Leek’s five-metre high Market Cross is post-medieval and probably dates to around the sixteenth century. Nearly every market would have once had one of these crosses although many have been lost, damaged or altered over the centuries. The plinth of the cross is nineteenth century and there have been later repairs to the entire cross.
The market cross was moved from its current location to Cemetery Road in 1806 and it remained there until 1986 when a decision was made to return it.
Peak Weavers is a B&B and restaurant where we had a large booking for an evening meal. The building was once a grand private residence, more recently a convent and today it’s well maintained and has an inviting feel to it. Having said that, my first impressions weren’t entirely positive as the welcome seemed just a little stilted. However, the restaurant area was clean, tidy and organised.
This is the potted slow cooked ham hock and it was excellent, with the ham being tender, flavourful and light. The ham fell apart and it was complemented by the egg sauce which topped it in the pot. The garnish added to the presentation of the dish and there were capers which gave additional texture to the meal. The sour dough bread was light and perhaps home-made, with the price point of £7.50 being entirely realistic.
This salmon dish had a tomato crust alongside a new potato and pea shoot salad. We also had vegetables and potatoes for the table which were plentiful and which were well seasoned, although I didn’t photograph these. The portion of salmon was generous and it was perfectly cooked and had a depth of taste. The salad added texture and it was all well presented and at the appropriate temperature. For the price of £15.95 this again was perfectly priced given the additional sides which were offered.
I couldn’t find fault with the food, which I admit is quite rare for me, although I’d have liked a little more black pepper. The black pepper wasn’t on the table, but a staff member brought a pepper grinder over on request when I asked for it with the starter. I kept it for the main course, but the manager seized it and when I asked for it back the request wasn’t fulfilled. I’m a little unsure why the restaurant is so protective of its black pepper, but nonetheless, this was an excellent meal.
I liked that the menu was relatively limited in size, so that there was a focus more on quality. There wasn’t though any nod towards locally sourced ingredients on the menu, which I’d have ideally liked. The service was professional, although not particularly engaging, but the food was served promptly and we were never left waiting for service (well, I was left waiting for the black pepper, but I won’t dwell on that).
Certainly for the quality of food being offered the prices actually seemed just a little low, but I can understand the need to be remain competitive in terms of price. All very professional and I’d recommend this for a leisurely group meal.
This JD Wetherspoon pub opened in March 2018 and it was the only one in Norfolk which I hadn’t been to. It’s a relatively large pub and a couple of other publicans in Downham Market have blamed it for closing down their premises. It was busy when we visited and slightly grubby, although staff seemed to be doing their best.
The pub as it is now is formed of two buildings, the taller building on the left is a former residential property, whilst the right hand-side part of the building has been trading as a pub since the 1740s. The pub name comes from the local whale trade and there was a whalebone placed outside of the pub in the late nineteenth century.
The interior of part of the pub, it still looks modern and contemporary with the restoration of the building seeming sensitive. There are some narrow stairs in the pub, perhaps the narrowest that I’ve seen in a Wetherspoons conversion.
My standard option of a chicken wrap and I still bemoan the lack of pastrami bagel on the menu. The presentation was slightly messy, but the food tasted fine and represented the usual good value for money. It was also brought over promptly along with the lemonade that I’d ordered via the app. There were also numerous different elements to the building with some private seating areas. The pub seems quite badly reviewed on-line for a JD Wetherspoon outlet, but I found everything acceptable.
The Green Dragon, formerly known as the Swan for a time, has been trading as a pub since at least 1693. It was reopened by JD Wetherspoon in 2013 and the refurbishment they undertook was clearly costly as it looks like they’ve done a marvellous job.
An historic plaque outside the pub.
The real ales were mostly generic and there was a surprisingly dull selection for a Wetherspoons pub. The service at the bar was unfortunately inept as I was served out of turn. This in itself really isn’t a problem, but when there are only two people at the bar, it’s not difficult to avoid this. Anyway, I just left the staff member to serve the other customer and this customer then moved along the bar as he wanted to order another drink. The staff member then told him to wait as she was serving another customer. He reminded her that he was the customer that she was already serving, but by this point it was clear the staff member was entirely lost, so I just left and ordered by the app at the table.
