retiredmartin

Mrs RM was determined to get her money’s worth from the Day Trip to Sudbury, urging me to pop in to an attractive looking place by the river (the Angel I think).

“But it’s only got Landlord & Adnams on !”

“Go on, live a little” she urged.  “Get out of your comfort zone for once”

That’s what I have to put up with at home.

I’d wanted to explore the Gainsborough heritage and architectural highlights before lunch, but Mrs RM wasn’t having any of it.

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“That looks a nice pub” she said, charging into the Waggon & Horses.

Quite why she chose to sit so close to the trap door to the cellar, I never found out.

It was a good choice, another long-running Guide pub despite several changes of ownership.

If such a thing sounds possible, it’s like a unfussy Brunning & Price with cheaper proper food and better beer.  They called me “Bud” rather than “Sir” at the bar too.

Competing with a plain looking Spoons, the Waggon was packed with middle class families and very nosey dogs, a combination that is rather better for BRAPA material than a leisurely lunch.

The Nethergate was deemed “Mmm, OK“, which seemed a bit miserly to me. The burger was superb.  Mrs RM nicked my chips.

I’ve blurred the picture below so you can’t see the tacky art that covers the walls.

And until this blog becomes a Periscope (whatever that is) you won’t need to suffer the ’80s soundtrack that we did.

“Bat out of Hell” (long version), “Bicycle Race“, “You Give Love a Bad Name“.  All present and correct.

We wished we hadn’t had to hear the family group on the next table, attempting to get their elderly mother to order food she clearly didn’t want, and gently chiding her for asking for  wine that wasn’t included in the meal deal. We made mental notes to be nicer to our children.

So we’d seen the old-fashioned Brewery pub, and the modernised dining pub. Now for the locals’ backstreet pub.  I made Mrs RM hop faster so we definitely got there before 2pm, just in case.

Now this is a proper pub.  4 blokes at the bar watching horse racing. drinking Fosters, 1664 and Guinness.

They and the barmaid would all have failed the requirements recently introduced by Mr H Smith.

Seven (7) beers on the bar, which you may well see as a great example of the increased choice that pubs now offer.

Mrs RM had the Pedi, of course, a very rare sighting this far east.  It was OK, apparently, and suitably served in a Marstons glass (of a type).

A rare sighting as well of bar billiards, but a less rare airing of George Michael, who lost out badly to the noise of the 1.45 from Kemptown.

My notes say “Boooooo“.  I have no idea why. Perhaps the wrong horse won.

We need more pubs like the Waggon & Horses in the Beer Guide, and we need more Chinese takeaways as glorious styled as Youngs (no relation).