Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Two Julians

Bungay Pub Day – Three Tuns

The fourth pub of our day out was the Three Tuns, a substantial building which was formerly a hotel and coaching inn. CAMRA note that there has been a hospitality venue here since 1540, although a new building was required after the 1688 fire.

As an aside, I’d suggest that this was a sub-optimal night for Bungay.

I’m not sure what I expected, but I really rather liked the grand room when we entered the pub. The service was immediate and helpful, with two real ales available. I went for the Trawlerboys from Green Jack which wasn’t quite at its best, but not in such a state I needed to return it. I was pleased that the pub accepted cards, as indeed did all of the town’s pubs, which made matters easier since neither of us had any cash.

For those who like to watch television, there is a little arrangement of sofas in front of one.

Not an ideal photo due to the lighting, but this is the main bar area. This was one of those pubs where everyone seemed to know each other, or at least other than these two strangers from Norwich, but there was nothing unwelcoming at any time.

The pool room.

The other side of the building, which is apparently one of the most haunted in the town. For a long time there were medieval banquets held in the cellar, but the building was put up for sale for £375,000 in 2008 by Admiral Taverns who ended the leases of the banquet company and a fancy dress company. It was purchased in 2009 by Paul Trevitt, but he stepped back in 2020 and defined as pub as so dangerous that he needed a riot helmet. I mean, I have been in pubs like that in the past, but it’s not ideal is it?

The external signage, which has been here for twenty years, harks back to a different time in the venue’s history. If there are now no lunches, morning coffees or medieval banquets it seems just a little out of place.

The on-line reviews for the pub are mixed, but with the pub owner saying that he felt the venue was dangerous, that certainly provides me with a different proposition in terms of writing positively about it. To be fair, he’s now apparently appointed a pub manager to bring the venue under control, but I can see the challenging edge that they have here. There’s no food offered but so much potential given the space that there is, although they have now launched karaoke on the weekends which seems brave to say the least.

Unfortunately, I imagine the interior would need an expensive restoration now and as it’s a listed building, that would be quite the project. And anyway, the ghosts might not like it. Although if there is some modernisation, the owner had better not make the mistake of a previous owner who was fined £8,000 in 2008 for removing bits of masonry from the cellar. He said that he hadn’t realised that the building was listed. The court weren’t impressed.

I enjoyed this pub though, it’s got a long heritage, there’s a strong community feel and the prices are towards the lower end of the scale. I’m surprised that the owner hasn’t made more use of the sizeable building that he has available, but maybe there’s a long-term plan or perhaps it’s just nicely ticking over. It’s quite a way from the coaching inn that it once was, but it’s still open which is more than can be said for plenty of other pubs in the town.

May 23, 2023
Bungay Pub Day – Green Dragon

This was the third pub that Julian and I visited on our day trip to Bungay and I think it’s the only one in the town that I’ve been in before. I can’t claim to have been a regular, but it’s near to where we’ve been canoeing before and I also came here whilst I was waiting for a bus to Southwold. If it had a major bus interchange hub like North Walsham I might not have needed to find a pub to wait at, but I won’t digress here.

Formally the Horse & Groom pub, these are the bar and smoke room entrances.

The beer options, the one hidden by the light is the Gold and I don’t think that they had any guest beers on when we visited. As the board suggests, they’ve been trading under this pub name since 1991 when the pub brewery was established by brothers Robert and William Pickard. Their brewing equipment is at the rear of the pub and they also do tours if contacted in advance. Given the number of former brewpubs that used to exist, this feels like a particularly veritable venue where beer is brewed on-site and it’s the only one now remaining in the town.

What I assume is one of the pub’s earlier signs.

I went for the Strong Mild.

I felt that a food and beer pairing was essential here. The beer was smooth and rich, a very agreeable mild and a beer style that I’d like to see more of. I liked these crisps incidentally, I’ve never had them before.

Julian in his alcove and note that he’s always ready to take a photograph with minimal notice.

The food menu, served between Thursdays and Saturdays, although they seem to also have food trucks on some Sundays. There look like some suitably interesting options on there, but we had already eaten in the Fleece and so didn’t partake on this occasion.

