or supper beer without going to an inconvenient distance. There was no public house at all within an easy distance of the new locality, and it would be absolutely necessary to have one.

One of the conditions of the sale of the property was that only two public houses should be erected on the estate, and at present there were none. Mr. Cooper said he was not asking the justices to increase the public houses; in this city the present number were disproportionate to its inhabitants, and he believed Norwich was an exception to an other place, for if they compared the number in this city with other towns they would find a much greater proportion in Norwich. He was now only asking the Bench to transfer a licence from one house to another in the course of erection. The learned gentleman then put in the plans of the house, which he said was well situated for the inhabitants of the future,

Mr, Mayd, barrister, opposed the application. With respect to the situation, there was a public house called the Alexandra Tavern within 110 yards of the site of the public house proposed to be erected. There was also another public house called the Stafford Arms, which would be 200 yards from the proposed house. The people would have as well the right angle house on the Dereham Road and St. Giles’s Road. The proposed house stood by itself in the fields, there was no dwelling near it, and the inhabitants were perfectly satisfied with the accommodation they received at the Stafford Arms and the Alexandra Tavern, and he submitted their duty was to deal with the present time, and whatever sort of locality there might be in the future it was not absolutely necessary to have another public house. The Mayor said the decision of the Bench would be given later on.”

As a quick pub quiz competition, I’ll let individuals guess which pub it was that being proposed (answer at the end of this post) because as a spoiler, the licence transfer was granted.

There were four real ales to choose from which were the Scoundrel from Moon Gazer, Little Sharpie from Humpty Dumpty, Ale X Best Bitter from Mr Winters and Lighthouse from Adnams. The venue had been free of tie since 1996 and that is evident from this selection of beers which have a local edge to them and which don’t involve Greene King in any shape or form.

Stealing Julian’s line, it wasn’t far off each table having their own hanging basket.

I went for the Ale X which was well-kept, at the appropriate temperature and is the pub’s house brew. I ensured that it wasn’t polluted by all the foliage and Julian S was approving of his Scoundrel beer from Moon Gazer.

Some of the local wildlife.

There’s one central bar which serves all parts of the pub, with cheese rolls available at the end of the counter. One side is the lounge bar and the other the public bar, not divided in the way that they once would have been, but they still feel distinct in terms of their character. Julian S and I feel more comfortable in what would have been the poor bit, we’re not really lounge people.

The interior of the pub which feels cosy and comfortable. I found this visit really rather positive, there was a decent choice of beers, the service was friendly and the surroundings were clean. It had several customers on a Wednesday afternoon and the atmosphere felt inviting.

And, in answer to my earlier question, the pub licence being proposed was for the Belle Vue, which ties in nicely here as that was the next pub that we were visiting.

September 5, 2023
Driffield – Benjamin Fawcett (JD Wetherspoon Pub)

On the drive back from the Smuggler’s Trod, we decided to pop into the JD Wetherspoon pub the Benjamin Fawcett, which is listed in the Good Beer Guide. I will take the text from their web-site regarding the origins of the pub name:

“This pub stands facing the well-known Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, a local landmark since 1880. The open area in front of the chapel was once occupied by Benjamin Fawcett’s shop and print works, before he moved to a house and workshop in Wansford Road. Fawcett was one of the great colour printers of the 19th century and a leading employer in Driffield. In 2003, the Benjamin Fawcett Memorial Gardens were officially opened on his Wansford Road works site. Today, Fawcett’s highly acclaimed prints sell for hundreds of pounds.”

This is the breakfast that I was served. I didn’t notice that there was no egg, but the team member came back around two minutes later just as I was about to put pepper on the food and told me it was the wrong meal. He placed my correct breakfast down and then took my plate (and I had removed the butter) away and to my slight surprise, he gave it to another customer. How the pub thought that was acceptable, I don’t know, but it really isn’t.

The set-up here is also odd. My hot drink mug wasn’t brought over, so I asked when the breakfast was served where it was. He told me they don’t bring them, they’re help yourself mugs at the machines, which means customers can easily just take one without paying. It took me a couple of minutes to get a hot drink and then return to my breakfast, although as previously mentioned it was another customer who got my breakfast anyway whilst I got a nice hot one.

