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  • CAMRA Coach Trip – Pub 4/4 (The Gordon at Thorpe, Norwich)

    CAMRA Coach Trip – Pub 4/4 (The Gordon at Thorpe, Norwich)

    Ivan is a man of mystery, intrigue and chaos, but he managed to hide his final choice of pub very well as I didn’t hear anyone guess correctly. There were a few quite determined guesses and several people thought that we were heading for the Rushcutters, but the final pub of choice was the Gordon. This is exactly the sort of moment that makes Ivan’s coach trips work so well as everyone thinks they have cracked the system, only to discover that the system is Ivan and he is not available for public scrutiny.

    This doesn’t look entirely dissimilar from another Gordon that I know. The pub opened in 1934 and there’s something of a link back to Upton, where we had our first pub visit of the evening at the White Horse, as the then owners Bullards gave up the licence of the Prince of Wales in Upton to open this pub. The pub was operated by Bullards until 1967, then it went from Watney Mann to Brent Walker before falling into the perhaps more sub-optimal Pubmaster and then Punch Taverns ownership.

    There was a friendly welcome from the team members and there was a choice of two ales, London Pride and Wainwright’s Gold, although there was also Ghost Ship in bottles.

    The real ale options weren’t to my own personal taste, so I got a Caffrey’s instead. The Maltesers were just what I needed though, I was pleased to see those. I know it’s a CAMRA coach trip and this isn’t a real ale, but I am a complex man with many contradictions, most of them involving beer and snack choices.

    Indeed, this is a very agreeable snack selection and I was suitably surprised and delighted.

    It’s a really quite decent community pub this and they had a range of different events advertised and it was all clean and tidy. They’re not really trying to reinvent the the wheel here, it’s not a free trade pub to my knowledge and so there are limitations which the team members just have to work around.

    The back bar arrangement.

    And that was the end of our pub visits, the coach then dropped people back off in Norwich, with Ivan and I getting off at the Puppet Theatre for the after-party at the Artichoke. It was all a lovely evening, but more on the whole arrangement in the next post.

  • CAMRA Coach Trip – Pub 3/4 (The Cock at Cantley)

    CAMRA Coach Trip – Pub 3/4 (The Cock at Cantley)

    The third in our CAMRA coach tour was to Cantley Cock, which is a pub that I’ve visited a few times before and not least to have the all you can eat ribs and chicken wings. This became a licensed premises in the late eighteenth century and then became part of the Steward & Patteson estate. For a few years it became a Watney Mann pub, but they closed it in 1975, before it reopened as a free house in the following year. It’s done really well to stay open, there’s not a huge amount of housing nearby and they’ve been creative with their food offering to entice customers from further afield.

    The group heading into the pub to surprise the staff just at the end of food service. There is a particular energy to twenty or so beer enthusiasts entering a pub at once as it’s part a coach party wanting an evening out, part of an informal inspection team and part a wandering support group for people who have strong views about cellar management.

    As I mentioned before, these coach trips are unannounced to the pubs and there’s a solid reason for that. Firstly, things change and so it wouldn’t be fair for a pub to make extra special efforts and something doesn’t happen. And, also, we don’t really want them to make extra special efforts as the point is to see what’s available on a normal evening. There’s also the danger that a pub might think more real ale will be sold than actually might be, so hence the element of surprise. I mention that as one of the team members mentioned that there were some really nice real ales in the cellar, but I think that having four is entirely reasonable for a country pub.

    I went for the Falcon Ale from Lacon’s Brewery and it was well-kept, malty and fruity. I don’t usually have nuts in a pub but I was looking for either chocolate or decadent crisps which they didn’t have, but I was content with the dry roasted nuts. The service was friendly and it was all a welcoming environment, with Ivan here evidently enjoying himself. This is always reassuring, as Ivan enjoying himself generally suggests that the itinerary is going to plan and nobody has yet challenged the authority of the coach schedule.