This is the only pub in Bungay which is listed in the Good Beer Guide and it has also won numerous CAMRA awards. Well-reviewed on-line, it’s a traditional pub which doesn’t feel unnecessarily staid. The service was polite and helpful, there was a relaxed and inviting feel with plenty of customers in the large outdoor drinking area. All rather lovely.

May 23, 2023
Bungay Pub Day – Castle Inn (formerly known as the White Lion)

This was the second Bungay venue of the day for us and just writing for me, it seems a little bit of a shame that relatively recently the White Lion was renamed to be the Castle Inn, as it has been a hospitality venue with the White Lion name since the sixteenth century. Although under blue paint, that old name and the Lacon’s Brewery is still prominent to this day and it looked to me at first sight a little muddled especially when there is Three Cooks branding on the signage as well. I imagine that the listed building status is likely the biggest limitation here rather than anything else.

The real ales are on the reverse of the central bar, with the only two other customers in the venue sitting right in front of them hence this zoomed in photo. They had Deuchars and Gone Fishing from Green Jack Brewing, with the prices being reasonable. The service was attentive and friendly, with the atmosphere feeling inviting.

I went for the Gone Fishing from Green Jack Brewery and it tasted as expected and was at the appropriate temperature. It was a peaceful atmosphere in which to enjoy a drink, so we lingered here for a little while. We were thanked when leaving and I liked the pleasant environment that they’ve created here.

Those just wanting a drink are absolutely welcome, but the interior has been set up primarily as a restaurant. There are also four rooms available for those who want to stay overnight and I particularly like how much history about their venue is on their web-site. I noted that they mention the 1750s advertising of rooms mentioned the “latest designs in wallpaper”.

The desserts menu and the other part of the restaurant. I suppose I yearn for the feel of how this must have been in the past, a vibrant pub with bustling trade, but I can’t unfortunately find any old interior photos. Historically this appears to have been a substantial venue with numerous bedrooms, extensive stabling, a bowling green and a large yard.

The venue doesn’t have a menu I can find on-line, but there is one posted up at the front of the pub. They’re running with two menus, one primarily Asian meals and one primarily traditional British food. This seems to be provided by the Three Cooks who have moved from their previous restaurant located a little further down the road. I’m sure that the menus are delicious and everything is beautifully prepared, but with no prior knowledge I’m always a little nervous when there are two completely different menus as I’d rather they just put forward their best food. I’m also, if I’m being honest, not entirely confident about the “kitchen hours may vary” and the use of the word “approximately” as it sounds as though they’re often quiet and so stop serving food early. I’ve always been one for clarity, I just like knowing when a venue opens and closes, along with when the food will be available.

Lovely as the welcome was, I didn’t fully get to grips with this venue, it was a warm and sunny day in late May with a spring menu being advertised alongside a winter themed A-Board. The on-line reviews are broadly positive but still a little mixed for the food, but the accommodation element is well reviewed and it seems well cared for. Looking at the photos on the venue’s web-site, one of the four rooms has the beds in the arches of the old bread proving oven which seems a marvellous piece of history. I can imagine there’s plenty of character in the rooms and it’d be a quaint and very British place to say.

Regardless of my slight confusion over branding, the service was friendly, there were a couple of real ales and the venue was warm and comfortable. They’ve ensured that drinkers are welcome, even though it’s not their main emphasis, and it’ll be interesting to see how the restaurant element develops. As an aside, the venue is also closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so we were fortunate that this wasn’t one of our Wednesday sojourns.

May 21, 2023
Bungay Pub Day – Fleece Inn

First in our visit to every pub in Bungay was the Fleece Inn which has been a hospitality venue since the fifteenth century. CAMRA note that it has been known as the Fleece since 1711, having previously been known as the Cross Keys and that seems an acceptable amount of times to change a pub name. Until recently it was part of the Adnams estate, but it now appears to be free trade.

There’s been a sensitive modernisation recently which has given the interior a clean look without impacting negatively on the heritage of the building. Julian has several stories about this venue from years gone by, but they wouldn’t be at all suitable for this blog.

There were three real ales available, Amarillo from Tindall Brewery, Nightingale from Green Jack and Greene King IPA. This seemed to be a reasonable choice from three different breweries and I hadn’t had the Amarillo before. Service was immediate and friendly, with some gentle upselling going on to offer us food. As this seemed a positively good idea given we needed sustenance after our bus journey, we decided to look at the menus.