I ordered half a pint of the Stag from Exmoor Ales, a well-kept golden bitter which was at the appropriate temperature and tasted as expected. They had a choice of five real ales, although no dark beers when I looked.

The pub was generally dirty and unclean, with no obvious managerial oversight. It seemed in a general state of chaos, with customer issues arising all over the place so there was an element of fire-fighting going on. It might just have been an off-day, as the reviews are broadly average for a JD Wetherspoon outlet. Some random complaints include:

“Always cold and bad drafts due to staff repeatedly propping g open FIRE exits as a means for customers and staff alike to take a shortcut for a cigarette. Hence smoke and smell of cigarettes is blown in, even though they have a smoking area. Very poor”

Seems sub-optimal….

“Dirty cutlery. Disgusting food. Ordered steak and kidney pudding. How they have a cheek to charge what they do for this tiny, revolting meal I do not know. Will never eat here again. Not surprised so many are closing. Who wants to eat this rubbish!”

I actually like their steak and kidney pudding, so it’s me that eats that rubbish 🙂

“Walked in bought a drink , then looked at the menu , all the meals come with a drink !!! As I’d already bought one , I decided not to eat !!!!!!!! Won’t go in there again !!”

Have two drinks 🙂

“Just had well left the 6oz American burger because it was absolutely disgusting it was the smallest burger and I counted 21 chips honestly the kids meals are bigger it was also missing red onion.”

21 chips sounds reasonable to me (credit for counting them) and I’m guessing that the 6oz burger was, er, 6oz?

Anyway, I digress down the rabbit hole of reading reviews and there are plenty of positive ones. The breakfast and coffee was around £4.20 which is ridiculously good value for money, so I can’t complain about that at all. I can see why they’re in the Good Beer Guide, but it doesn’t seem ideal that the team members are taking meals that have been sitting on a customer’s table and then serving them to another customer. I’d visit again for drinks, I might be a little more cautious about ordering food though.

August 30, 2023
Scarborough – Scholars Bar

One of the advantages in pubs using Untappd is that it alerts me to what beers they have which might tempt me in. This was no exception, located near to Craft Bar I noted that they had the Salted Caramel Tonkoko beer from Brew York which is just my sort of thing. It seemed only sensible to wander over and give it a little try, especially as it is listed in the Good Beer Guide.

The bar seems to be doing plenty to engage with their customers, with sports showing, events being advertised around the venue and some decent cask options. The service at the bar was friendly, engaging and personable, with a team member sitting at a nearby table making brief conversation. It’s not what first time customers might perhaps expect from the outside where there was a doorman monitoring proceedings, but it was a little oasis of calm inside.

Like a child, I still watch for my photo to appear at the base of the screen after rating a beer on Untappd. But that’s why they do it, some of us don’t get to go out much and we’re easily pleased. There were a number of reasonably priced beers from Brew York, but I’ve had those before and I was after the 12% imperial stout, but it was a well balanced selection.

Excuse the dead dog on the floor, but here’s the decadent beer itself. This didn’t let me down, it was smooth, rich, silky and the mouthfeel was just right. There was salted caramel, but there was chocolate, coconut and even some biscuit, it was all a pure delight. We were also very pleased when the team member came over and said they’d mispoured the drink and so they gave us another glass of the beer for free, and I can’t imagine many more beers I was so excited to get more of. World class and this beer would I think even delight the brewers at Goose Island, definitely the best brewery in the world.

Anyway, back to the pub. Absolutely justifiably listed in the Good Beer Guide, there was a community feel to this arrangement, the venue was clean and comfortable with an inviting atmosphere. The service was warm, the customers seemed happy and the beer choice was broad with an effort made with keg and cask. A perfect way to end the evening.

August 29, 2023
Scarborough – Craft Bar

I didn’t have a great deal of time to visit pubs in Scarborough as I was primarily on a walking weekend, but Craft Bar so excited and delighted me that I decided to go there twice. It’s Good Beer Guide listed and it is primarily keg based, but they have four real ales on as well.

The cask options and the service at the bar was timely, polite and engaging. Customers were served in turn, they were greeted in a welcoming way and the team member was knowledgeable when answering questions. The cask options were the North South Divide from Bingley Brewery, the US IPA from North Riding, White Rose from White Rose Brewery and Black Jack from Milltown Brewing. The pub’s beer list is also on Untappd, which is what initially tempted me in.