    The bar after the CAMRA rush had subsided. A couple of customers discovered that there was another pub on our itinerary and everyone’s suggestions were completely wrong, Ivan isn’t predictable like that. Ivan was busy at this stage anyway arguing with a customer who thought we should have given advance notice before turning up, so that livened matters up. It is always useful on a pub trip to have a philosophical debate about the ethics of unannounced beer drinking.

    After a very worthwhile coach stop, it was time to depart whilst looking at the Norfolk big skies….. I should add that the Cantley Cock is listed in the Good Beer Guide, quite rightly so in my humble opinion.

    Then back onto the coach for the next mystery pub. What could possibly go wrong?

  • CAMRA Coach Trip – Pub 2/4 (The Lion at Thurne)

    CAMRA Coach Trip – Pub 2/4 (The Lion at Thurne)

    Next on the CAMRA coach trip was the Lion at Thurne, another marvellous choice by Ivan as it’s a Good Beer Guide pub that I haven’t been to before. Although there has been a licensed premises called the Lion in Thurne since the 1830s (although until the earlier twentieth century it was known as the Red Lion), this site was built in the 1930s by Lacons and their name is still above the door, although it is now a free trade pub.

    Here’s the newspaper advert noting the sale of the former Lion Inn as it was known, with the new Lion Hotel now ready. From this, it’s clear that accommodation was available in both the old and new buildings, although accommodation is no longer offered.

    The keg arrangement on the back bar, all looking shiny and interesting.

    The real ale selection and I have to note the professionalism of the team member who was behind the bar. She appeared to realise that she had twenty customers suddenly standing at the bar, but this presented no problem for her as she rattled through the service whilst remaining professional, friendly and efficient. Some people might panic under pressure, others simply become calmly excellent while a small army of CAMRA members tries to make decisions about beer.

    I did struggle to see what the beer options were initially, but then I realised that I had managed to miss the below.

    I did struggle to see what the beer options were initially, but then I realised that I had somehow managed to miss the main board. I am not entirely sure how I missed it, as it was hardly subtle, but this does rather suggest that my observational skills are at their sharpest only when there is a plate of chips nearby. In any case, it was a decent selection of keg and cask options across a range of styles.

    I opted for the Royal Pillow Fight, brewed for the venue by the Mr Winters brewery. It’s a light and slightly fruity beer which goes well with salty crisps.

    Given the keg options were also intriguing, I had the Pixel beer from Only With Love, a small brewery in West Sussex, which was juicy, fruity and refreshing.

    The food menu, not that there was time for us to order anything and I was content with my packet of crisps. There’s a separate dining room area in the pub which looked busy.

    The pub has so many CAMRA awards that they have enough to put some of them casually on the windowsill, which is quite the flex really. Some pubs display awards very carefully in decadent frames, whereas the Lion appears to have reached the point where they can scatter them about like loose change. It is a strong look.

    One handy source of extra trade for the pub is from the nearby staithe which is a popular little mooring arrangement for boats on the Norfolk Broads.

    Michael and I went for a quick walk to get some photos of the sunset. Ivan wasn’t entirely surprised and delighted by our photography skills and reminded us that we were one minute late getting back. He’s a man of precision is Ivan. Some people organise coach trips, but Ivan appears to run them with the quiet authority of a railway timetable, albeit one that has developed opinions.

    Anyway, this is very much what these coach trips are designed for, allowing an exploration of county pubs that would otherwise be hard to get to but which offer something interesting and different. It certainly seemed to me to be a deserving entrant into the Good Beer Guide, and another reminder that Norfolk remains full of excellent pubs tucked away in places that are awkward enough to make a coach trip feel not just useful, but frankly necessary.

  • CAMRA Coach Trip – Pub 1/4 (White Horse at Upton)

    CAMRA Coach Trip – Pub 1/4 (White Horse at Upton)

    The pre-party completed (I might have made that sound more exotic than it was), it was time to board the coach to be transported to our first mystery pub location.

