retiredmartin

Before I start I must ask for a minutes silence for Simon’s Good Beer Guide, which met a grisly fate in or around Denby Dale in West Yorkshire last Friday.

My guess is that Si has forgotten about his trip to the Denby Dale Pie Hall where he may have headed for the weekly flower arranging class but had to leave his GBG at the door to gain admission and as security against “accidents”.

Eerily, I was also in Yorkshire that Friday afternoon, a mere 10 miles north of Sheffield, where I was meeting James with jeans, sheets and pillows.

BUT I DIDN’T DO IT

Actually, my tick was 10 miles south, in the hitherto unheralded Peak village hamlet of Hassop. A  posh country hotel that has just reverted to private residential use, a pretty and church and prettier inn.

Lots of smart vehicles in the car park opposite, lots of septuagenarian diners from Bakewell heading right to the Lounge.

I headed left to the Public.

The Eyre Arms is a heritage pub, which means it has an important historic interior.  I presume the listing relates to the rare 1990s plastic model of John McCririck (RIP) on the top ledge.

It’s certainly a conversational piece, but the banter soon turns to Ludlow, where the sole other drinker hails from. She seems astonished I’ve been to Ludlow, let alone visited the brewery tap.

Quite possibly the poshest person I’ve ever spoken to in a pub, apart from BRAPA and Mrs RM, of course.

The Eyre has a chatty young Landlord who greets me with “Are you looking for an ale ?”, which always puts me on the defensive as I’m really looking for an Old Boy and some nice lacings to photograph.

I did a quick mental caculation and pointed to the shiny Jaipur one.  “That’s really local” I said. Like I care.  Oh yeah, I really do.

Quite nice, and some good foamy lacings, and if I hadn’t been meeting James for lunch I’d have stayed for the broccoli and bacon salad.  I bet the broccoli would have been cooked properly.