retiredmartin

Only one new Guide entry in Hereford, whose three GBG choices are slim pickings for a county town (there’s six in Tewkesbury, for comparison).  But quality over quantity; I’d given previous entries high marks for beer and pubbiness.  And this is a town that knows how to celebrate promotion from the Evo Stik League South.

Today you get a rare bit of Philips Navigator, recently pinked in, with a 7pm shadow.

Mrs RM seemed less than thrilled to realise I’d booked the upmarket Travelodge (right next to the Cider Musuem and Sainsbury’s), particularly as I’d already shown her the nice hotel I’d nearly booked in Ledbury for £5 more.

But no more than 20 minutes later she’d applied make-up and was ready for a Big Thursday in Hereford.

A gorgeous evening, a less than gorgeous entrance into the Cathedral Quarter.

The main streets are a little dead at 9pm, it has to be said.  You could be in Newbury on a wet Sunday.  I assume they’re all tucked up in bed watching “Love Island“.

I hoped our new Guide entry hadn’t packed up and gone home for the night as well.  But there were signs of “life” as we approached the Firefly via the small cluster of boozers in the centre.

The Firefly sounds a bit micro, but it’s basically the city’s attempt at a craft bar.

A bit like the Raven or the Princess Alexandra, or those new places in Lincoln, it feels a bit mainstream, leading on Vedett, Urquell and the ubiquitous Hepcat (saw that in Cambridge yesterday).

BUT it’s really cosy, serves a cool Siren (evil keg, no NBSS) and Wylam (NBSS 3.5)) and some interesting bottles, and plays Metronomy.  Yes, you could take your mother-in-law there for a cocktail and not feel too conspicuous.

Mrs RM liked it, even though food service had stopped and she was getting sick of crisps, however posh.

Oh, what’s this then ?

Hereford GBG done, then.  Where next?

No, not the Cathedral, but that spiritual home of cheap booze, Tim Martin’s Kings Fee, competing with a whole row of “fun emporiums” for your £2.50. Every town or city of more than 50,000 must have a craft place selling Siren and a Spoons selling Timbo-approved craft, after all.

It wasn’t busy.

An occasional Guide entry, but I’d forgotten my Spoons vouchers anyway, and plumped for the local cider.  You have to do that in Hereford or they get upset.

Actually, I went for an excellent Rosie’s Pig, a bargain that would have cost a mere £1.39 if I had remembered my Timbo tokens.  And the barman pulled it through first.  What days we live in.

Mrs RM ordered a pink gin with our shared pizza; the whole shebang cost us £8.38.  Take that Humph !

And of course the entertainment in Spoons is a bit more youthful than in Sam’s.