Annan isn’t a place that I had expected to visit, but various circumstances combined and it seemed wrong not to visit a Good Beer Guide pub which also has a CAMRA historic interior. For me, knowing that Annan is where Thomas Carlyle was educated was excitement enough, but Liam and Ross seemed slightly less enthused by the whole arrangement.
There’s wood panelling throughout which is a legacy of when this pub was part of the Gretna State Management Scheme. There were three of these schemes in the UK which were designed for the state to take control to ensure that local defence workers didn’t get too drunk. They were successful in their aim and there were schemes in Carlisle, Gretna and Enfield, although the latter was short lived. They lasted from 1916 until Edward Heath’s Government privatised them, bringing the scheme to an end in 1973.
There’s more about the pub’s traditional look on CAMRA’s web-site. It has a long history, it has been standing since 1770 and was for a long time a popular coaching inn. It stands at a prominent location near to the entrance to the town and was built by William Stewart, a vintner from Lockerbie.
There were three real ales and a cider to choose from. The service was polite although it was evident that this was a community pub where much of the trade was from locals, but it didn’t feel unfriendly. With no disrespect to Annan, I’m not entirely sure how many tourists they get, there did seem some slight surprise when we entered. But, perhaps they just thought Liam looked odd, who knows….
I went for a pint of the Swan Blonde from Bowness Bay Brewing, a well-kept light beer with a touch of citrus to it.
The pub stables are still visible at the rear of the building, but the highlight is perhaps the view over the bridge which was designed by Robert Stevenson (not to be confused with the railway engineer of the same name). As a final titbit, it’s suggested that Hans Christian Anderson stayed at the hotel, although I’m not sure how much truth there is in that tale.
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.
Fearing nothing, I thought that it would be a marvellous idea to lead a group of Hike Norfolk members to London to take part in a ‘Dine with Des’ event which consisted of a walk hosted by the wonderful Des Garrahan and then several bars in the evening. There were 11 of us on the train and we managed to dodge rail delays, cancellations and strikes so what else could possibly go wrong? I was confident of the weather, despite the naysayers of the group.
We successfully obtained four table seats on the Greater Anglia Thunderbolt to London, so our expedition started positively with no-one missing the train either. It all made me really quite proud. Here are Bev and Steve excited about the day ahead.
Safely at London Liverpool Street, I used my Pret subscription to quickly get a delightful decaff coconut latte whilst waiting for everyone to return to the meeting point. Everyone was early other than Richard and Laurence who went on a large food shop and only just made it back in time. I didn’t say anything.
Still without any issue such as someone falling on the tracks or some other disaster, we waited for the Central Line train to Epping where our walking expedition was starting from.
I noted that some of the group had started eating their lunches, but I didn’t say anything or suggest that they were like a group of kids.
Here’s a plan for another day.
The group assembles at Epping station and we waited for Des, who swept in at 11:01, fortunately only one minute later than expected. It meant that our big trek into Walthamstow could begin, set at 11 miles although that situation was to change when I had one of my good ideas.
Our first stopping point so that Des could give us some history about Epping Forest and how it evolved. One new thing that I learned is that a forest might today mean a collection of trees, but in the medieval period it more referred to a Royal Forest which the King used for hunting. The forest was in danger of destruction in the Victorian period as developers kept pinching bits of it to build houses on, but fortunately an ecological movement formed to stop the trees being entirely swept away. Epping Forest is today managed by the City of London Corporation who appear to be looking after it well, although Des noted that they’re not that keen on putting up much signage around the area. He regretted saying that as every time anyone saw a sign they mentioned it quite loudly to Des.
Richard kept pestering Des to know when lunch was, so we found a suitable spot and I had my lunch which consisted of a Pret sandwich as I didn’t want to overdo it. There was a bit of excitement here when one of the London walkers, which I specify to show it wasn’t one of my lot, managed to get a bit lost. 45 minutes later the matter was resolved, although that gave us a timing issue that I think was in our favour in terms of the bars, but more on that later. There was another issue with regards to Steve, one which makes him a hero, but more also on that in a bit. I don’t want to put too much excitement into this post too early on.
Here’s Des posing by a tree. I should at this point mention the bravery of Bev who wasn’t going to take part in the walking element as she’s got a broken back or something, but she took part and complained only rarely. So very brave.
There was a tree that had fallen across one of the paths and Des made the immediate decision to move it. I moved a significant part of the foliage myself and then worried about getting a splinter, so I then just photographed the action.
