A reminder of my Bedfordshire Pinking Progress (a follow-up Bunyan never thought of, I’ll wager). Note how I score beer quality using my patented system, rather than pubs, which is why the Brewhouse & Kitchen gets 2 ticks (NBSS 3.5 in new money). How would Woburn score ? Part of me refuses to believe Woburn… Continue reading WOE-BURN
Month: September 2017
FLITWICK -PAD THAI, ZAPPA & THE HOLY GRAIL
It’s 1999. Flitwick has two Beer Guide entries in what will be forever known as the “comedy edition” of the Beer Guide*, before the venerable Mr Protz returned to rescue the Millennium edition. Since that high watermark, Flitwick’s GBG well has run dry. Until now. Flitwick is to Bedfordshire what, say, Winsford is to Cheshire. A… Continue reading FLITWICK -PAD THAI, ZAPPA & THE HOLY GRAIL
BASS BLOSSOMS IN BEDS
Early September traditionally sees a mad dash to clear Bedfordshire, often the first county to fall in the new GBG. A half of Doom Bar* to the first reader to guess what will be my first complete county this year. The extract above might be a clue. And to think that Simon actually completed Beds,… Continue reading BASS BLOSSOMS IN BEDS
LEARNING TO LOVE THE NEW GOOD BEER GUIDE
A big welcome to the new Good Beer Guide , shown here alongside an ideal companion publication in Foyles of Cambridge. The Praise First and foremost, the Guide is a tribute to Roger Protz’s expert editorial hand in his 24th and final year in the hallowed role. Mr Protz will be a tough act to follow.… Continue reading LEARNING TO LOVE THE NEW GOOD BEER GUIDE
EPIC JOURNEYS FROM ASDA TO CALVERLEY’S BREW TAP
Pint and Pubs, the definitive voice on Cambridge drinking, stuck his head above the parapet and did a Cambridge Top 10 the other week. Surprisingly uncontroversial, though perhaps the omission of The Ship would have been rectified if Mr Pubs had bothered to visit it earlier. Shamefully, there was one pub on the list I’d… Continue reading EPIC JOURNEYS FROM ASDA TO CALVERLEY’S BREW TAP
BEDFORD – BUNYAN, BREWHOUSE & KITCHEN
One of the big talking points about the new Beer Guide will no doubt be the growth in brand new pubs, and whether this points to a pub renaissance or a blip on the downward spiral. I’ve no doubt the continued expansion of the family dining estate (Marston’s particularly) will go unremarked, and it will be… Continue reading BEDFORD – BUNYAN, BREWHOUSE & KITCHEN
A CLASSIC STEVENAGE ESTATE PUB
I finally picked up a copy of Boak & Bailey’s 20th Century Pub in Heffers Cambridge on Sunday, displayed alongside another classic publication (which I can’t write about until the 14th). I’m a slow reader, so you may have to wait for anything approaching a review (see here and here for those). Already it’s… Continue reading A CLASSIC STEVENAGE ESTATE PUB
CAN’T FIGHT THE (OLD HARLOW) DAYLIGHT
There’s a good article waiting to be written on Harlow New Town’s estate pubs, but it’s not this one. Today I write about a “recommended pub” in Old Harlow, which I’d always thought was Churchgate Street, as that’s where the old pubs live. Let’s be honest. I don’t have a lot to say for Harlow,… Continue reading CAN’T FIGHT THE (OLD HARLOW) DAYLIGHT
CHEESY CHIPS IN HIGH HEELED SHOES
I know some people think that travelling round the country on rickety trains (and increasingly rickety legs) is daft, when there’s such exciting beer close to home, but I care little for the beer. If I didn’t follow the path of the Guide and locally “recommended” pubs, I’d never get to drink with real people… Continue reading CHEESY CHIPS IN HIGH HEELED SHOES
JAMIELAND
Regular readers will have guessed I’m a big fan of Jamie Oliver and his relentless attempts to improve our diet through his range of pizza restaurants. I know Pub Curmudgeon shares my admiration. Jamie was brought up in the badlands south of Saffron Walden where his parents ran a pub that failed to make the Beer Guide.… Continue reading JAMIELAND
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