retiredmartin

Worryingly, it’s now Saturday and I’m giving you diary entries from Tuesday. Poor, poor blogging form. The only answer is four posts a day (or to stop visiting pubs, I guess).

I’d like to give you some action photos from my Huddersfield Guest House/pub, where on the Monday I failed to make an early night as the red-faced local, who has been at the bar EVERY time I’ve been there.

But it’s hard to take surreptitious pictures, unless you’re an American pub tourist who just sticks a camera in your face and gets away with it.

We spent half an hour chewing the fat of pub closures and the outrageous price of beer. My John Smiths Smooth was a staggering £2.40 due to PubCo greed, apparently. Didn’t stop him drinking them at a rate to put BRAPA to shame.

In the morning I woke to the joyous news of the return of BRAPA’s GBG, and went off to take pictures of Huddersfield high fashion and fake hair to celebrate.

Ahead of 31 October, local shops had been stockpiling the essentials.

The store next door was no doubt piling up the Magic Rocks cans.

In the Vale of Belvoir the locals are more likely to stockpile Prosecco and Stilton cheese from Long Clawson.

In the event of that Armageddon the good burghers of Nether Broughton will just take shelter in the Anchor.

Not much to tell you about Nether Broughton. The Red House (RIP) had lost a pub but gained a nice frescoe (bottom image left hand side) based on these two Google view a decade apart.

Thankfully Wiki is here to give us some fascinating local history, which makes my annual £5 contribution seem worthwhile.

Repton School ? Rings a bell.

Anyway, I enter the Anchor with some trepidation, as recent Google reviews are a bit terrifying;

Thanks Christine, that’s really helpful. I’ve never been to The Ivy, I’ll score that 2 stars.

If you’re expecting Leicestershire gastro, you’ll be disappointed (I wasn’t).

One Old Boy at the bar put down his pint of Ghost Ship gave me a huge grin that was both welcome and disconcerting. There was no sign of pashminas, Prosecco or paninis.

Only two beers on, which cheered me up immensely.

Ringwood Best Razorback is an unusual house beer for Belvoir.

The “£3.05 please” was accompanied immediately by an outstretched palm.

I’m sure that’s instinctive, but it always gets my heckles up a bit, as I fumble around for 2x2p and a penny, the shilling long lost down the side of the pocket.

But that tiny gripe apart, this was a mini classic to restore your faith in GBG selection (if you ever lost it). Taken a few years though.

The IT bod-turned-Landlord told me about the “basics“; cleaning the pipes, serving beers regulars drank, serving beer cheap so it flew out.

The Old Boy nodded to concur. “He keeps a good pint” he said (approximately).

My notes say

• Turnip
• Zeta (Catherine)
• Stereophonics

My glass says;