I can’t quite recollect which part of the shrubbery I help moved, but I think it’s the little twig at the front of the photo.
No it isn’t.
Can you get much cooler than this? I mentioned earlier that Steve had been particularly brave during the lunchtime period. During the lunchtime missing person debacle, a girl came into view who was distressed and who had become separated from her family. She knew where she needed to go but wasn’t sure how to get there, with Steve working out that it was a 20 minute walk there and 20 minute walk back, meaning he’d be far behind our group. I put my live tracking on, Steve did the same, and then for the next part of the day he was playing catch-up with the rest of us. But look how suave he looks when he came back into sight. What a modern day hero.
Some ferocious bulls that we sneaked by. Richard identified them as cows but we all agreed they were dangerous bulls. Well, Laurence and I agreed that.
I didn’t feel the need to have an ice cream, but the rest of the group did. I think they were more exhausted than I was, since I forget what a natural athlete I am what with my squash, football and bar billiards action. Especially bar billiards.
I went to look at the lake whilst the others were binge eating their ice creams. I didn’t say anything. I did though announce my good plan, which was to shorten the walk, a plan I’m sure I’ve had before. We had bars to visit.
This is Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge, a sixteenth century building which was once used to watch all the animals that were about to be massacred by the Monarch. Next door is a mock Tudor building which is home to a Premier Inn, perhaps one of the most attractive one of their buildings in the chain.
It was then a quick walk to Chingford bus station where we boarded a bus towards the main focal point of the day, the Blackhorse Beer Mile. We had to switch to another bus en route, but we arrived before 17:00 and I was pleased with my excellent decision to peel off from the rest of the walk to ensure the Norfolk people got their complete experience of the bars. Unfortunately, Hackney Brewery was closed for a wedding, but everything else was in full flow and we started at Wild Card Brewery.
And then Beerblefish.
And Exale. That’s an insanely good Jazz Dragon from the brewery floating under the cloud, a double IPA with a beautiful tropical flavour and one of the best beers of the evening.
Pretty Decent Beer was a new venue to me and one of my favourites of the day, not least as they had a pizza food truck parked outside. The beer menu was extensive and the service was polite and helpful.
Food at last, the It’s Not Big Dough pizza offering.
The N’Duja sausage pizza, which was suitably delicious.
Yay! Be nice people 🙂
I had to toast my Morning Steve! beer in front of Steve, as I’m thoughtful like that.
I didn’t want to miss anyone else, so here’s the rest of the group being toasted with my decadent 5.5M2 raspberry sour. This venue was certainly surprising and delighting me.
Then off to Signature Brewing and I opted for the outside bar rather than waiting inside.
Toasting Richard and Laurence with my Summer in the City watermelon sour, another standout beer.
London beers are some of my favourites 🙂
I went up to the roof garden and my two loyal readers might want to see if they can pick out the by now heavily wrapped up Norfolk group. They don’t have my resilience to the cold.
The Studio Lager which I was gifted by someone who wasn’t entirely surprised and delighted by it, so it felt right to toast the group. Again. They were a very tolerant bunch to be fair.
Our final bar was Big Penny Social, which was one of the more popular venues with a chunk of the group.
Des had been unfortunate with his food options as pizza wasn’t available by the time he ordered at the previous two bars. A banana was found for him, but he decided to order a pizza at Big Penny Social. I have to say that I think he might the right decision.
A genuinely very lovely evening. I had been looking for someone to complete the Blackhorse Beer Mile with me so I was delighted with the job lot of people that I got. Not that I had better call Hike Norfolk a job lot….
I’m very good at delegation and I appointed Steve as the responsible adult to get us back to the railway station. I was unimpressed at the raucousness of the group who kept cheering when they saw themselves on the bus CCTV. I didn’t say anything, I just pretended that I wasn’t with them.
Time for a final Pret of the day.
Ready to board our train.
As she had been so delighted by the professionalism of the day, Bev gave me half her Love Bar. We all agreed I had been an excellent walk leader, or at least the one person I asked agreed with that.
The great news about all of this is that there’s another Dine with Des rolled out already given the excitement of this evening. Further details are at https://www.meetup.com/hikenorfolk/events/294858685/. Expect a lot more London adventures as I’m on a roll and they’re one of my favourite things 🙂
I was surprised and delighted to hear that there was a new Malaysian restaurant in Norwich, located in the culinary quarter that once housed the Westlegate McDonald’s on the ground floor. My Makan opened earlier on in 2023 and they’re attempting to offer authentic Malaysian cuisine, so Bev, Gordon, Brian and I thought that it was only right that we paid it a visit.
