7th December 2022.
Having found my Tamworth GBG tick unexpectedly closed for a staff party (should have got my butler to phone ahead like Duncan does) I had 47 minutes before the next train to civilisation Derby.
Ooh, there’s one of the Top 4 pubs in the country according to CAMRA. It would be stupid not to revisit the Tamworth Tap and then declare authoritatively how it compare with the competition in Durham, Stapleford and Norwich.
All worthy winners, he says diplomatically.
I don’t know whether the Tamworth Tap thought I was a secret surveyor, or whether they roll out the red carpet to all new faces, but the welcome was quite something.
“Hello ! Have you been before ? Oooh, 2019 ! Welcome back ! You must look upstairs and see the new room“. I LOVE that enthusiasm.
The only thing he didn’t tell me was they had Bathams on if I’d bother looking/reading the boards.
And a posh cob or pork pie. Sounds perfect.
On my official ticking visit, a Sunday afternoon from memory, I wrote;
“It’s a classy set-up and folk have clearly dressed up on a Sunday afternoon to come out and drink bottles of Peroni with a lime in them.
There’s two sorts of small pub; the one run by middle-aged blokes for middle-aged blokes sitting round the wall drinking pale beers from the barrel. And the wave of proper bars like the Tollgate Tap in Ashby and this one, that welcome all and want you to have your birthday here with a gin tasting session. I know which one Mrs RM prefers.”
While that’s still the case, on a Wednesday evening it felt a bit more beery if that makes sense, but still with a real mix of Tamworth life.
Upstairs is indeed a treasure trove,
particularly for those keen to read about Tamworth historic cheese shops.
A warren of drinking areas,
but, still chilled from Stafford, I chose the seat in front of the fire,
and scored a pint of their own beer NBSS 4.
I really did.
retiredmartin 
And I wondered what you would write about after you finished ticking…
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I realize now how much I missed when I was there in 2014.
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Of course, some of them may not have been there at that time. Only the Globe and Robert Peel were CAMRA pubs.
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Hi Martin – that’s certainly one way to cope with any Tamworth torment. Have to say I’ve found the welcome to be very enthusiastic whenever I’ve visited the Tap, albeit they could well have reserved even greater levels of charm for ticking royalty such as yourself. They also seem to be keen promoters of the LAST Orders local branch newsletter, I managed to get quite a set of back copies on one occasion. Intrigued that the cask emphasis seems to be on guest ales with maybe only one or two of their own brews on at any one time, but that probably ensures high quality? Cheers, Paul
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I’m sure I wasn’t recognised with the plastic bag over my head. They just seem very nice people.
Reminds me of the Cambridge Blue.
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LAST Orders hasn’t been the same since it dropped the Cask and Keg cartoon.
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A pre-emptive CAMRA National Pub of the Year visit as it turned out.
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And probably justified, though I rate the Station House in Durham equally highly.
The Tap was a return visit for me, and it was interesting to compare the custom on a weekday with a Sunday afternoon. I reckon there’ll be a few more CAMRA trips to Tamworth now, a bit like folks flocked to Rochdale when the Baum was a winner (I think).
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I certainly did: https://whenmyfeetgothroughthedoor.blogspot.com/2013/03/home-from-baum.html
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