The nibbles and starters from the seasonal all-day menu.

The mains and also the lunch menu. Given how prices have been increasing recently, these seemed entirely reasonable, especially as they’ve made a substantial effort to buy from local suppliers and they’ve listed those on their web-site. The venue was moderately busy, sufficiently full to suggest to us that the food was likely to not disappoint.

The Amarillo from Tindall Brewery was well kept and refreshing.

The Nightingale beer from Green Jack was equally well kept and complemented the Ploughman’s rather nicely. Homemade bread, blue cheese, Cheddar cheese, celery, grapes, chutney, small pickled onions, salad and ham. For the price point charged, this was most certainly most agreeable. The cheeses had a depth of flavour, the ham was salted and tasty, the bread was warm and soft, this felt like an appropriate meal for such an historic venue. Julian went for the home glazed ham, bubble & squeak and a poached egg and seemed equally as content with his meal.

We didn’t partake, but there was also a dessert menu.

We sat in the snug area which is to the front of the pub and a fair way below street level so we were looking up at people walking by. This structural history has meant disabled access is possible only through the rear of the building, with an old door visible at the rear of the photo in the snug area.

There’s another seating area to the front of the building. The on-line reviews are broadly positive, although their spell of responding to reviews in a quite direct manner has seemingly passed, which is a shame from a reader’s point of view. There were no negatives that I noticed, this was a welcoming and warm venue with helpful staff and a comfortable environment. Pricing was reasonable, the menu was intriguing and extensive with the quality of the food being high. It set quite a high bar for the four remaining pubs in the town that we were then going on to visit.

May 21, 2023
Dereham Pub Day Two – Two Julians

Julian and I returned to Dereham this week to visit the second batch of pubs (here’s the post about the first visit) to complete the 12 venues that we wanted to go to in the town. We’ve greatly enjoyed the expedition and have eaten at three of the pubs to ensure that we can try and experience as much of their offerings as we can, with the breadth of offering across Dereham being much more substantial that I had anticipated.

Railway Tavern

Greenstone

Royal Standard

Bull

Gemini

The Coachmakers Pub And Kitchen

We’re looking at visiting Bungay next, although there seem to be plenty of provincial market towns in Norfolk and Suffolk which all sound equally tempting. The £2 bus fare each way for me is also a handy bonus, cost effective public transport is always a result.

And here’s a reminder of the other six pubs we visited on the first trip.

Cherry Tree

George Hotel

Red Lion

Romany Rye

King’s Head

The Cock

May 6, 2023
Dereham Pub Day 2 – The Coachmakers Pub And Kitchen

The Coachmakers was the sixth pub that Julian and I visited on our second day trip to Dereham. First opened in the early 1840s, this pub became part of the Chef & Brewer estate before being briefly owned and nearly ruined by Enterprise Inns, becoming free trade in 2011.

The front bar with the Encore and Falcon ales from Lacon. The service was polite and engaging, although my beer look a little long to arrive as the server explained it has been quite a lively little number in the cellar.

To diversify the pub also offers its own little wine shop.

We didn’t have any dining plans for the evening, but the pizzas looked tempting. Quite a premium for anyone who wants the meat feast, but this tempted me to get something to eat here.

The rest of the menu which is relatively small, but that seems a good sign as if it’s manageable it is often of a reliable quality.

The exposed brick gave the pub something of an historic atmosphere.

I opted for the Falcon Ale, an average session bitter which was well kept and at the appropriate temperature.

Richard came to join us at this point and I was tempted by the Blue Cheese burger which had been served to another customer (not their specific meal, I didn’t go and try and get some of it). I ordered that, as indeed did Julian and Richard, and it was entirely acceptable, a meaty burger and chips for a fluffy interior.

This pub is a little out of the town centre but I’d suggest that it’s worth the effort to walk here as the surroundings are inviting and comfortable, the service was efficient and the food was most satisfactory. I was moderately saddened to leave here as it meant that our visit to the 12 pubs of Dereham was over, but I had been surprised and delighted with the variety of venues that the town had.

May 6, 2023
Dereham Pub Day 2 – Gemini

Next up in the day’s pub visiting for Julian and I was the Gemini, operated by Greene King. First opened in 1965, I wouldn’t say that it’s the most beautiful building from the outside, but it looked neat and tidy from the exterior.