The staff member who served us the food and drink was on the other end of the competence spectrum. He was engaging, conversational and had a real presence within the pub, although he didn’t seem to be a manager. His check back seemed authentic and he cleared the plates promptly. The chicken wrap was fine and represented decent value for money.
The interior of the pub, which was largely devoid of customers when we visited, but it was spacious and clean. There were a range of different types of seating areas, and the pub appeared modern in its design without losing any of its historic integrity.
I’ll ignore the staff member at the bar, as she seemed out of her depth, but the other staff members were friendly, helpful and engaging. It was an intriguing pub and although the beer selection was disappointing, it felt like a professional and thorough conversion by JD Wetherspoon.
Coral’s sign in Leek market place has apparently been like this for over a year. Perhaps it’s time that they got it fixed….
The Titanic Brewery is one of my favourite in the country with their beers having a real depth of taste and flavours. It hadn’t occurred to me that they also operated their own pubs, but it seems that they have a handful primarily based around the Staffordshire area and by chance we walked by their Leek outlet.
That’s a very exciting selection. Well, for me at least. There were plenty of Titanic beers, but there were also some other beers sourced from around the country.
Some of the selection of the Titanic range, with the Plum Porter being a beer that I’ll nearly always order if I see it. However, I’d never seen the Cherry Dark, so I opted for that one and it was reasonably priced. The quality of it didn’t let me down, a real taste of cherry which is far stronger than perhaps many brewers would dare offer. Served at the appropriate temperature and tasting well-kept, this was a delightful beer.
The bar area of the pub, which also had a back room and a downstairs cellar bar which opens at weekends. The food menu looked very appealing and I was disappointed that I didn’t get the chance to try some of their food during my couple of days in Leek. There were numerous beer related dishes and the company is also proud of the Totally Leek Burger where all of the ingredients are sourced from within 100 metres of the pub.
The service in the pub was friendly, engaging and welcoming, with a modern and on-trend feel to the operation. The pub was clean, comfortable and there was a laid-back atmosphere, with numerous events being advertised that were planned for the pub.
Nice sign…. Outside, or at least I think it was, the Beer Dock pub in Leek.
Leek surprised me with just how many pubs it had, with The Fountain Inn being one of three in the town which is in the Good Beer Guide. It’s a short walk away from the centre of the town and it also has its own rooms for those wanting accommodation. Operating at a pub since 1831, The Fountain Inn is also a fortunate survivor as it was nearly demolished in the 1970s.
The selection was excellent with eight real ales and two real ciders to choose from, with an appropriate mix between light and dark beers. I opted for the North Star Porter and it was reasonably priced at £1.50 for half a pint. It was well kept and had a dark black colour with a taste of liquorice and chocolate.
The pub has the most complete collection of Good Beer Guides that I’ve ever seen, and also a set of Encyclopaedia Britannica books for those who want a quick browse…..
An old sign to the right of the main bar giving information on how to bottle a Bass. The pub interior was quirky but comfortable, with a welcoming and inviting atmosphere. The service was efficient, polite and helpful which all combines to making this one of the best pubs that I’ve visited. It’s no surprise to me that it has won numerous CAMRA awards as the whole operation seemed well managed, organised and there was a community feel to the pub.
Today I’m going from Heathrow T5 to Gatwick, ready for a flight tomorrow. Usually I’d get the Underground Piccadilly line up from Heathrow and then get a train to Gatwick from Blackfriars with Thameslink all using Oyster. However, since it was early morning that would mean that the prices to do that would cost getting towards £20 and it would also take a couple of hours.
I checked the National Express price, and that remains at a ridiculous £26 for a single journey. Although it’s a convenient service to take, I find it unfortunate that a company price gouges like that, it’s not a great image for tourists. The price is so ridiculous that for any group of two people, it’s just as cheap to take an Uber.