The interior was modern and bright, it was a mixture of craft beer bar, a micro-pub, bottle shop and bar cafe. That might be loading a lot of different categories on one venue, but it felt suitably on-trend and it seemed to be surprising and delighting plenty of customers. There are power points so customers can charge their devices and wi-fi for those who wanted it.

Look at the colours! Each to their own, but how people decide they want to just drink pint after pint of Fosters I’ll never really quite understand. All three of these beers deserve their own little comment, so from left to right.

On the left is the Passion Fruit, Mango & Peach beer from Funky Fluid’s Gelato range. Funky Fluid are perhaps my favourite European brewery and it’s a beautiful reminder of Poland and I’m going to have to find time to sneak in another visit this year and I’m debating whether I can be trusted to go to the Warsaw Beer Festival in October as that would work…. But I digress. The beer was consistent with other beers in their Gelato range, it was smooth, rich, fruity and had a suitably sour kick to it. The peach was the most obvious flavour, but all three of the ingredients were notably there.

In the middle is the Raspberry Blueberry Bubblegum Bottles from Vault City. They had a tap takeover at the Brewery Tap last week which I only realised too late, so I was a little disappointed to have missed out. Fortunately, I caught the tail end of a similar project at this bar, so I was able to try this fun little number which was like a fizzy sweet with a bubblegum flavour. Sour, playful and drinkable, there’s something exciting about having a blue beer, it plays to the inner child and all that.

On the right is the Maple Vanilla Choc Chip Scoop Imperial Stout from Vault City, a full bodied, decadent, rich and complex beer with lingering flavours of chocolate. It’s quite something to be able to make a beer where after one sip there are the equivalent aftertastes of eating an actual chocolate pudding. Outstanding, interesting and a reminder of just how good Vault City are.

Thank you to my friend Hayley for taking me to the bar on the first night, so enjoyable was it that I decided to encourage Richard to experience it on the second night so that he could forget his little incident of falling into a bog during the day. I wasn’t disappointed here either, I went for the Even Cloudier DDH Hard Lemonade from Vault City, which was smooth and packed with lemon flavour without a sharp aftertaste. Then I went for the Divine Coffee Intervention from Brew York, full of coconut sweetness although not quite as full bodied as the Maple Vanilla from the previous evening although the ABV is much lower.

Bars such as this are the future, the cafe bar approach which offers a range of quality and frequently changing beers and other drinks. It doesn’t do food other than bar snacks, but there are plenty of nearby options for those who so desire a meal. It’s rare for me to want to go twice to the same venue when so time limited, but this one deserved it and I’m delighted that it’s in the Good Beer Guide.

August 29, 2023
Cromer – White Horse (Two Julians)

The final pub on our study tour to Cromer was the Good Beer Guide listed White Horse and the owners mention on their web-site that it has been a coaching inn since the sixteenth century, although I’m assuming that it has been entirely rebuilt since then as it feels more Victorian.

There were three real ales to choose from, although nothing which surprised and delighted me. We went with the Ghost Ship from Adnams which was well kept and tasted as expected. The service was again efficient and friendly, with a prompt welcome after I reached the bar.

The pub seems to have a generally very good reputation for food judging by the on-line reviews and there was some interesting specials available.

And the standard menu.

The food area of the pub. Timing meant that we had a bus to catch (which meant we had opted for chip shop chips…..), as there are a limited number of evening options back to Norwich, otherwise this looked like one of the most tempting locations to get food. The pub is close to the town centre, but it’s located just away from the main area and it seemed to be getting more local trade than from visitors.

And the main bar area, with another section of the pub to the other side of the bar having a pool table. It was all clean and tidy with a laid-back and relaxed atmosphere. They also offered accommodation, with one family room, three doubles and two singles. Perhaps, from the customer perspective and I’m conscious that there are a number of factors with this, on the margins of the Good Beer Guide as the real ale choice wasn’t spectacular, but it was a welcoming pub which clearly has a loyal following. All clean and comfortable, this was a perfectly respectable way to end the day’s study tour and just a short walk to the bus station.

