Of course, if this were BRAPA it would be “Cheese munching spinster, illuminates Leominster” (actually that’s Mark E. Smith) or something.
But when you’ve made as many trips to Herefordshire and been disappointed by The Lem’ster as often I have, you’ll know a decent pub in the county’s second town is cause for raising a glass of Wye Valley (that sound like a press release in Leominster Life).
Last time here the town was completely devoid of a GBG pub, so we had flat white and Bakewell tart in the fantastic cafe. Eight months later, I’m back, from outer space, looking for a pub to put a smile on your face.
Still not much around here, though.
But first, some old timber,
I went aimlessly looking for the Chequers in the market square, which is where I assumed the oldest pub in town is.
Of course, it’s actually on the one street I seem never to have been on.
The two constituencies of Leominster on a Thursday are a) retired gentlefolk looking for hardware bargains and b) unretired schoolchildren looking for Greggs.
Classic BRAPA blog material, in fact.
Wye Valley have been undertaking a 3 year refurbishment on the Chequers, I read, as walking down Etnam Street. Don’t be like me, concentrate on walking.
Refurbished pubs are rarely better, are they ?
This one is.
Don’t get too excited, but this reminded me of a slightly more genteel Barrels.
But how will it stand up to the “six beers on a Thursday lunchtime” test.
Well, the Stout was a cool, rich NBSS 3.5+, the landlord was a gem, and I wish I could have stayed to see if this was the place to get HPA at its best. Or the Robinsons cider.
There were probably ten customers dotted around the three rooms, a mature trade nodding along to Roxy Music’s “Avalon” in the public, and jigging (?) about to Scissor Sister’s murder of Pink Floyd in the lounge.
Always blame the bloke nearest the jukebox, I say.
And if that isn’t enough to get Beer Mat here;
retiredmartin 
It certainly has a Proper Pub floor, Martin. Well done to the restorers, apparently for keeping the good bits.
Or are they newly-fitted architectural antiques? There’s plenty of it about – I’m not knocking that though.
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Yes, too many on, but it is a nice range of choices.
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Very nice. And I suspect they get the evening custom.
Have you been to Barrels?
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No, I have not. It was on my list when I was in Ledbury, but I chose Worcester instead.
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The Barrels is brilliant, but Hereford is strangely slight both as a historic town/city and a beer destination.
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Slight is fair. But you can’t really enjoy Barrels on a lunchtime trip.
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I always end up in the Barrels all lunchtime but that only goes to prove what a slight place Hereford is as a beer destination.
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You could catch the train to Ludlow then stop at Leominster for Grape Vaults and Chequers I guess.
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Good pub in every way, I really enjoyed the Stout in there last year even though it was a bit building site outside. Think I prefer the Grapes though…
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Well I certainly preferred the Grape Vaults to almost anything when it was a boisterous Marston boozer. No idea what it’s like now.
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That’s certainly the Leominster pub that sticks in my mind. WhatPub is quite complimentary, but it has far too many beers on. Surely just Burton Bitter would suffice 😀
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Oh no, not the Ludlow/Salopian set!
Yes. It was Burton Bitter when I was there.
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