One more pub for the Southworths in Leek last Thursday, and one more for me before the obligatory curry.
Across the road to the Wilkes Head, Paul Mudge’s pick.
It looks inviting during the day,
but comes into its own at dusk.
A Proper Pub always has a raffle of some sort, even if this one appears to have a prize of Doris Day, which is a bit macabre.
My first visit for 15 years, the Southworth twins had been here last night and described the pub beautifully as “an extension of the owner“.
They’d met someone from Arkansas, my notes say. Except they pronounce it Ar-kan-saw.
As in the other pubs, three pints of Hartington Bitter, the obvious choice. Pub Curmudgeon swears by it.
I nabbed the best seat in the house, Dick and Dave nabbed the cheese and biscuits laid out for our pre-curry tea.
Bench seating, cool beer, unintelligible banter, scruffy (but clean) loos. Magic.
“It’s not a buffet” said our Landlord, in a friendly tone.
“Does he mean it ?” said Dick, mildly alarmed.
When the regulars started tipping up at 6.30 he went back for more. The cracker thief of Leek.
The Hartington was cool and chewy, another NBSS 3.5 in a town of NBSS 3.5s, but we needed curry after all that cheese.
I was right about Naz, you know.
retiredmartin 
Naz was very good. Liked it a lot more than the place we tried the previous night. I did love Wilkes. The publican in the picture was in a country band and lived in Arkansas for a time. He showed us the stage and all where he holds his music fests at the pub. Very interesting guy. He did mar Dick for life though. Dick is still working through how to take his comment. Guilty conscience…
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Yeah, but I enjoyed the meat and crackers. Constant turnover keeps the food fresh. The Naz was excellent. It was our last Indian due to striking out in two places on Saturday night in Bridgnorth and “settling” on a very nice Chinese meal.
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I thought the title might have mentioned being Cream Crackered towards the end of the day.
“At dusk” meant that you probably didn’t get into the beer garden that probably still has the hop plant I gave them about twenty years ago, and it should be quite big by now.
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Nice things, hop plants, especially wild ones – always a comforting sight in the hedgerows.
Do you know if they are generally native, or cultivated ones which have gone wild, Paul?
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Etu,
I got my hop plant from a nearby pub’s hedge over fifty years ago.
I don’t know the origin of it but perfectly good beer has been brewed from its hops.
Over the years I’ve given plants from it to about two dozen pubs and friends.
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“Like moths to a flame (sorry Duncan)”
(slow golf clap)
“which is a bit macabre.”
Well, it is in keeping with Halloween. 🙂
“Except they pronounce it Ar-kan-saw.”
Says the folks with such names as Worcester and Gloucester and the like. 😉
“Dick and Dave probably flouting the “NO DANCING” rule”
Put me down for the ‘NO SWEARING’ rule.
“Pub Curmudgeon swears by it.”
See? 🙂
“The cracker thief of Leek.”
Better than being one cracker of a thief who leeks. 🙂
Cheers
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Ha Ha
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When Bass is long gone I’ll compile a list of pubs serving Hartington Bitter. Just a whim perhaps.
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Did you know Hartington was actually brewed by a homebrewers called Mr Whim before all Proper Beer production was moved to Wolves?
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I think Whim, like Slaters, were one of the earlier brewers to use David Porter as a consultant when setting up, an investment that paid off in terms of quality and consistency.
Black Christmas, a lovely dark strong winter beer, should be on soon.
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Who was chiefly responsible for the unintelligible bantz??
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The Americans.
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