retiredmartin

I’m a bit worried how much food is featuring in this blog these days; that’s the influence of culinary Queen Blackpool Jane, I guess.

I doubt she’ll need to a report on Shildon, Durham’s famous Railway town. The parmos of Teesside call when she heads back to Middlesbrough.

I wouldn’t have needed to drop in for a half at the Canteen it had been open in December,

It’s the surprising opening times that make the Canteen such a valued tick, as Pubmeister discovered. I’d read his post first, if I were you.

Monday	closed
Tuesday	closed
Wednesday	Midday – 2.30 pm
Thursday	Midday – 2.30 pm
Friday	Midday – 2.30 pm 4.00 pm – 10.00 pm
Saturday	4.00 pm – 10.00 pm
Sunday	closed

The canteen opens for healthy breakfasts and mugs of tea in the morning, but is licenced from noon. Many tickers have been thwarted by that distinction in hotel bars in Wiltshire before.

The former canteen for the Wagon Works will appeal to the eccentric rather than the traditionalist, I guess. Oh, and blokes who like drinking in breweries.

It wasn’t quite as packed on Thursday as it was in this photo. See if you can spot Duncan and Simon.

But within 10 minutes it was filling up with Hi-Vis heroes, humming along to Bon Jovi’s “Living On A Prayer“, the national anthem of South Durham. Billy Joel’s “My Life” followed; I’m not sure whose national anthem that is so I won’t make it up.

I felt a bit stingy just necking a quick half of their own lovely Locomotion (cool, crisp, 3.5), brewed practically where I sat, so I had the sausage and mash from the counter. “Filling” is the best description.

I asked if I could pay straight away so I didn’t forget and get chased down the street. “She’d rugby tackle you” said the first lady of the second, and I suspect she wasn’t joking.

Honestly, Tony Blair should have brought George Bush here when he visited Sedgefield 20 years ago, rather than that gastropub. Things might have turned out very differently.

EDIT : Nearly forgot;