retiredmartin

You might think that the new entries in the GBG are all micro pubs, brewery taps, Wetherspoons and community restaurants pubs, but you’d be wrong, so wrong.

There’s a real mixed bag, with unprepossessing village boozers, Marston’s new builds and upmarket rural hotels, like the Beaufort Arms in little Raglan, your pashmina refuge before you hit the Valleys.

Raglan has a number of smart pubs to hit after your castle exploration,

though the village itself is nothing special.

But the Beaufort has a classic pub sign and a complicated multi-tiered approach.

I’d been tracking these target pubs on Facebook, and noted with alarm the news from Raglan.

That’s the empty Chateau d’Yquem bottle on the table; Pauline will be able to tell you what I missed out on.

What Pauline would think of the Beaufort’s clutter, I shudder to think. This was my view after being seated in the lounge awaiting table service.

A soundtrack of Van the Man’s “And It Stoned Me”, and Nigella’s book, unused since 2011 in our house, staring down at me from the bookshelves.

I couldn’t read the clip of the second Locale on the bar, so when the chap asks what I want and I’m not allowed to wander to the bar I pick Wye Valley, as ALL Welsh dining pubs are legally required to have Butty or HPA (across the Severn it’s Purity).

I’ve tried to make the Butty look enticing. It was well-presented, a 3 perhaps, but lacked bite, whatever that means.

Some Old Boys seemed to be having fun in the Lounge Bar. I always seem to pick the wrong bar.

Nice headware, Sir.

I left the pub with both bars empty, but a restaurant filling up on Monday lunchtime, perhaps a dozen in for the first day’s trading since New Year re-opening.

They’re a resilient lot, the Welsh; even the lack of the Chateau d’Yquem can’t deter them.