There was a bit of a wait for service (I took the photo when it was quieter) as a number of people came in at the same time, but the barman’s awareness was excellent and he ensured that everyone knew they had been seen at the bar. He was then engaging and conversational, so the first impressions here were very positive.

There were two real ales available, Greene King IPA and Greene King Old Speckled Hen. Again, this isn’t a beer that I’d write home about, but it was well-kept, served at the right temperature and in a clean glass, so the pub was doing everything right. They also pro-actively mentioned that they gave 10% off to CAMRA members, not something that is usually offered. I was also interested to hear about how if they could sell 180 pints a week then they could justify a guest beer, otherwise they were a bit more limited. They’re not at that level yet, but at least they’re taking good care of the beers that they have.

It’s a cavernous sized pub with a large function room area, a pub constructed to serve the estate around it. I’d say that they’re fulfilling that aim very competently, which was evident with how busy it was. They serve a relatively large food menu and a number of customers were eating as part of the pub’s “meet and eat” branding. They show sports, they have a pool table, a separate eating area and they seem to be catering for quite a wide audience.

The reviews are a bit mixed, but this exchange seemed reminiscent of the JD Wetherspoon Paltry Chips Facebook group….

“Used to be great but last time we went in we queried why my daughter only got 4 chips with the children’s meal and was told that it was the new portions? Never been back since. Rather go to wetherspoons now. Lost our custom after that.”

This is seem a little sub-optimal to me, the pub’s response:

“Hi Paul, I’m really sorry to hear this, our portion sizes don’t specify 4 chips but are weighted so I do apologise if you felt the portion was short.”

Although this isn’t the only chip based complaint….

“Very few chips..when i mentioned this the waiter just tutted and walked off”

But, my favourite review involves the chef kicking the fridge and breaking his toe:

“One of the bar staff who were also bringing the meals to the table, said “I am going to kill him (the chef,) because of the amount of meals which had to be returned to the kitchen and cooked again. The same bar staff came back to the table to say “The chef got himself in a tantrum and kicked the fridge and has broken his toe.” ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING BEHAVIOUR.”

Anyway, I won’t digress too much…. The whole experience was more positive than I anticipated, showing what can be achieved with keen and enthusiastic staff, even if they are slightly manacled by the whole Greene King arrangement with the limitations that this brings.

May 6, 2023
Dereham Pub Day 2 – The Bull

The fourth pub of the day that Julian and I visited in Dereham was The Bull, part of the Greene King estate. It’s been a hospitality venue since the early 1790s and operated by Greene King since the early 1980s having previously been part of Watney Mann and then Chef & Brewer.

It initially looked like no real ale was available, but the server mentioned that they did have Old Speckled Hen from Greene King on. They’ve also listed on blackboards some events that they’ve got on as well.

I can’t say that it’s one of my favourite beers by any means, but it was well-kept here, at the appropriate temperature and served in a clean glass.

This is the main room and there’s another section of the bar off to the left.

I’m never entirely sure why the need for the “seniors deal”, can’t they just put smaller portion and make it available to all in the same way that JD Wetherspoon do? Anyway, I digress….

I liked the brickwork at the bottom right of the photo, but it doesn’t look as impressive here. I’m easily pleased to be fair.

Bargains galore on Friday afternoons. The pub has some slightly odd opening times, they close at 19:00 on Mondays, 18.00 on Sundays and 21:00 on Tuesdays to Thursdays, which seem relatively early to me.

This was a perfectly nice pub, it was clean, well presented and there was a pleasant welcome and farewell so it felt informal and comfortable. The beer choices weren’t extensive, but the real ale that they had tasted fine and it was reasonably priced. I can imagine that it’s a challenging situation being quite near to a JD Wetherspoon outlet, but it’s still trading and is apparently busy in the evenings, so that’s all quite marvellous. And I have to mention again that this venue isn’t really that far from celebrating being open for a quarter of a millennium.

May 4, 2023
Dereham Pub Day 2 – Royal Standard

The third pub in our second Dereham visit was the Royal Standard and firstly, I was impressed at how Julian spotted that under the paint above the right-hand window is the old frontage noting this was the Royal Standard. This was a pub between 1860 and 1982, at which point they changed the name of the Light Horse pub over the road to continue the traditional of the Royal Standard.