    Safely boarded and ready to go. I had discovered that the first stop wasn’t the Ber Strete Gates and it would be about 25 minutes on the coach, that was the limit of my knowledge of where we were going.

    And we arrived at our first stop and I was pleased with this one as it’s been around a decade since I’ve been here. This has been a community run pub since 2012 and although they’ve had some minor financial issues in recent years, they’ve bounced back and all that. There are frequent events held here, beer festivals, musical performances, morris dancers and the like, along with food being served throughout the week.

    The venue has been a licensed premises since the late eighteenth century and it was owned by the Coltishall Brewery in the early nineteenth century before they sold it in 1841 and later on it was taken over by Bullards. It then passed into the hands of Watney Mann and then Brent Walker before the community took it on.

    A coach load of customers did surprise the venue, but the team members were all friendly and welcoming. I had deliberately taken cash in case that was preferred in these rural areas, but everyone seemed to be paying by card.

    The choice of real ales and I liked this selection, a range of beer styles and there are some options there that I haven’t had before.

    Some of the events.

    We went to sit in the rather nice beer garden and as there were children on the bouncy castle, we thought we’d better not try it out. It was moderately busy in the beer garden and busier inside mostly with diners, but the atmosphere all felt informal and well managed.

    I went for the Yellow Tail from Wantsum Brewery from Kent alongside some Mini Cheddars. The beer was clean, hoppy and well-kept, a decent light start to the evening.

    This was going around the table and I thought that it was a strange thing to do at CAMRA events but assumed that it was some kind of ritual that they do.

    It kept Ivan amused though who was very good indeed at colouring in and it transpired that this isn’t a standard CAMRA activity, it was a one-off.

    One of the advantages of visiting here is that that’s another ticked off in my vague attempt to visit every Good Beer Guide pub in the country. A very good first selection by Ivan and after thirty minutes here, we boarded the coach to discover where he was taking us next.

  • CAMRA Coach Trip – Pre-Party at the Bell

    CAMRA Coach Trip – Pre-Party at the Bell

    Young Ivan kindly invited me on a CAMRA coach trip, an experience that I haven’t been on before. In short, for these evening trips he organises four pubs to visit, keeps it a secret from everyone on the trip (other than the driver) and then we drink beer and eat crisps at the pubs. It’s a concept I was on board with, literally in this case. There isn’t really a pre-party to this whole event, but three of us met at the Bell in Norwich, the JD Wetherspoon venue in the heart of the city. As for the beers, there were five guests and their normal selection of regular real ales, with the prices all being at the lower end of the scale.

    I went for the Honey Porter from Conwy Brewery, a sweet dark beer with a slight honey flavour which was all a little quirky.

    Ivan had quickly eaten a main and a side, which I thought was very sensible and I should have got there earlier to do something similar. But, I knew that there were plenty of bar snacks ahead during the evening, although I was disappointed to discover that Ivan didn’t walk up and down the coach selling snacks en route. There’s a learning point there for future trips.

    It’s all happening now!

  • 200 Years Ago in Norwich : Paul Pry at Norwich Theatre Royal

    200 Years Ago in Norwich : Paul Pry at Norwich Theatre Royal

    200 years ago this week in the Theatre Royal Norwich there was a performance of the play Paul Pry on 20 May 1826. The theatre had reopened in late March 1826, so this performance advertised in the Norwich Mercury would have been one of the first in the new shiny building.

    Paul Pry was a comedy that had become the theatrical sensation of the decade, so it’s not a surprising choice that Norwich Theatre Royal made to put it on. The play, written by John Poole and first performed in 1825, had become something of a public obsession, like an early day Inbetweeners. Well, maybe not quite like that and more like Ever Decreasing Circles, but the catchphrase “I hope I don’t intrude” became a popular refrain that lingered in the national vocabulary for some time. By the time this play was put on the audience knew at least what they were getting.