The 50% off sale was for next door, although I did have a buy one get one free voucher for a free main for the table. There’s a five star food hygiene rating certificate there for those who require such reassurance.
The menu and it wasn’t bloated in size, which is always a positive first sign for me. When aiming for an authentic Malaysian experience, I don’t want to see chicken vindaloo or something which seems to be a cuisine mission creep that some restaurants fall into the trap of. My one free main meal was slightly undermined by Gordon ordering two main meals, although I pinched a chunk of that so all was well.
It wasn’t packed on our Thursday evening visit, but it did get busier later on. The atmosphere is quiet and inviting, the acoustics work well here so it’s not too loud. It was perhaps just a little hot, but they’ve got vertical fans going which resolved the issue.
The blue butterfly pea flower drink, which I didn’t quite understand from the menu, but as they don’t sell alcohol it seemed intriguing. Bev was going on about it turning green when lime is added and it does appear to be a drink that changes its colour depending on the acidity. It’s not visible in the photo, but I found the streams of blue going into the drink from straw really quite hypnotic. When it was served the drink looked as though it was a weak cordial, but this had a depth of taste to it and a flavour that I’ve never had before. It stayed resolutely blue, but this was one of the better soft drinks that I’ve had. I was also fortunate as I ordered first and when Brian tried to order they told him that they had run out.
The view over the Pig and Whistle pub. I mean, it’s not the Petronas Towers, but watching the denizens of Norwich meander by was suitably calming.
This is the Nasi Lemak with ayam rempah, or spiced fried chicken. Firstly, I’ve never had dried anchovies and they added texture, a salty fishy taste and no shortage of flavour. The peanuts added more flavour and the sambal was moreish and had a spicy edge to it. The rice was well cooked and the salad element added some extra colour to the plate. The chicken thigh was tender, moist and the coating was crispy and packed with various herbs and spices. Dipping that chicken into the sambal was evidence that simple things done well are all that is often needed. In some senses there were an awful lot of things on the plate, but it was a delight to work my way around the plate, and the pledge of authenticity that the restaurant made certainly seemed to have been honoured.
The dessert photos, although they’re listed in plain text on the main menu as well. Photos of desserts usually indicates that they’re bought in and the restaurant has pinched the stock photos, but here it’s more because they want to show what the food actually looks like. We can’t all be Malaysian food experts and I thought this was useful.
Rice pudding is one of my favourite things, particularly on long walks when I need some liquid and solid refreshment at the same time and am too tired to chew. Long distance walking isn’t all glamour, but I digress. This is black, and as the restaurant notes glutinous, rice pudding served with thick coconut milk and vanilla ice cream. The portion size wasn’t the most subtle, but I never complain about too much food. It was served warm, it was light but yet filling and the flavours once again worked beautifully. Bev, who complains about everything, was very quiet on that front and she muttered only that she had eaten too much. There is rarely much more praise than Bev can give than to only complain that she’s over indulged.
I tried to take a photo of Gordon’s banana fritters dessert, but he had eaten most of them before I had chance, so Brian’s meal was instead brought into play for the purpose.
Bringing all things together, this was an exceptional meal. The service was attentive, polite and kind throughout the entire dine. The restaurant was clean, the surroundings comfortable and the prices reasonable. But, the food and drink continued to surprise and delight me, especially experiencing new flavours which I hadn’t had before. I am sure that I’ll be back and I hope that the restaurant continues to get busier through word of mouth, it certainly deserves to.
This the museum’s model of the Nest, which was Norwich City’s football stadium between 1908 and 1935 after they had moved from their previous Newmarket Road site. It was squeezed into a former disused chalk mine site and despite the best efforts of the club at the time to modernise and expand the facilities, it wasn’t large enough and in 1935 they moved to their current Carrow Road ground. After 1935 the site returned to industrial, then became Bertram’s Books and is now a housing development called Bertram Way.
The rather hilly and bumpy area before Norwich City decided to build the Nest.
An excited crowd at the Nest in a photograph dating to 1924. The club’s move made a great deal of sense as there’s no way that the site would have been large enough as there was nowhere for them to expand into. If they had continued here they would have ended up with the situation that Luton Town have with their odd entrances in the middle of terraced housing. The Nest site today has a supporting wall on one side where the stand used to be, otherwise there’s no other trace of the site, but there is a statue remembering that the stadium was once here.