This is the pub that’s the Royal Standard now, opened as the Light Horse pub in the early nineteenth century.

This are the current opening hours, I’m impressed by their late opening every day of the week as these are some considerably long hours for a back street pub.

And I don’t know quite what to write here. The pub had no stout, no smooth flow, no craft keg, no craft bottles, no cask real ale, no real ale in bottles and I actually couldn’t see anything that I could realistically drink other than for a couple of generic lagers. So I ordered a Coke, something I didn’t think that I would ever have to write on one of these little reports of a day’s adventure. I also can’t judge what they usually serve from the pub’s Untappd records as no customer has checked a beer in for nearly a year.

The service was polite and efficient, with the general atmosphere feeling inviting, with the helpful server telling us there was a beer garden if we’d be interested in sitting outside. I like a bit of engagement and the quite tight bar area itself was quite busy, so we thought that we’d go on a little explore. There were no issues with the welcome at the pub, it didn’t feel cliquey or specialist in some form. The prices were towards the higher end of the scale for the town, but weren’t unreasonable.

The carpeted beer garden.

It’s a decent sized garden and a wonderfully historic building. CAMRA note that they have sold Bateman’s beer, but I don’t know if they’re a tied house, but I’d assume not.

Julian had ordered a draft cider but they only had bottles, so for the sake of Untappd and the photos I was generously gifted some of the drink.

The outdoor bar and a BBQ which I assume is used in the summer months. The external area did look good in photos a couple of years ago, but might need a bit of a tidy-up now.

I took the glasses back to the bar at the end of the visit so that I could report positively on any friendly farewell, but the barman ignored me and so I can’t really comment on that. The purpose of our visiting pubs is not to be particularly critical, but to pull out the not insubstantial number of venues that are really worth going to and might otherwise be forgotten. Sometimes the chain pubs have money to spend on advertising, the CAMRA award winning pubs get deserved publicity, but there are some pub owners and managers working hard to stay open and excite and delight customers who get forgotten. Energy bills are soaring, staff wages are rising, prices are going up limiting what customers can afford, these are challenging times.

The Royal Standard is clearly keeping their customers happy as there were six or so in on a Thursday afternoon and they seem to be doing food at some point in the week, although I couldn’t find a menu on-line or in the pub. They’ve abandoned their social media pages so I can’t list any of the events that might be taking place here, with no obvious internal advertising either. They were doing carveries a couple of years ago which seemed successful, but despite my trying I can’t find any evidence that they’re still doing so.

That’s about all that I can note here. At a best guess I can only suspect that the pub is not, if it’s being honest, looking for new customers and is free trade that is making its money serving their loyal regulars and opening long hours to try and accommodate that trade as best as it can. If that’s working for them, then it’s a marvellous situation that they’re carrying on a two century tradition of trade here and being of a real boost to the local community.

May 4, 2023
Dereham Pub Day 2 – Greenstone

Although we wouldn’t usually include a restaurant in our list of venues to visit, the Greenstone does willingly accept and welcome drinkers in even though they are primarily food led. Opened in 2015, it’s operated by Marston’s and the food offering is a little generic so I will admit having slightly low expectations here even just a drinker.

There’s the sign that indicates that it’s a pub and restaurant, but the venue’s web-site doesn’t explain the reasoning for the name. I discovered that it’s named after a Neolithic polished greenstone axe head which was found in the area in 1986.

There were a choice of two different real ales, both from Marston’s. The service was polite and engaging, with the whole arrangement feeling informal and welcoming. The pub looked spotlessly clean, with the bar dry and not sticky, the staff were looking after it well.

Dereham likes its tall chairs.

This was a well-kept half pint of Pedigree, it was at the appropriate temperature and I will admit to enjoying it.

The pub interior, with nearly every customer ordering food, primarily from the on-site carvery.

Copies of some old photos of the town on the wall as part of the interior decor.

I’ll say that this venue was a pleasant surprise to me, the welcome felt authentic, it was clean and the beer was well-kept. The prices were reasonable and I was comfortable during the visit, so I’d suggest that it’s a perfectly acceptable bar to get a drink. The on-line reviews for food aren’t great, but I suspect it’s a generally reliable venue for families and larger groups. It’s hardly a destination venue for craft beer, but it works as a meeting place for those wanting food and drink.

May 4, 2023