    The character of Paul Pry is fundamentally unlikeable and a man without boundaries or self-awareness. For this performance, the provincial theatre here in Norwich was nicely on-trend, the cultural excitement had moved fast in the days before the railways had reached the city. There’s a pub called Paul Pry in Rayleigh in Essex which is a reminder of this piece of cultural excitement, although it’s operated by Greene King so I won’t add anything further on that. I can’t see that the play is performed any more, but perhaps there’s a need for a comeback at some point….

  • 200 Years Ago in Norwich : Housewarming at Crown Inn in Swaffham

    200 Years Ago in Norwich : Housewarming at Crown Inn in Swaffham

    This advertisement appeared in the Norwich Mercury on 20 May 1826:

    “HOUSE WARMING, At the Crown Inn, Swaffham, Norfolk, On MONDAY, the 5th of June, 1826. Dinner at Four o’clock. To which MR. BIRD respectfully solicits the attendance of his Friends.”

    I’ve never much thought about the heritage of house warming until I saw this in the newspaper of 100 years ago this week. However, it appears that the term itself comes from an era when houses genuinely needed warming. The practice is medieval in origin and when someone built a new house or took over an existing one, friends and neighbours would be invited to the opening ceremony. Rather than bringing a potted plant or a bottle of wine (well, craft beer now), guests would contribute something rather more essential, namely firewood. This led to the optimal situation of a warm house and a social gathering included at the same time, all rather handy for those who like people.

    As for this little party at the Crown Inn, it was hosted by the former military man James Bird who was to run the venue until his death in 1832. The Crown Inn had been Swaffham’s principal hotel and social hub in the eighteenth century, serving as a meeting place, exhibition hall, ballroom, auctioneers and occasional courthouse. It was first documented in 1648 and Emma Hamilton, Nelson’s mistress, entertained here on numerous occasions. The inn closed in 1879 after which shops occupied the site until its demolition in around 1952, with the new building housing Salters shoe shop (1956–89), Breakers clothing (1990s), and eventually the Sue Ryder charity shop from 1992.

    I wonder what was at this dinner, it sounds like a fine arrangement, although at least they had access to plenty of beer. I’d note though that the buildings on the site today look like a pale imitation of the once quite grand inn.

  • Norwich – Bar Billiards (Cup Match 1 – Artichoke Hearts vs King’s Head)

    Norwich – Bar Billiards (Cup Match 1 – Artichoke Hearts vs King’s Head)

    We had what could only be described as a sub-optimal match in the league last week where we lost 8-1. And next up was the top division team the King’s Head, so my aspiration was to try and not to lose 8-1 again. There’s nothing like a bit of optimism to start the night, so I focused on having a light and functional Schöfferhofer.

    The Sublime from Floc, a tropical edge and a bit of citrus. There’s Luke the Lion practising in the background, we thought we’d get there early in the hope of only losing 7-2 if we upped our game from last week. Marginal gains and all that.

    Then the draw with Graham from the King’s Head, we were ready to roll. I liked their cards which had their players on the other side.

    I was drawn last in both the singles and doubles, the latter always gives the challenge of it potentially being the deciding match. This is the sort of pressure that elite athletes train for. I mostly cope by looking concerned, eating crisps and pretending that I have a plan.

    Off we go, promptly losing the first match.

    Kirsty pulled it back for us and the thought of losing 9-0 subsidised. This was positive as there are only so many character-building experiences one team should be expected to endure in two weeks.

    The snacks then appeared. Some teams rely on coaching, tactics and psychological resilience. We rely quite heavily on crisps.

    To cheer me up a bit, as we were losing 3-1 at this point, I went for the Peach Me Up from Woodland Brewing, a gentle and not overly tart sour which went well with the M&Ms.

    Then PJ played a robust and confident game, which is exactly the sort of thing we needed, not least because some of us had already begun quietly calculating how bad the final score might look on paper. I decided to referee this one to distract me from doing too many of those calculations.

    And then it was my game. Channelling everything that Zak and Nathan have taught me, or what I’ve learned when refereeing, my back cushion game actually worked, with 5 balls in the 100 pocket and 1 ball in the 200 pocket that I actually aimed for rather than just fell in by mistake. This was unusually decadent play for me and likely won’t be repeated all year….. And it was enough for it to be 3-3 at the end of the singles.