The museum’s model shows how the stadium would have looked in 1935, just before their move to Carrow Road. There are surprisingly few facilities, no such treats as the Gunn Club…..
Week 15 was one of the stalls that I had most been looking forwards to visiting on my eating quest around Norwich market. I have eaten here once before and it has one of the best reputations for quality sandwiches, so a return visit was most agreeable for the purposes of this market food eating project.
The breakfast and lunch opening hours.
The menu with numerous tempting options, although I had already decided that in tribute to Katz’s deli in New York that I would go for the pastrami sandwich. The fish finger sandwich sounds delightful as well and that seemed to be the option most ordered whilst I was standing there.
I like the subtle humour dotted around the stall.
The stall uses the strategy of having a staff member outside taking orders so that the counter doesn’t become cluttered up. He was welcoming, engaging and knowledgeable, with the option to pay by card. Service was fast and customer names are taken so that they can shout the order out when it’s ready. The stall was busy, but it was all efficient and organised, with food orders taking around five minutes as they’re freshly made.
I very much like pastrami and so this suitably surprised and delighted me. The pickles and sauerkraut added texture, with the sauce ensuring that the sandwich wasn’t too dry. The pastrami was tender and very peppery, just as I like it to be, with the portion size being generous. It’s not necessary cheap at £7.50, but it is high quality and proved to be filling. James had the same pastrami sandwich and was also pleased, although pointed out that it does require some thought to work out how to eat to avoid any spilling incidents. As an aside, he was also keen to discover where on Norwich market they sold biltong, something we never really resolved.
The whole arrangement including signage, ordering, service and the food was all impeccable, so it will come as no surprise that I’d very happily recommend this stall to others. And I look forwards to returning and trying some of the other menu options. Definitely a contender for my favourite market stall and writing this has made me fancy another pastrami sandwich.
Next in the little adventure of eating at every Norwich market stall was Jacket Spuds & More. This one was just a little challenging as it’s the only stall I’ve yet encountered, which the exception of Toby’s Beer which is a slightly different issue as it’s a bar, which has customers standing eating where I would usually expect to order.
The menu which doesn’t just have jacket potatoes, but also breakfasts, sandwiches and muffins.
And the drinks menu. The service was polite, but there was little opportunity for the engagement offered by other market stalls as orders have to be shouted over the top of other customers (or at least mine did). I understand it’s a market stall, but it just means that I can’t much comment more here, although they did take cards and everything was polite and welcoming.
I was pleased that they checked if I wanted butter or not, as I’m not keen on it on jacket potatoes. The potato was cooked well, had a crispy skin and there was a generous portion of beans, so everything was as expected. There was apparently black pepper available on the counter, but I couldn’t get to it and nearly every meal is improved with a generous sprinkling of it. James went for a similar menu option, although he went for cheese and beans, as well as having butter. He’s always been much more decadent than me though.
Overall, I felt that this stall offered decent food at reasonable prices, so I can’t imagine that anyone would be disappointed. I didn’t realise until later on that there was also the option of jacket potato with sausages which sounds suitably exciting. As a comment rather than as a complaint, this was the hardest stall yet to order at but everything looked clean and organised. I’d like to try one of their all day breakfasts next time, to see if they can surprise and delight me.
Another day, another study tour. This time to Beccles, to see what delights could be offered in this fine Suffolk metropolis. I boarded the X2 bus at the bus station, whilst Julian boarded a little further down the route and he marched magnificently down the aisle like a strutting peacock.
Safely in Beccles, we were starting our expedition at the Ingate. And the list of pubs that we visited were:
Unlike in Wymondham, where we completed all nine venues listed on Untappd, we had a little more difficulty completing Beccles. The Butchers Arms doesn’t open until later in the day and nor do two of the social clubs. We also missed out the Caxton Arms, partly because their lack of real ale meant it didn’t show up on the CAMRA map. However, we’re not amateurs at this, oh no. We’ll be back on another study tour and will also take in some nearby countryside pubs. We’re not one trick ponies who just do urban pubs, we’re two trick ponies who cover the countryside as well.
I would have much liked to have gone in the Ale of a Time shop which was selling a range of beers, but unfortunately they have limited opening hours. Good to see this sort of place opening though.
I make no comment.
We made time to pop into the town’s church.
And off we go at the end of the day. Julian made the ridiculous comment that I needed a new bag, but I ignored that. My McCain’s bag has been going strong for over a decade and it’s not going anywhere (well, technically, it goes loads of places, but you get the idea). Safely back into Norwich, we had enjoyed yet another marvellous day out.
