Look at his face ! Yes, here’s our hero, as happy as Frannie Lee c.1975 and he’d only done one pub, the inevitable Whittlesey Spoons. Just imagine what he’ll be like by Ramsey.
I woke in Chesterfield, had the traditional bacon and scrambled egg with maple syrup wrap for breakfast at the Flags, and by 8.07 was heading north up the M1, before remembering I was supposed to be heading south to chauffer BRAPA.
At about 9.15am Simon’s train passed me at Little Ponton, before juddering to a halt yards short of Peterborough station due to an unfortunate incident Si reports here.
So Simon was stuck in his carriage for 90 minutes, mere feet away, and I had to entertain myself at the Draper’s as police cars and ambulances took over the station.
One of my favourite Timbo places, packed with 9am boozers and always service with a smile.
If I could have taken a flaggon of 6.5% Cream Stout across the tracks to Si I would have, but instead he had to put up with whining Scousers getting later and later for their silly match in Brighton. Norwich fans were being crowded onto replacement buses; Narfolk folk have permanent grins on their faces.
I’d only had 3 flat whites, and witnessed a hilarious argument about table reservations, before Si emerged, an hour and a half behind schedule.
I drove at 59mph on the A605 to make up time, braking as we approached Whittlesey. Straw Bear fever was in the air.
Having delivered Si at the door to the George, I set off for 27.5 minutes of exploration. How is the town coping with the inevitable gentrification ?
Nothing to see here, move on. Just an angry man in a Leeds United shirt being barked at by a dog from Derby.
The Straw Bear festival (this coming weekend) brings folk from across Europe, who will find rather less pubs serving festival beer than in 2007.
Mind, the George has as much custom as the other half dozen put together.
I thought I’d surprise him by taking unsolicited photos as he made copious notes about Twilds or something.
As you see, he was delighted.
On to the much anticipated Leverington, for rugby-based fun.
retiredmartin 
RM, the link to Si’s piece is iffy, it took me to a BT search page about chauffeurs. Seriously.
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This link will take you there …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDrfHj3j398
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Nice one, Prof
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Fixed it now Bill. Sometimes if the original post is edited it does that.
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Was Martin the first entry on the search?
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Ah Mordue. I enjoyed many a pint of that in the Strawberry by St. James Park.
Nice to see it.
“Une fois mordue, deux fois timide” as a French lady might say.
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Whittlesey looks like a place which is already ten years post-Brexit. That’s quite a Wetherspoons’ carpet. They have table reservations for half ten in the morning?
(And, has anyone had one of their pizzas yet?)
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The reservations (in Peterborough) were entirely imaginary ! And yes, pizzas quite popular in our family, proper oven and all. Better than Chicken Night 😱
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When the mobility scooter is parked *inside* the pub, does that mean it’s an even better sign? 😉
St. Peter’s is one of those rare smaller breweries whose bottles I’ve occasionally found over here in shops. Have always enjoyed the beers of theirs I’ve had, and I appreciate their understated approach to the packaging. Are the well known and/or respected within the UK?
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They’re seen as a bit organic, mainly bottled trade. The Jerusalem Tavern in the City of London is their only pub, I.think.
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And they’ve had the Jerusalem Tavern for many years now.
They were one of the first British brewers to do fruit beers but I’ve not seen anything from them for quite a while.
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Drinking their very fine Winter Ale in Canada at the moment…
They do have another pub – St. Peter’s Hall. Complete with moat. You need satnav to find it, though.
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Oh yes, in South Elmham St Peters I think, went a decade ago. Didn’t know if they still had it. As you say, remote !
Say, do you know Russ ? He lives in Canada as well, you know.
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Ive only been to Whittlesey for the Straw Bear festival, so obviously it was a lot busier then normal,and is well worth going at least once to experince if you havent been for it. The George seemed reasonably decent as I recall for a ‘Spoons, but wasnt a patch on the other pubs in the guide there, but I do remember there were probably far too many pubs to support every day trade given the size of the place and clearly some were closing,had closed or never going to sustainably reopen, like the Railway nearest the train station, is it open, is it shut, has it reopened, has it closed again etc etc
As for St Peter’s beer, I suspect not that well known of much in the UK, in terms of people might well recognise the name but because St Peter’s focus more on the off trade with bottles (they always have stalls at the big local agricultural shows and farmers markets and sell stack loads of bottles) and exports overseas, they very rarely get to sample the cask side of their business. They do run a very good pub called the Jerusalem Tavern in London, which is only open weekdays, but outside of that their cask beer is fairly difficult to find even in Suffolk, it pops up in Wetherspoons from time to time, but its far from an ever present on the bar, which is a shame as some of their cask beer is very good
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Ah yes, the export market. Those bottles help, I did have a good St Peters in a Spoons recently, now you come to mention it.
Been to Straw Bear twice, essential Englishness. Agree too many pubs ,but shame to lose the Bricklayers…
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“and I had to entertain myself at the Draper’s as police cars and ambulances took over the station.”
It’s a tough life at times, innit? 🙂
“Top choice, but not at 10 in the morning”
Tsk, tsk. As a former shift worker time is merely a construct dear boy. 😉
“Narfolk folk have permanent grins on their faces.”
Not sure if that’s a grammar faux pas or some sort of Brit slang thingy.
“Remains of last pub blogger to insult the town”
From the looks of him I’m guessing that was over 100 years ago.
“Micro pub opportunities”
Or a cracking opportunity for a landscaper.
“Village Idiot puts his thumb over the camera lens”
Good idea for extra cash now you’re retired; rent yourself out as the village idiot for the weekend. 🙂
“As you see, he was delighted.”
Is this the bit in his blog where he mentions you ran into the pub, took a pic and jokingly ran off? 😉
Cheers
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…and he did the same to you in the Addy at Glatton!
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