August 3, 2023
Cromer – Red Lion (Two Julians)

After enjoying a beer on the pier, we hiked up the hill to reach the Good Beer Guide listed Red Lion. This has been trading as a hospitality venue since the 1760s and Norfolk Pubs has this interesting story from the pub’s past:

“Mr. Reilly Mead was summoned on 5th January 1914 of having an unjust glass in his possession and having the same unstamped. On that day Inspector Robinson had sent his assistant, John Youngs, to purchase a pint of beer. It was served in an unjust and unstamped measure. On saying that he (Inspector Robinson) should seize the glass, Mr. Meade sent for the police and said that he would not allow Robinson to thieve the glass. Upon the police advising that the Inspector had authority to act, Mr. Meade said that they had never sold pints OR half pints since he had been at the place. Miss Gow, the barmaid confirmed that she had refused to sell a pint to Youngs and said that he could have `a large glass’. When tested the glass was found to be deficient from a pint by 5 per cent. The Bench convicted and imposed a fine and costs totalling £3/0/6d.”

There’s always one pub wanting to do its own thing 🙂

I liked the effort that they’ve made with their external A-Board.

On first impressions, it looked a little decadent for us on the inside, but it transpired that this was just the restaurant area and there was a separate and more informal bar area. The distinction between the two areas was clear and the menu looked tempting, albeit a bit expensive for our purposes. These study tours we undertake for the community don’t come cheap…..

One side of the bar area.

And the frontage of the main bar area. Above the bar is the acronym WYBMADIITY? which I had to look up and means “will you buy me a drink if I tell you?” which is a clever little ruse for the barman or an enterprising customer to get a free drink 🙂

The Red Lion had eight different real ales available, as well as some ciders, which was the widest selection we encountered during the day. They were all local beers, from brewers including Woodfordes, Green Jack, Lacons, Mr Winters, Grain and Moon Gazer. This is a marvellous selection for any visitor to the area who wants to try beers from a number of local breweries.

This is the latest Norfolk Nips magazine that was distributed at the weekend and it contains an abbreviated write-up of our trip to Wymondham a few weeks ago. How lovely to be in print and Lucy did a marvellous job with it. As for the beer, I went for the Trawlerboys from Green Jack Brewing of Lowestoft and it was of its usual reliable quality.

And another page from the article 🙂

The draught menu.

The bar snacks and doggie menu, the latter of which is certainly intriguing in terms of its concept….

Not an unpleasant view from the window.

The bar when it became a little quieter, but this was a busy venue for the entire time that we were here and many customers were clearly locals.

You can buy your own pub merchandise if you so wish.

And some fun facts.

The Red Lion, which is also a hotel, is very well reviewed on-line and this felt like a really well run venue. There was an extensive range of real ales and other drinks, the service was immediate, there was a timely welcome and the atmosphere was inviting. It has some marvellous views of the sea, it’s got an informal and relaxed feel and their entry into the Good Beer Guide definitely seems a good shout from our experience.

August 2, 2023
London – Camden (Borough of) – Skinners’ Arms

Another one ticked off in my never-ending quest to visit every Good Beer Guide pub in the country…. This Skinners’ Arms is located on Judd Street, near to King’s Cross railway station, with the road name being relevant here as its commemorates Sir Andrew Judd, the donor of the estate to the Skinners’ Company.

The bar, tastefully decorated and with some suitable heritage elements. There were six real ales on which was an excellent selection, although there was nothing overly decadent there was at least Timothy Taylor’s Landlord.

There hasn’t been any excessive attempt to modernise the interior design and it’s all the better for that. They were serving food when I arrived and are meant to until 20:30, but before that time was reached a gentleman who sat down and was waiting for table service was told that they had stopped serving. He looked disappointed but left quietly, I felt quite sorry for him. Anyway, the food prices are around £12 to £15 for main courses which is reasonable for the King’s Cross area and the reviews for food are generally very positive.

I went for the Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, a reliable beer that was well kept and at the appropriate temperature.

The King’s Cross area has seen many traditional elements swept away, but the Skinners’ Arms hasn’t lost its heart. The interior was warm and comfortable, allowing customers to forget just what a busy part of London they’re located in. The service was efficient and polite, with the atmosphere feeling inviting.