The Ingate is a fine pub, which very much deserves to be in the Good Beer Guide, that was a surprise and delight. The Wine Vaults was more food focused but they were welcoming to drinkers, with the same being true of the Waveney House Hotel and its fine views of the river. The Bear & Bells wasn’t what I expected, but it was hard to fault the King’s Head, which is the JD Wetherspoon venue in Beccles. As mentioned, we’ll be back soon enough, but our next adventure is to Cromer, the pearl of North Norfolk, as well as a trip to Ipswich to add to the mix. And we’re not ruling out doing some even wider straddling and might perhaps treat ourselves to a London study tour at some stage.
The final stop in our study tour of Beccles was the JD Wetherspoon operated King’s Head Hotel. For the purposes of these days out we try and avoid eating in Wetherspoons as we want to ideally experience some food in an independent pub, but the Bear & Bells finished food service early and we were left with no other options. I’ve been in this pub before JD Wetherspoon took it over in February 2013, but I can’t recall the previous layout internally as the renovation was quite extensive.
A little information board in the pub notes that the venue’s history dates back to at least the seventeenth century and there’s more about the heritage of the building at http://relicsofbeccleshistory.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-kings-head-hotel-re-opens.html. It’s a shame that so few photos of the interior of pubs exist, but as Julian mentioned, it was hard to take photos inside dark buildings which often had smoke and often had people moving around quite a lot. That means although there are generally plenty of exterior photos of venues, there are few photographic records of how it all looked inside.
The King’s Head was for a long period the main coaching inn of Beccles, with the building being substantial itself as well as having numerous outbuildings. There are likely few operators would could have coped with such a large building, but JD Wetherspoon have utilised nearly all of the ground floor for the pub, the toilets are inevitably upstairs and there’s direct access to their hotel rooms.
There were six real ales which were priced between £1.71 and £2.68 per pint. Not only that but there were some interesting options that I haven’t seen before and a range of beer styles to choose from which included a dark beer.
Using two of my 50p off vouchers this was nearly the cheapest round of the day and we ordered pints here unlike in the other pubs….. The pricing for food may have gone up, but the price for drinks remains one of the lowest around. The service at the bar was polite and they’re operating a queueing system here. This seems to be the latest controversy for some people in this chain’s pubs, where now orderly queues form rather than there being something of a free for all at the bar. I must admit, I don’t much mind what a pub does, as long as it’s clear where I’m supposed to stand.
Tastefully decorated, the pub has plenty of nooks and crannies. The restoration of the venue by JD Wetherspoon feels as though it has been sensitive and they’ve also modernised the accommodation as well for those wanting to stay overnight, with twenty rooms available. I have stayed here before and I remember the rooms being well appointed, quiet and also the prices were reasonable. There’s a lot to be said about this historic venues, imagining the number of coroner investigations, birthdays, wedding parties, fights, drunken behaviour and mischief to think of just a few.
The Red Rocks from Peerless Brewing, a very agreeable and well kept ruby ale.
I went for a chicken and bacon salad which looked well presented and I was surprised and delighted to find a heap of bacon hidden at the bottom as well. For the price point, I felt that this was very acceptable and the service time was ferociously quick. There were also numerous craft beers available as well, I went for the Devils Bridge IPA from Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery, a nice citrus flavoured beer.
Julian was ready for his food. We were at this table as it was one which had a convenient power point for my phone, which once again needed quite a lot of attention as it was a bit worn out. Rather like me really.
And soon after it arrived. I think Julian was content with his food, with the staff offering check backs to ensure that all was well. The collection of empty plates and glasses was also efficient, the venue was well staffed.
What looks like part of the former stable area with the green doors is now used as the pub’s beer cellar. These stretch out further along the building into the large beer garden. It might not look it, but the pub was relatively busy even for a weekday afternoon, with a fair few families in where they’ve taken the kids after school.
The dessert cost £1.70. I’m not suggesting that it was Michelin quality, but it was a biscuity and ice cream mini treat.
And to finish off, the delicious and once again well kept Black Adder from Mauldons.
And some information about carpets in Wetherspoons, which are all unique. I had a little look at the on-line reviews and it’s reviewed about as well as any other outlet in the chain, so they’re clearly doing plenty right. This review amused me for reasons unknown….
