MARKET HARBOROUGH GETS A £2.80 PINT

Market Harborough has a similar population to Dukinfield, but I’m much more comfortable rattling off stuff about this anonymous Leicestershire dormitory town;

  • A posh version of Melton Mowbray
  • Superb award-winning indoor market
  • A few ancient buildings ruined by busy traffic
  • Surrounded by canals (2 adjacent pubs in Foxton)
  • The first place I enjoyed Wetherspoon’s breakfast pancakes
  • A complete absence of cheap B&Bs
  • £11.40 for a 12 minute train journey to Leicester
  • Surprisingly basic pubs, but little of interest

QUIZ TIME – WHO IS THE TOWN’S MOST FAMOUS SON OR DAUGHTER ?

For many years the Beer Guide has granted MH, as I call it, a couple of entries, one of which is an Everards pub in Little Bowden.  It’s just there to be moved between MH and LB each year to confuse tickers. The other pub is a Charlie Wells.  It’s one of their best houses.

Despite much clamour, the attractive building near the church has resisted conversion to a micro.

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So the Beerhouse is what’s called “a welcome addition” to town, particularly for followers of the Herne rulebook, and folk who need a pint before 4pm.

The only thing against it is the volume of blackboards on each wall listing cask (12 !!), keg, cider etc .offerings.  This is why old folk like me go for Sam Smiths pubs. Sam’s is probably the only brewery who could undercut the Beerhouse for their tasty Best Bitter brewed, literally, across the road.

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A decent local pint for £2.80, proper pub seating, beery chat and a piano.  Hard to fault.

And the town itself is pleasant and busy, with a colourful parade of shops compensating for some dull pubs.  The Red Cow (below) was rather boisterous 20 years ago; it probably serves prosecco by the bucket now.

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The Spoons was packed, and served its usual purpose, the one formerly undertaken by McDonalds in towns.

I was rather struck by the beer choice though, somehow resisting the one on the right.

QUIZ TIME – WHAT IS THE ONE IN THE MIDDLE WITH MINIMAL DETAILS ?

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

15 thoughts on “MARKET HARBOROUGH GETS A £2.80 PINT”

  1. The beer in the middle looks like a cask version of Manneblusser from Het Anker Brewery – no, let’s do this properly – from Brouwerij Het Anker of Mechelen in Belgium. They’ve either casked it for Spoons or it’e been brewed over here by someone else. Either way not entirely sure it would work.

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      1. Jeremy Bulloch played Boba Fett in the original trilogy of Star Wars. He was born in Market Harborough.

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  7. Just to clarify, the £11.40 Market Harborough – Leicester day single should only really be issued for journeys timed to depart between 04:30 and 09:29 inclusive. Outside of these times there is a cheap day single at a slightly less extortionate fare of £10.00. There is a Groupsave 3 day return for £20 also.

    What does surprise me on the clip for the Manneblusse is the lack of indication of alcohol content – I had always previously thought that this was a legal requirement. ‘Spoons seem to have a habit of stocking cask versions of foreign beers.

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