    Luke the Lion treated me to a Flump for scoring over 1,000, which is precisely the sort of vice-captaincy that builds morale. He is definitely becoming the best vice-captain in the league, and I say this not just because he brings sweets, although that is clearly a major part of modern leadership.

    Ivan came along to say nice things to me, although he disappointed me by telling me that the CAMRA coach trip I’m on with him on Friday night isn’t going to the Ber Strete Gates.

    Kirsty and PJ had a dilemma towards the end of their game as Kirsty would need to get the ball into the 200 and then also hit the final ball in the 200. And she only went and bloody did it, one of the best doubles games that I’ve seen. Positively optimal. Then more delights came for our team, with Luke and Vaughan taking the pressure of Terri and myself by winning their doubles match.

    We very nearly won the final game as Terri got the 200 final shot in, but the peg wobbled and fell over. But Ivan was the true star of the show, nearly collapsing the table while refereeing. I liked his style. Not necessarily in a safety-conscious way, but certainly in an entertainment sense.

    And 5-4 in what was a great game, although quite stressful for me once again when it was close. The King’s Head are a lovely team and it was all very close. We were one of the first cup matches to be played, so it might be a while for the draw for the next round giving us plenty of time to become overconfident and then immediately regret it.

    And my usual rule is that if we win, then I go to the King’s Head after the match which was particularly appropriate this evening. Thanks to PJ, Ivan and Julian for coming along, a very lovely night and many thanks to the King’s Head for a fun match.

  • Norwich – Cluck’d Chicken Restaurant

    Norwich – Cluck’d Chicken Restaurant

    James and I always look out for what we consider decadent dining options, which normally involve market stalls or places that serve chicken. I’ve walked by here a number of times and been tempted to go in, so when James and I discovered that our preferred market lunch option was closed, we came here. This venue is one of two in the chain, with the other being located in Milton Keynes.

    The menu is quite substantial and the ordering system is a little unclear, although ultimately it’s seat yourself and then go to the counter to order. There is an online ordering system but it doesn’t have the discounted prices available.

    The lunch menu and I wanted this, so I ordered at the counter. I accidentally decided that I should also order five chicken wings as that meant I got another five free as it was Wings Wednesday. There are times that I try and be dignified and moderate, but then things go a little awry….

    The interior was mostly quite dirty when we entered with only one clean table, although that seemed to be more a lack of staff rather than a lack of effort.

    There were a range of sauces in a style similar to Nando’s although I didn’t use these as the food arrived with more than enough sauce already on it.

    I went for the £5 chicken and rice box with the Screaming Hot sauce and Korean BBQ, along with five chicken wings with the Screaming Hot sauce and the free five chicken wings which had the Tingly sauce on. Firstly, the Screaming Hot sauce was lacking in any sort of heat which for something advertised as “try it if you dare!” is perhaps rather sub-optimal. The Korean BBQ was a bit too sweet for me and the whole arrangement was also a little salty.

    The chicken and rice box were rather swamped by the BBQ sauce and the rice was a bit bland, with the chicken pieces being tender but also lacking in much depth of flavour. The chicken wings were generous in size, as it included the entire wing, and they were all fine although they weren’t particularly impactful in terms of the taste with the chicken seeming to be slightly watery. I preferred the wings where the skin was blackened as it gave it some texture, but everything was cooked appropriately. But, if I had my way, chicken wings would always be crispy.

    In terms of value for money, this was very reasonable and the portion size was generous for the price paid, although I accept that I leaned into the offers that they had. I struggled to finish all of the food because of the portion size, so that was a positive that I didn’t leave hungry.

    James went for chicken pieces and fries, which fell outside of their lunchtime offer, but he’s far more decadent than me. He enjoyed his, probably rating it all a little higher than me. James also made less mess than me, it took me some time to get the sauce off my fingers although they did provide gloves which would have been far more sensible for me to use. However, James would have commented negatively on that as he has a laddish side, so I didn’t.