“Staff member cleaning the table of plates from previous customers passed me the cloth and asked me to wipe the table myself. I explained I had just washed my hands to eat and would rather not. Staff member argued the cloth is clean enough. She wiped the table, said ‘you’re welcome’ sarcastically and walked off”
And then the endless dogs debate, as they’re banned entirely by the chain. It’s quite awkward at this pub as there’s plenty of external seating, so they have to advertise quite clearly the policy. But it annoys some of those people who love taking their dogs for a little drink.
“I am so very annoyed.Today we went in to Beccles town center with our little dog.We went to sit at the tables a long the side of weatherspoons on the pavement and all the tables said ‘no dogs at these tables’thats surely not right.firstly the tables are on the pavement area at the side of the weatherspoons so its not their private area.we was so looking forward to sitting outside there with our dog having a meal when the weather is nice,but now we will never go in their again.”
This review was posted two weeks ago, so certainly wasn’t a reference to us:
“Full of loud local drunks.”
In the bin 🙂
“We ordered our food from a table that had no number so used next table a long.which the people sitting there were very helpful. The wine came with in 5 min. We waited for our food for 45 minutes it did not arrive. Thought a bit strange so I went in and asked politely if there had been a mix up. The waitress replied ‘o yes it’s in the bin’.”
But, I mustn’t spend too long reading reviews, however tempting it might be.
I am aware that there are some in CAMRA, and indeed some not in CAMRA, who are not best pleased about this chain for various reasons. However, they offered us the widest choice of real ales in the day, they offered the widest choice of craft beers, they were the only pub serving food in the afternoon and their prices were the lowest. The service was efficient and attentive, the surroundings were clean, the atmosphere was inviting and this felt like a professionally run pub. There is far more to a pub than being the cheapest or even having the most beer options, but given everything combined this venue certainly surprised and delighted me.
I have visited this pub before, not least for the wedding of friends Rob and Jade a few years ago. It’s a grand building by the River Waveney and the venue’s early history is detailed, quite magnificently, at https://waveneyhousehotel.co.uk/history/. From when it was built in the mid sixteenth century, this was the grandest residential property on the street and it was turned into a hospitality venue in the nineteenth century. One of the owners of the property was John Leman (1544-1632) who became the Lord Mayor of London and the school in Beccles is still named after him.
Here’s how the building looked in the 1960s.
There’s a pleasant conservatory area next to the main dining area, but we were rather more taken with sitting outside in a rare departure from our normal very internal drinking policy. Outside is so often full of dangers such as wasps, bitey insects, snakes, seagulls, pigeons and local drunks that it’s not worth risking, but we didn’t encounter any of those potential issues here.
Not a bad view of the Waveney River. I can see why people have weddings here and there are also 12 rooms for those wanting accommodation.
I went for the Southwold Bitter from Adnams which was well kept and surprised keenly priced given that there was some decadence to the hotel. Although to be fair to them, the service was informal and friendly, I think they’re keen to attract drinkers and diners in so want to be reasonably priced.
The lunch and evening menu. Unfortunately we were too late for lunch and too early for the evening meal….. The dining environment looked clean and comfortable, with the on-line reviews being positive, so I’m sure it would be delightful.
The on-line reviews are generally positive, but I particularly liked the response to this one:
“Had Sunday lunch today with the family.The main coarse roast beef was very poor, the presentation of vegetables was a disgrace. The roast potatoes were very poor. The price was £16.00. Will not be going back. The previous owners food was much superior. If you want a good Sunday roast avoid this venue.”
With the reply being:
“Same owner for last 20 years plus first complaint about roast seriously in that time”.
And then loudchildgate kicked off one night….
“We was on the top floor, we was only in the hotel a maximum of an hour before we went out for dinner. While I was out I had a call (8:30pm) saying there had been a complaint made about me and my kids. “There was banging and a constant baby crying for two hours!” Firstly my “baby” is a 3 year old that if she did winge it was a maximum of 5 minutes. And also we wasn’t even there for two hours.. the “banging” that they was insisting of was my son waking around. (He has autism and adhd and won’t sit still for any period of time) however he does not make any noises or bags.. I explained all this and I was told “just to be respectful of others”. So right away it was ruined, I didn’t even want to go back after dinner. And I couldn’t go down for breakfast in the morning so went elsewhere. But if a child winges, or there is a little bang or two and THAT is warrant for a phone call on my private number while out having a meal, it’s ridiculous. And the way the dealt with it was awful”
But anyway, I digress from our core responsibility of meandering around pubs on our study tour. This venue exceeded my expectations, I had expected something a little more stuffy and expensive, but yet the atmosphere was laid-back and inviting. The view over the river is really most pleasant and we deserved a little decadence on our tour.
