A change of direction now, as I head down below Brum to whack Worcestershire. Google Maps has a nice 3D image which shows you how green it gets once you leave the concrete jungles of Halesowen and Stourbridge, though as we know now concrete is a natural, growing product expect that green to be be grey next year.
I can’t believe I haven’t been to the Bell & Cross in Clent before; it must be a yo-yo Guide entry like West Brom are a yo-yo team.
It all looks familiar,
and I suddenly realise I was only at the Clent Club down the hill a couple of years ago.
I love the fact the Beer Guide gives you a social club with 60p sausage roll one year and a gastropub with “Pan fried scallops, pickled celeriac, caramelised apple & ginger purée, spiced roast pine nuts, celeriac purée” for £11.65 (starter) the next.
You might assume I’m not a fan of gentlefolk dining pubs, but as long as they’re cheerful and have an area I can drink without being pestered to eat they’re fine with me, and can often clean their pipes better than the micropub.
The door was open, so I sneaked in at 11:57, and found a delightful room to the left. Great hand pumps.
“I can take your order, but I can’t take your money till 12:00” said a charming and efficient barmaid who had my half of Enville in front of me 12:01. Enville can be overpowered by honey, brewed as it is by giant bees in a hive near Kidderminster, but this was superb, cool and clean (NBSS 3.5+). The beer quality has been consistently good this Autumn, despite some inconsistent custom.
I wondered about the strange markings on the table,
and then realised that Led Zeppelin come from round here and those were probably original sketches for Four Symbols or whatever it’s called (Nothing. It’s not called anything).
The only downside was the quiet. No gentlefolk turned up, and certainly no Old Boys, so I had the pub to myself to explore. Here you see BRAPA’s plane being readied for an assault on the Scilly Isles in 2037.
There’s a dining room at the back set with wine glasses, but there’s also a second pubby room you’ll love.
As long as Pub Curmudgeon moves those cushions first.
retiredmartin 
I’m with you on the overpowering honey taste that some beers can have, especially those with a bee on the pump clip, but what’s not to like about a beer brewed “by giant bees in a hive near Kidderminster”.
Lovely pub. Great photos. Especially BRAPA’s plane. How lucky that you were there to witness such a special occasion in 2037. I’ve got it wrong again haven’t I.
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Time is eternal.
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Only a sadist would put chapel chairs with their sit-up-straight-and-listen reminder bars in a snug.
There are inexplicably many of them in pubs.
Burn them – all of them.
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Are you suggesting BRAPA get a pilot’s licence?
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Come to think of it, no.
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There’s enough Blue Ice in the world.
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