retiredmartin

Enough of the Lord Protector, back to Lord Protz, whose Good Book offers us another gem in undiscovered South Leicestershire (unless you live in South Leicestershire, of course).

I appreciate that Roger doesn’t write all the Beer Guide, and the entries are down to hardworking CAMRA branches like Leicester, who thankfully aren’t afraid to put a pub with a Boring Brown Bitter or two in the Guide.

So now we have a mini Draught Bass trail between Willoughby Waterleys, which I’d never noticed on the Navigator before, and Bruntingthorpe, which you may remember for this view in the Plough last year;

Very topically, the General Elliott is named after a victorious governor of Gibraltar, besieged by the Spanish in 1779.  I can only assume the village is twinned to reflect their similar topography.

I reckon that if the Plough has one of the great interiors, this is one of the best exteriors, at least while that blossom is in full display.

They were all very welcoming in the General, offering a CAMRA discount I hadn’t asked for and chatting about their new Guide entry and beer range, which I liked very much.  Old Peculier is Mrs RM’s favourite, but that’s another story.

It’s a plainer, more modernised pub than the Plough, but still very relaxing with proper seating and Sunday snacks on the bar.  A proper local, with top quality Bass (NBSS 3.5).

You can do a walk with bucolic views to Peatling Magna, whose pub apparently offer the joy of John Smiths Cask.  Bass, Theakston and John’s in a ten mile round trip may be the pub walk of my dream, and you can camp in the village.

There are few finer sights in life than a good pint of Bass in its own glass, although that blossom outside the pub comes close.