Fortunately, the wonderful Megabus have taken an interest in this route. If booked ahead this ticket can be under £10, although mine was £15 booked just before the journey. This is more expensive than going from Norwich to London with Megabus, but at least it’s a chunk cheaper than National Express and I’m sure they have some high overheads to operate to and from airports.
The bus arrived on time, at 10.00, with a scheduled journey time of 70 minutes. It was clear from the ticket details where to wait for the bus, although the actual information at the bus stop could be clearer as it was nearly all for National Express. I was confident that I was in the right place though and there were Heathrow staff nearby to offer assistance to anyone who wanted it.
The driver looked at the ticket on my phone seemingly confused, although he must have seen hundreds of them before. He looked at his watch, looked puzzled and so perhaps he thought it was a different time of the day to what it actually was. Who knows…. The driver didn’t exact engage like the American Megabus drivers, but that’s not unexpected.
I got the seats at the top and there were plenty of working power outlets and there was also wi-fi available.
I had a lovely view of the sweeping countryside. Well, the motorway.
This photo doesn’t really show it, but there were an alarming number of chips and cracks on the bus’s windscreen. I can’t imagine that it’ll last too many more journeys. The driver seemed competent though and his driving was professional and smooth throughout.
Anyway, the bus arrived into Gatwick early, so the journey took just 50 minutes. For the price I think this is a really decent service and hopefully it’ll take some trade away from National Express who I think are over-charging quite heavily for such a short route with such a captive market.
My favourite aircraft is the A380 and this was the plane G-XLEG which was delivered to British Airways in 2014. It was a moderately busy flight, although my bulkhead row of ten seats had just one other person on it, although the crew moved another two onto it just before departure. This meant plenty of space for me, rather different to my American Airlines flight of the previous day. Sitting on the lower deck of the A380 it is genuinely difficult to know that this beautiful aircraft has taken off, I never tire of just how much of an engineering triumph this is.
The initial drinks run took place around 45 minutes after take-off, with the crew member saying she was surprised how little alcohol was being requested. I was content with my orange juice, sparkling water and mini pretzels.
There was plenty of choice on the in-flight entertainment system, although I had hoped for some episodes of Friday Night Dinner again which unfortunately weren’t there. There were though some episodes of People Just Do Nothing and This Time with Alan Partridge which I hadn’t seen before.
The meal was served around 20 minutes later, consisting of a salad with dressing, roll, chicken casserole with mashed potatoes and vegetables, caramel dessert and then cracker with cheddar cheese. Several people declined their food tray, but I most certainly didn’t. There was also the option of pasta with cheese, which I think has been an option on nearly every BA long-haul flight that I’ve ever taken.
The quality was fine, the chicken was tender and had a decent amount of flavour, the vegetables retained some firmness to add some texture and it was all served hot. The dessert was also above average in terms of the richness of the taste. The salad was a little dull, but the dressing helped somewhat.
I had some problems with my screen during the flight, but the crew member was able to successfully reset it. The moving map didn’t work though even after the reset. The crew were helpful with this and everything else, they were also visible throughout the flight. I thought that the temperature in the cabin was just right, although I suspect that this meant most other people were cold. The pilots and crew members made appropriate announcements throughout the flight and they came across as friendly and professional.
The breakfast option was a croissant with tomato cream cheese, which tasted better than it looked. Another customer, who had refused his evening meal, didn’t look thrilled and a fair few of these were returned uneaten to the crew. The presentation really does need looking at and perhaps some choice to improve the options somewhat.
However, overall, I thought that this flight still represented superb value for money. Coming in at under £125 there is pretty much no money in this for British Airways, but I won’t complain about that. The food and drink was served efficiently, the aircraft was clean and the crew were helpful and friendly. Lots of space and British Airways is once again becoming my favourite airline.
The landing of the A380 was though quite heavy at the end of the flight which led to a crew member saying “we’ve certainly landed, I can guess that’s the First Officer landing that”.