    The team members here were friendly and personable throughout, and they did eventually get back on top of cleanliness in the venue. It’s all well reviewed online and it was a perfectly agreeable lunch, although I’m not sure that there was anything unique enough here to make me want to visit again. This might be one of those times where the problem is the quality of the meat they’re buying, rather than any particular problems of how they’re cooking it.

    They are perhaps a little unfortunate to be so close to a Wingstop who have some dry rub options which can pack some spicy hit, as well being more flavoursome chicken going by my previous experiences. However, it’s all on trend and the restaurant was reasonably busy for a lunch-time, so they look as though they’re doing well. Anyway, I wasn’t blown away by the meal, but it was competent, the team members were helpful and I might return to try some other chicken items on the menu as locations are often best tried twice.

  • Norwich – Bloody Bar Billiards (Game 4 – Artichoke Hearts vs Red Lion)

    Norwich – Bloody Bar Billiards (Game 4 – Artichoke Hearts vs Red Lion)

    Our fourth game was away to the Red Lion in Coltishall and they’re a new venue and a new team to the league. I’ve also never been to the pub before and I really liked going somewhere new, so I’m all in support of having more non-Norwich venues in the league. Or at least I was until we lost heavily, at which point my commitment to rural expansion became rather more nuanced.

    Still, I suppose I had better write about it so I do not look like a bad loser, which is important because I am obviously a gracious and reflective loser, provided nobody mentions the score. Many thanks to Luke for getting me to the pub safely and nice and early, so we could have a proper look at their table and begin forming opinions that would later prove tactically irrelevant.

    The table is up against the wall which is an interesting location in quite a large room, although I quite liked making shots whilst having a little sit down on the window ledge. Bar billiards is a sport of immense physical endurance, so it is important to conserve energy wherever possible, ideally before missing. Here’s Luke getting warmed up for the big event.

    I had a practice with the final game shot and then had a sit down with a pint of ThreeOneSix from Grain Brewery. This was a fruity, hoppy and slightly toffee flavoured beer, all very agreeable.

    Here’s Luke and a lion. Luke’s on the left.

    The anticipation before the draw.

    And the completed draw, what could possibly go wrong? We soon found out in the rather comprehensive way that someone might discover a roof leak during a thunderstorm.

    PJ and Vaughan started us off and let’s just say that we lost the first two games.

    The Red Lion kindly provided us with some free sandwiches and when they were placed down I pretended that I wasn’t desperate to start eating them. I waited for a reasonable period, I think around twelve seconds, and started in the hope that no-one noticed. I tested a lot of these on behalf of the team as leadership comes in many forms and this week it involved bread.

    It was a friendly pub and they had three real ales available, with the two I tried being well-kept. This was a decent distraction during the controlled demolition process taking place in the bar billiards room.

    The set-up requires some short cues….

    My second beer was the Best Bitter from Grain, malty and good with my third helping of sandwiches.

    Luke the Lion won his game, I didn’t doubt him. That brought it back to 3-1 and it was me up next against Jon. My normal tactic of getting to 1,000 was a success, indeed, I got 1,260. Unfortunately, Jon scored 1,710 so that tactic didn’t bring us to 3-2.

    It’s evident that my enthusiasm towards this blog must have waned, this was my only other photo of the game. We lost quite a few of the games after Luke’s success. Well, actually, all of them. Bloody game….

    Luke and I have no further statement to make and we will not be responding to any further media enquiries about the situation.

    But back to the pub, which is a really quirky shape with lots of character across a couple of different levels. The staff were friendly and many thanks for the beer choices, the free sandwiches and the welcome. The Red Lion team led by Tom were also great fun and it was a very enjoyable evening out. Well, quite enjoyable, that score was sub-optimal.

    But, from failure comes strong leadership and we hope to lose by less when we play the King’s Head next week in the cup.