Fair enough…..

Having a little look at the reviews, a customer posted:

“Very patronising and horrible bartenders who might be the 2 managers? In there 50’s lecturing on how I should relax! I was just looking arround to find a sit quietly. But I’m speedy in nature which is how I am and love being speedy it suits my adhd energy, so I walk and move fast and I am fidgetty. Slowing down stresses me out, it’s a constrain. Felt very regretful to have come here and being received by somone who suggest that I tone down my rhythm. Not coming back here”

There’s likely an interesting back story here, but it sounds as if this customer presented something of a challenge to the management. They weren’t disappointed at his announcement that he wasn’t returning, noting:

“Chooc – probably for the best”.

Actually, they’re quite forthright, another customer posted:

“Rude manager wouldn’t let me finish my coffee as I walked in before trying to order a pint so I won’t be coming back here. Weird vibes from him as well made me feel unwelcome. Plenty other good pubs around so I’d not bother with this one.”

This sounds like the customer walked in with a coffee from another venue and was annoyed that the manager wasn’t impressed. The pub certainly aren’t very apologetic and I think they sound right:

“Matthew – I think you going elsewhere is a grand idea”

Another customer posted, and I’d note that most reviews are positive, with a rather direct:

“Poor service and rude staff. Would give zero stars if possible.”

This is one of the best replies that I’ve seen on Google:

“Tom – I think Google should have minus star ratings – then you could really vent your feelings”

That’s a classy response. I already liked this venue, but I liked them a bit more after reading this.

Overall, I very much liked this pub and its traditional interior design. There was a choice of beers, the prices were moderate for central London and the staff for friendly. A worthy addition to the Good Beer Guide and certainly worth visiting for anyone who needs to get a train from Euston or King’s Cross St Pancras.

July 20, 2023
Beccles – Ingate

First in our day out in Beccles was the Good Beer Guide listed Ingate pub, around a ten minute walk from the centre of the beating heart of the town. The Ingate has been serving the local community since 1906 and it was initially built to be a hotel as well, although there’s no longer accommodation offered here.

My first impression is that I was surprised and delighted to see that the two sections of the pub were still separated out into the lounge bar and the saloon bar. The divide now is more between a lounge bar and a sports bar, with some creative interior design to add to the atmosphere. We were welcomed promptly on arriving and it felt a genuinely inviting pub to visit, as well as being spotlessly clean.

This is the sort of DIY project that I’d started and then get bored with after about 25 coins. My friend Liam would probably be tasked with finishing the whole arrangement off.

These resin tables seem to be the on trend design element at the moment.

More decorative work and I have to note that I was impressed with the effort that the publicans have put in here.

There are no shortage of darts boards in the Ingate. There are also numerous screens showing a variety of different sports and for those customers who are excited by the prospect, there’s also karaoke.

If a pub can’t have a bar billiards table then a pool table isn’t far behind in excitement value 🙂 Unfortunately, Julian and I don’t have time for pool during our intensive study tours.

Julian managed to miss this when he walked by it.

There were two real ales available and I went for half a pint of the rather agreeable Little Green Man 1 from Green Jack Brewing, a beer I’ve had a few times in the King’s Head on Magdalen Street. The beer, which is named after the first pulsar signal which was discovered in November 1967, was well kept and was suitably refreshing. I had expected a slightly wider choice of beers, but I enjoyed this one and it’s far better than to have two impeccably kept options rather than four beers that don’t quite taste right.

An article in the Sun ‘newspaper’ mentioning the pub in a favourable manner. We were thanked as we were leaving the pub, something which I always think is a nice customer service touch.

The large external drinking area and I like those little cabin things. This was part of a project during lockdown and the land was previously used as the pub’s car park.

There’s a food truck serving burgers, pizzas, wraps and loaded chips at weekends. The on-line reviews for the pub are nearly entirely positive, so they’re clearly getting a lot right here.

The menu and note the Lacon’s Brewery falcon on the wall.

This is an excellent pub, with friendly service, a clean environment, decent beer and low pricing. Lots of thought has been put into the interior decoration and it feels like a community pub trying to serve a wide range of customers. Quite justifiably in the Good Beer Guide and a marvellous way to start the day’s study tour.

July 5, 2023