TWO-FOR-ONE SPECIAL !!!
I see BRAPA is still reporting his Idleness from 8 November, which makes me feel less concerned about the task of completing the Shifnal Shuffle of last Friday (the 22nd).
Five minutes from the Anvil to the Plough, including a ten second diversion to spot a handpump in the Winking Frog, which I’m bound to start spelling wrong soon.
What a great pub sign.
Note the tell-tale sign of Proper pub parked outside.
As was the shout of “COME ON !”, aimed not at Kentish Paul but at the horses running round the track at Uttoxeter.
One of two Guide pubs, I’d liked the Anvil back in the midst of time, according to my vast spreadsheet and failing memory.
Salopian, Hobsons, Fullers’ Dark Star and Oakham is about as Shifnal a beer range as it gets, and Citra (tasty, had cooler, NBSS 3) always seems a good idea.
Having said last time there wasn’t much crawl in the pub crawl, I’ll say the company made up for it. You can’t beat Peters, Pauls and Martins for a pub supergroup.
One problem. Special offer on the fish and chips. Two for £15 but there were five of us and two into five don’t go.
We considered options like sending the youngest of the group but fortunately someone considerately opted for lasagne so civil unrest was narrowly avoided.
This was one of the better pub fish suppers (note buttered bread) though Stirchley Pete was nearly contaminated by salad and the conversation turned, inevitably, to beetroot.
An unpretentious, unspoilt boozeryou’d like as your local boozer, though you’d probably weigh 30 stone by the end of the year.
Five minutes in the drizzle brought us to the White Hart, a Guide entry since before BRAPA’s first open-air wee.
Talking of BRAPA, here’s Pub Curmudgeon doing his best Angry Babe.
Perhaps Mudgie’s favourite on the day, and I thought the Holden’s Mild was fresh and foamy (NBSS 3).
They were obviously having more fun in the other bar, so I popped in to have a nosey around, only to be politely outed as a snoop and told “The beers are listed on the board in the other bar“. I crawled back, tail between my legs.
Good grief, we were on time. Will it last ? Do you even care anymore ?
I was also told off for not closing the door in the lounge in the White Hart. Maybe they don’t like strangers. But still a lovely pub.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Agree. I think she genuinely assumed I was looking for the handpumps rather than noseying around.
LikeLike
Just two observations – I’d completely missed the mobility scooter outside the Plough (concentrating too much on the lovely sign!).
Second…damn you, sir…I was going to combine Shifnal and Shuffle in the title of my blog…and it was going to be a far, far inferior title to yours…lol! (Back to the drawing board for me!)
Third, (I know…I can’t count) is it possible that the White Hart gets so few tourists (being so far from the station!) that they didn’t know how to cope with such behaviour?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Use it anyway, Pete. The memory of the average pub blog reader is less than Dory.
I think you’re right on the White Hart!
LikeLike
On our visit the bartenders banter with a group of regulars, oddly younger than us, was quite nice. They seemed to know their customers in the White Hart. A very warm feeling pub. I liked the Plough, but it didn’t feel real comfortable for a long sit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t realise you’d been.
What did you think of the town?
LikeLike
It was sandwiched between Leek and Bridgnorth… Kind of like me standing between Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling. A good town, but not sure we will head back there. Too many really nice ones nearby. But we only were there about an hour so not enough time to really judge. We saw the strip north to the White Hart.
LikeLike
Great analogy I need to use somewhere.
Ah, so your Shifnal visit was very recent. Good to get the definitive Southworth perspective. I thought it I a bit plain as a town but if you’d stayed the Shifnal Balti would have impressed you.
LikeLike
Dick may have walked back to Shifnal for the Balti. Both curry houses we tried in Bridgnorth were full on Saturday night and Dick was near tears. I do believe sequence plays a big part in how we feel about pubs, towns and beers. Another day and we might have liked Shifnal more. It takes at least two or three visits to be convinced about a place at least for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Spot on. Shifnal Balti was packed, quite smart, when we visited from Telford, which is why I thought the town a bit bigger than it actually is.
Been to the Ironbridge pubs?
LikeLike
I hope that it wasn’t Curry Charles depriving you of a table in Bridgnorth. He often stays there when he’s working in Dudley.
LikeLike
He may have taken the room we wanted as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Is Beetroot the new Broccoli?
LikeLiked by 2 people
“Look and learn, Greene King”
Pfft. It was the mob scooter that gave it away.
“Note the tell-tale sign of Proper pub parked outside.”
You know, there are days I regret stopping to comment as I read.
“You can’t beat Peters, Pauls and Martins for a pub supergroup.”
(slow golf clap)
Change your name to Mary and you’d be a shoe-in. 🙂
“but fortunately someone considerately opted for lasagne so civil unrest was narrowly avoided”
Pfft. Order six and spilt the last one amongst everyone.
“and the conversation turned, inevitably, to beetroot.”
I’m beat if I can follow that route. 😉
“though you’d probably weigh 30 stone by the end of the year.”
Speak for yourself. Wife’s a darned good cook and I barely tip 12 stone.
“Talking of BRAPA, here’s Pub Curmudgeon doing his best Angry Babe.”
LOL! Well done to both of you. 🙂
“Do you even care anymore ?”
I do, but I’m usually a day (or two!) behind lately. (sigh)
Cheers
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well I’m a week behind so you being a day behind is pretty good.
LikeLike
Beetroot with fish and chips? Oh no, just no.
LikeLike
This was clearly another B&PF classic day out! Love the detail of the conversation re fish and chips. Stirchley Pete necking the Carling or on the punk IPA?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think he had a Carling all day, although he did tend to stick to the paler beers.
LikeLike
The conversion is officially complete! 👍🍻
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ironically, in the next one, which as a pub was terrible, the beer was fine.
LikeLiked by 1 person