retiredmartin

 

As winter approaches we’re taking the campervan on a series of minibreaks to ensure it doesn’t freeze up, or whatever campervans do.

Not much scope for new Beer Guide ticks within a 90 minute radius now, so off to Shepreth for some craft.

There’s actually more to see in this bit of dull South Cambs/North Herts than you might think.  Gentle contours, a National Trust estate, a wildlife park (nothing escaped while we were there), a 13th Century cave and Cambridge’s top PubMan.  At least one of those is worth seeing.

We parked up in the little-known dead-end street of Dunsbridge Turnpike (A), home to the equally little-known Green Man, of which more later,

and did a chicken run across the A10.

Shepreth is, as you’ll see below, exactly the sort of sleepy village where you’d expect to find a cutting edge craft pub.  If any of you feel inclined to praise the “wide open skies“, please don’t.

What better time to judge a village pub like The Plough than at 2pm on a November Monday ?

Pleasingly it’s open traditional hours here (lunchtime midweek opening an increasing rarity), which gave Mrs RM an hour to test the Craft Board out.

This being a potential pre-emptive, I was obliged to stick to the cask Lacons,, which was no hardship.  It was cool and tasty, a clear NBSS 3.5.  A nice concise cask line-up for a change.

Mrs RM scowled when I presented her with Bexar’s Vegan Vampire Juice rather than the Papa Steve, which was twice as strong (as we’d found out at Peterborough Fest last year).  But, having discovered it didn’t taste like Punk IPA, she rather took to it.

Tom the Publican, last seen in a GBG newbie down the road in Barrington, is clearly the inspiration behind the craft here.  The Craft Board in suburban Cambridge used to have Meantime, Amstel and Guinness on it.

Stylistically the Plough is  more to Mrs RM’s tastes than mine, with comfy seating designed for families rather than grumpy old men.

A lot of activities, including an art exhibition upstairs and music in the side room.

But perhaps of most interest to pub tickers will be the toilets, decorated entirely from 1993 copies of the New Musical Express (possibly the last year it was readable).

Five points for identifying the other pub this year with a PJ Harvey fixation.

Sooty says –  Shepreth, you’re not rid of me.