Mrs RM is on a long-term project in Northampton. She feels your pain.
I joined her at the Campanile Hotel on the edge of nowhere. It has French pizza and (brewery unspecified) Boddingtons on keg, she tells me.
Next door was a Harvester with a lone Doom Bar pump, which sounds appealing on a Monday night, but Mrs RM agreed to brave the dark cold night and explore the Grange Inn on the eponymous estate, which seems to serve a giant Amazon warehouse.
After all, there’s something magical about a Marston’s family dining pub at night-time once all the diners have drifted back home to Wootton and Collingtree.
At 9pm on Monday it was the preserve of the local youths, strangely disinterested in the epic Guiseley v Fleetwood FA Cup tie being shown on 14 screens.
Mrs RM was in a decadent mood, and made a beeline for the “2 for a tenner” cocktail menu.
For the craft beer fan, a cutting-edge selection on the taps and the unconvincing white wall that is now de rigeur from Penzance to Portsoy.
I looked to the charity box dog for guidance.
Eventually we found a seat we liked, and waited for the cheery barman to read the manual on how to make cocktails.
CRAAAASH. Something went wrong. It was the espresso in the cocktail, apparently. I don’t know what Mrs RM expected. It’s Northampton, not Notting Hill.
But perseverance paid off. They were very photogenic.
We had a good time. Blokes were discussing their dodgy girlfriends (a theme in Northampton), the music was unrecognisable modern R’n’B, and my Pedigree was a cool, rich NBSS 3/3.5. Chances of getting in the Beer Guide ? 3-3/5%.
Better lacings on the Passion fruit Martini though.
If we ask Mrs RM nicely, she might review the Boddingtons at the Campanile.
retiredmartin 
Marston’s new build pubs – you’ve been in one you’ve been in ’em all. I was going to say Marston’s beers, you’ve supped one, you’ve supped ’em all. But we all know that by moving production around their vast brewing estate they manage to get a little variation into them, but not much life after Fastcask™.
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For Marstons, read Wolverhampton & Dudley!
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I’d rather call them Banks’s but I’m not allowed to !
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That’s a pub I’ve been to many times, my father in law lives nearby and, relatively speaking, when you’ve got 2 young kids the food offering is ok.
Beer though has never impressed, but at least 2 years since last went so maybe has improved
Not much else nearby mind
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No, not much else. The Wooden Walls of Old England in Collingtree was in the Beer Guide recently, a solid village pub, and of course Wootton Working Mens Club was/is famed for beer. The Pedi in the Grange was certainly good enough, possibly the best bet from the range.
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I went to the Wooden Walls of Old England twelve years ago only because it was about half way to where we were going and we were a bit peckish.
The food was average and expensive and the beer was nothing to write home about.
Give me a new Marstons family dining pub and a couple of pints of Pedigree any day.
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I suspect I was there the same day then. It was OK, not a patch on the dining pubs round you or Derbyshire. Those Marston’s family pubs never get into the Guide, except in Oakham or Burnley or Glenrothes.
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“the same day then” would be 1st April 2006 which I remember as it was the day after I retired ( for the first time ).
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I really feel like a missed a trick during my three year stint at Northampton…some proper pubs🍻👍
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Probably best you kept off the beer and martinis if I’m honest !
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It kept me going through all those away trips to Gillingham with Pullis and Akinbiyi
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Serious question. Why do footballers share rooms. I could understand it saving a few hundred quid outside the Prem, but did you really want to share a room ? Don’t answer if you don’t want to. I must be very naive.
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I would always have had a room on my own if possible !! I don’t know but I guess finance lower down the leagues…don’t understand it at all before a home game
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“Slightly magical”
I can almost hear the sprites tittering in the foliage.
“Hello”
Crikey. You weren’t kidding about the TV screens. I can see three in this photo alone!
“One of both then”
Well, if you read them quickly, it does look a bit like she’s drinking ‘you’ in. 🙂
““Pedigree””
Nice juxtaposition. 😉
“I could have passed that cocktail off as Mango sour DIPA”
LOL, indeed!
“If we ask Mrs RM nicely, she might review the Boddingtons at the Campanile.”
Ok. Pretty please? 🙂
Cheers
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