“Talk about your father or father figure in your life” is today’s Word Press prompt for the blogger with writer’s block. But I’ll leave that post on Duncan till I’ve caught up with the blog.
Just a reminder; I don’t choose what to write about. This is basically my diary.
That said, I’m going to skip writing about the Battle Tap for now, even though their New England IPA was incredibly gorgeous, possibly the beer of the year unless I get an NBSS 5 Doom Bar on my birthday.
That’s because the weather was grim and I couldn’t do Battle itself justice for you, so let’s go straight to a day when the sun did shine on the righteous, just as the train chuntered (?) through Selhurst.
16th November 2022.
It must have been Will Hawkes or the Shirker’s Rest who are righteous, as this was the day I was chatting pubs with Will and had spent all of 12 minutes compiling some thoughts on the best places for pubs.
On the train into London Bridge I suddenly realised my hastily-constructed Top 5 was a bit “Northern-heavy”, even though the idea was to get sofa-bound Telegraph readers in Tunbridge Wells (not YOU, father-in-law) to brave the ice wastelands and explore lesser known towns.
So I reluctantly concluded I’d have to swap Stockton for Bath. But then again, they both serve Bass. Could YOU tell them apart ?
I was being interviewed by Will at 3pm (appropriately lazy half-hearted micro hours at the Shirker’s). Three hours to visit a few pubs in the City.
Be honest, who hasn’t been for an interview after a few pints ? It’s how I joined the NHS all those years back.
In all honesty, nothing really beats that first exploration of the new GBG pubs in The City and East London on a crisp morning, finding nooks and crannies and despairing at London beer quality.
With the late October arrival of GBG23 this was a late start to London ticking, but where better to kick off than a Spoons opposite Farringdon Station ?
It’s a surprise to see Spoons debutants in the Guide in 2022; you’d assume London had dozens of new taps and craft bars to pick from, so the beer in the Sir John Oldcastle must be good.
How much !
As the quote goes, “When your Spoons charges nearly a fiver a pint, drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England”.
How will Simon cope ?
At the bar an Old Boy buys a bottle of Ghost Ship (n/a) and a pint of Coyote.
“It’s a good one, that !” he says, noting me staring blankly at the pumps and a £4.39 Doom Bar (£2.05 in the pub near Sheffield station).
I told him it’s from Wolf of Norfolk. He looks oddly impressed, rather than horrified at being in the company of a beer bore.
“It’s very good !“. My sort of beer critic.
It was very good, cool and crisp (NBSS 3.5), and this busy Spoons seems to have a lot of gentlefolk and tourists in it for a Farringdon pub at lunchtime, but it’s not a place to linger.
Suddenly I feel like a ticker again, ignoring the undoubted charms of the Bleeding Heart,
and Ye Olde Mitre,
whose alleyway should surely be packed ?
Strange times, indeed.
retiredmartin 
Looking forward to visiting the Mitre again. Think I’ll give the Farrington Spoons a miss though..
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Glad to see that the one on Whitehall has gone back to a proper pub name too, from the Half Lord Under Water Of The Moolah or whatever..
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Did I ever tell you about the time I stepped out of the front door of the Lord Moon of the Mall and found myself in the middle of the A3212 ?
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Is there another on The Embankment then?
I think I’m missing something here
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Had a very nice meal in the Bleeding Heart in the summer. Been to the SJO a few times. Nowt special even as JDW goes
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Very dull. I guess at least it shows GBG selection is on the basis of beer quality.
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Thanks for that, Bill.
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Dim Tim is no doubt trying desperately to recoup his losses. Why else would he be charging nearly five pounds for a pint in one of his soulless barns?
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The striking thing is that it was full, as are the Spoons in Sheffield, where the beer is practically half the price.
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Weird, although I wasn’t aware that Spoons applied price differentials for different areas of the country.
ps. Haven’t been able to get the “Like” feature on Word Press, to work for sometime.
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Only patronised readers have the privilege of being able to “like” my posts, Paul. I would take it VERY personally. ;-0
There’s always been a premium in London Spoons (and airports) but never of this size. I was expecting about £3.79 for Abbot.
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Always rammed. I suppose it is so handy for Farrindon Station though.
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It’s totally changed round there from the fifty times I left the old Farringdon underground station at about 8.20am for breakfast time in the Smithfield pubs.
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WP is weird. Their AI help bots – “Happiness Engineers” – never seem to sort the bugs either.
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Totally off topic, but in the Kiln Bar, Scalloway today, a bloke came in and announced “Ah jist been doon da health centre an had da alcohol pumped oota me erse”. Gotta love Shetland.
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Ely Place and the immediate area, including the Mitre, was an enclave of Cambridgeshire – I can’t find when (or even if) it became part of the relevant London Borough (Camden?) but it would not have been until quite recently. The pub kept Cambridge opening hours and its license was issued by Cambridge officials until the 1960s. It used to be Ind Coope before being sold to Fullers.
High prices in Wetherspoons only really apply to Inner London. In Leytonstone, the guest beers are still £2.05.
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I was staying in Leytonstone last Wednesday. Wish I’d popped in the Walnut Tree. That’s a huge mark up.
On the Mitre, I’m sure it was never included in the Cambs section of the GBG !
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Out of curiosity, where did you stay? I am sometimes asked by the odd friend who visits but can only think of the Red Lion and the Hitchcock.
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The Wanstead Hotel, 5 minutes from the high street via the A12 underpass. Very good.
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So many great, characterful, independently-owned pubs in that area…cheers CAMRA!
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