Odiham. The Edenbridge of the, er, South.
Or is it North. Depends which way you’re facing, I guess.
Odiham is rather posh for a place so dangerously close to Aldershot, twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. Sourdeval sounds like a wild fermentation beer from Waterbeach.
It’s attractive, but once you’ve seen 57 half-timbered buildings you’ve seen them all.
Once again, Wiki is a bit bare when it comes to Odiham (pop. 4,406), with the only interesting reference being to the “Pest House”, where tickers who complained about short measure were detained until closing.
There’s a string of bistro-style places along the High Street with traditional names like Red Lion and The Bell and Bel (no relation) & The Dragon. Very Marlow.
Most of my time is spent reading Facebook pages for new GBG entries, trying to deduce whether they’re likely to be open (see previous post).
The Red Lion’s social media accounts are a joy, with accurate opening times and lovely pictures of the food;
The gourmet sausage roll is £6.50 if you’re after s snack. At least, I assume it’s £ sterling, as use of the £ is so 1999. It could be bitcoin.
Some Americans dream of pubs like this, all beams, and politeness and edible food.
Perhaps these high tables are less what they expect.
Two beers you’ve never heard of. Sorry, you’ve heard of TEA. The chap with the purple pullover round his shoulders hadn’t, and treated it with the wonder normally reserved for Pliny the Elder on gravity.
The two “meisters”, Pub and Malt, reviewed progress, and as I’d had the Tilford (I never learn) I was at least able to direct them toward the Hogs Back.
Honestly, they should have had the Tattinger. At least, Duncan should have. He’s done the Guide and could retire now like Nico Rosberg and laugh at our futile attempts to emulate him.
The Red Lion was roaring as we left, a dozen in, half of them excited schoolchildren from Robert May’s School asking Pater for crisps.
Probably those posh Jonathan Crisp pickled shimeji mushroom flavour.
retiredmartin 
The cigarette ash garnish is maybe a little adventurous for some?
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Not for me.
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I assume there’s a used matchbox inside the brown paper wrapper, otherwise what’s the point of the fag ash? Obviously the recommended beer with that would be Rushmoor Ripper from Tilford Brewery, brewed especially to take those sandpaper aftertastes away. Yummy!
As I may have said elsewhere, Martin – thanks for going to these places so that we don’t have to.
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Oh, come of it, Will. Everyone knows you’re always off ticking Hungry Horses in Hungerford.
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Unfortunately I had to take Simon there, not what I would call a proper pub by any stretch.
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I’d call it a disappointment but it was doing the best business of any pub I saw that day so good for them.
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Huge windows are points off too. Makes you feel like you’re not doing something wrong.
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It takes more than a few exposed wooden beams to impress me. Not much more, but still!
For that kind of money I’d want a sausage roll the size of a loaf of bread. 😉 What would you say is the cheapest you could find a sausage roll in a pub these days?
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Oh, what a good question. I suspect in places like Chorley or Wolverhampton that sell rolls (cobs, baps etc etc) for £1.50 you might find a heated sausage roll for the same price, but those warming cabinets ubiquitous in the 70s and 80s are largely gone, so you pay to get an artisan sausage or scotch egg with garnish for £5 now.
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If you want a cheap sausage roll, try Greggs.
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Nope. And anyway only BRAPA would sneak them into a pub.
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Still got a warming cabinet in the Oxford in Edinburgh.
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Oh yes, remember that one now.
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Oh, and if you do find Pliney The Elder on gravity, let me know.
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Secret supply in S6.
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Are you sure “Pest House” isn’t a frequently news-worthy Wetherspoon’s?
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I’m not sure if you would class Edenbridge as posh – it does have a “London over-spill” estate, which people tend to avoid, but not having been to Odiham (driven past it, enough times), I can’t really compare like with like.
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That’s the thing, Paul, I can make these comparisons between places folk have never visited and never will and never be challenged. But Ednbridge’s high street looked quite posh to me last year. Here’s the post so readers can judge;
https://retiredmartin.com/2021/04/22/more-great-pub-beer-gardens/
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