I need to be careful what I tell you until the Guide comes out next Thursday, but it’s no embargo breaker to say that the Farmer’s Arms in Yaxley probably WON’T be in there.
Despite putting this full colour, full page advert in the local CAMRA magazine every edition this century,
it has NEVER made the Guide. And Peterborough has had its share of estate pubs from the ‘burbs in the GBG.
But that’s reassuring, isn’t it ? Posh CAMRA picks GBG entries on beer alone; the Farmer’s doesn’t feel snubbed and gets on with being a good neighbourhood dining pub.
BUT, I wondered. Does this vast 1930s roadhouse perhaps deserve a Guide place ?
Ignore the rules.
Well, obviously, don’t ignore the rules. Just don’t be put off by them.
Instead be charmed by the Noddy display and the random word “BEEK”.
and that particularly Fenland attraction, the sweets cabinet (What ? You have those too ?).
There’s a function room housing a (small) wake and a few gentlefolk finishing off their lunches with a cheeky pavlova.
I settled for a cheeky Grainstore 1050.
Rarely, since the very last pub I wrote up, have I received a welcome as warm as this.
The barmaid said “Make yourself comfortable” and seemed to mean it, and then stopped to dispense health advice to the couple opposite and ask Harry if he wanted the heat on. It was heartwarming.
All the customers smiled, even the bloke slipping away from the wake for his G & T>
“They sound happy !” said Harry.
“They’re pickled, it’s a a wake“
But was the 1050, served in a John Smiths glass, any good.
On first swig, I thought “Mmm, cool, fruity. NBSS 3+”.
By the end I was “Oooh, it’s a 3.5 !” and stuck the score in What Pub.
I can do no more for you, Farmers, except extol your rare virtues here.
Dodgy toilet art, mind.
retiredmartin 
You continue to talk me out of using the guide…
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Dave, I think I agree with you. The guide played an important part through the years but with the amount of micros, it may be time to use it less. The information of the bloggers and in the comments is topnotch. And, of course, your research.
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Dick,
Yes, and I’ve used the GBG less to the extent of not having bought the two most recent editions.
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I’d never been in the Blue Mugge a year ago.
I reckon the Guide leads you to the best beer, but less so the best pubs. Some of these new micros are soulless affairs which slag off lager drinkers and obsess over hops.
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Yes, but how many mediocre or worse GBG pubs to you suffer for each Blue Mudge ?
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Less mediocre beer than you’d think, perhaps 1 in 10 is below NBSS 3 and 1 in 100 is “off”, but the pubs can be a bit grim.
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Not as many as some believe to be fair, Paul !
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Martin,
Yes, “good beer” can be expected but in some mediocre or worse GBG pubs ?
You wouldn’t put so much effort into your permanent exploration of places and pubs if it wasn’t worthwhile – and it was only in old age that I replaced a GBG with my Heritage pubs book.
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Some of the happiest times of my life have been spent in pubs, GBG and otherwise, with your good self and others I’ve met in the last 5 years.
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Martin,
Yes indeed,
The BPF’s Proper Days Out have replaced school days as the happiest days of my life.
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I’ve often wondered about that advert, a pub with no obvious beer credentials, but then I’ve seen adverts for Solicitors and DIY stores in CAMRA mags (both micropubs now obvs). on balance, we probably won’t cancel our table at the Brewery Tap and dine in Yaxley. It comes down to the tough choice between stainless steel barn with Citra, or attractive roadhouse with 1050. I’m afraid I can’t stand Grainstore beers…
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Mark,
It doesn’t have to be stainless steel barns.
Citra was quite content getting round all the Proper Pubs of Lewes on a sunny summer Sunday last year.
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My local micro has it on all the time now, which is nice. I dream of a day when all my local pubs have Oakham beers instead of the never ending round of dull Langton and Grainstore seasonals and specials that all taste the same.
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With you on Langton, another gastropub choice.
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That’s Citra the “back from the dead” legend, not the beer!
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Sorry, with not seeing it for several months I had forgotten about a beer named Citra.
we couldn’t forget the “back from the dead” legend
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The Beer was named after Mick, I believe.
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Can you not?
It always seems a default choice in those Rutland gastropubs, but here it was excellent. They had a second Locale I forget.
Personally I’d choose that Oakham steel barn for the Beer and Thai, too.
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It looks like a perfectly good pub -I wonder about CAMRA sometimes -we tend to use what we call The Oracle when we are out & about but I am wondering if we would just be better taking a punt & trying places not in GBG.Sadly Mr S is not a Greene King fan so this can limit our choices.Micro pubs -meh ! I usually buy the GBG as a Christmas present for him & I suppose I will this year but I do wonder if I ought to -should just do some internet research before setting out !
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Micropubs – meh ! Exactly.
I wasn’t criticising the local CAMRA branch, of course. They can only give half a dozen or so pubs places in the Beer Guide and Peterborough is blessed with good beer.
But it would be nice to see Yaxley in the Guide and it WAS a lovely pint.
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Admit it, you only want it as a pre-emptive for 22.
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I say buy the Guide, Pauline. There are two new entries very near you!
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Are there any new entries near me, Martin?
I will probably subscribe to the electronic version. It won’t cost me anything, as I’ve accumulated sufficient Play Store credits, through carrying out Google Opinion surveys, but you can’t compare digital editions from one year to the next.
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Oooh, you could walk to one of them ! One in Edenridge and one in Westerham.
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ooh -how exciting -I will buy it of course -it is expected !
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“but it’s no embargo breaker to say that the Farmer’s Arms in Yaxley probably WON’T be in there.”
What gave it away? The John Smith’s Smooth in the photo above? 😉
“Despite putting this full colour, full page advert in the local CAMRA magazine every edition this century,”
I think the lack of apostrophes is a black mark against them.
“Ignore the rules.”
Hotspots? (#2)” That would have me running away in a heartbeat! 🙂
“Well, obviously, don’t ignore the rules. Just don’t be put off by them.”
Ooops. Ok, just ignore the hotspots then (where the hand sanitiser is).
“and the random word “BEEK”.”
Seeing as how they aren’t in Scotland, I’m assuming that’s a shout out to the footwear that’s designed in California, but hand-made in Mexico?
” (What ? You have those too ?).”
Desert display? Yup.
““They sound happy !” said Harry.”
Most likely happy that at least a few of them could get together for such a thing?
“Dodgy toilet art, mind.”
Funny how her chin looks like a set of testicles, and his chin………
Cheers
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In case you really wondered about “Beek” he was the original illustrator of the Noddy books https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmsen_van_der_Beek
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I’m always wondering, Ed. Thanks for that. No connection to Yaxley, though ?
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