August 2025. Smethwick.
Our last day in Birmingham, though the new GBG is going to send me back there soon enough (NO SPOILERS) and a rare stop in Smethwick, famed for its Gurdwara.
The fast train from Kiddy to Brum takes you past fields of pumpkins at Blakedown and drops you at Galton Bridge, handy for The Hawthorns.
Mrs RM had been in the Red Cow for her Desi pub tick 3 hours ago (lone woman in pub shocker !), so I felt obliged to follow where she leads.
But it’s a mile’s walk, so I hop on the first bus to Smethwick High Street, mainly to get away from a lady moaning about buses. As well she might, this one stops every 100 yards with a jolt.
You get to see a Desi pub or two from the top deck,
but the CAMRA cask shows the extent of the cask desert.
Since you ask, the “P” top left is The Vine, a rare real ale Desi, and the “C” is Smethwick Cons Club, whose Facebook suggests a handpump with a hunting scene on it.
So I reckon Mrs RM was ambitious to “Ask for Cask” in the Red Cow,
unaware that the excellent David Jesudason CAMRA book has little to do with real ale.
I’m always choosing M & B Mild over Carling,
though in truth it’s indistinguishable from John Smiths Smooth.
You’re here for the grill,
and before you worry about the prices the Fat Cow serves ten (10), which is more friends than I have on Untappd.
I order the special Desi Bakra (goat curry) at the little hatch, and merge into the background of what is essentially a multicultural boozer.
Have I ordered too much roti ? I wonder, as it’s plonked in front of me.
Nope, just the right portion, pleasingly. It’s tremendous, as good as Bratfud or those cafes near the Laurieston in Glasgow.
Stick Batham on handpump and you’ve got heaven.
retiredmartin 
“though the new GBG is going to send me back their soon enough”
Ahem… ‘there’ vice ‘their’. (I’m back!)
“Mrs RM had been in the Red Cow for her Desi pub tick 3 hours ago (lone woman in pub shocker !)”
Is that how Mrs RM gets her validated pub ticks?… being the lone woman in pub?
“You get to see a Desi pub or two from the top deck,”
Are the windows in the lower deck blacked out?
“Since you ask, the “P” top left is The Vine, a rare real ale Desi, and the “C” is Smethwick Cons Club”
Goodness, it has been a while. I thought the “P” was for (public) loos*, whilst the “C” was, obvs, for Cask.
*-at my age, I need to do a recce on public lavs whenever I stray more than 500 feet from my home.
“So I reckon Mrs RM was ambitious to “Ask for Cask” in the Red Cow,”
I reckon you have to ask for it in Punjabi, as a kind of secret handshake so to speak.
“I’m always choosing M & B Mild over Carling”
Naturally. That Carling person was a jumped up Canuck. Definitely people to avoid.
“though in truth it’s indistinguishable from John Smiths Smooth”
Is that a good or bad thing?
“You’re here for the grill”
What, no cow?
“Stick Batham on handpump and you’ve got heaven.”
I shall make a mental note to go there when I feel my time for heaven is nigh.
Cheers
Ok, I’m back, sort of? I posted on LAF first, where I did a rather poor job of abasing myself.
I did LAF first as I recently read a clickbait article that included Ashby de la Zouch which jogged my memory about him.
Anyhoo, I sadly won’t be as prolific as I was before, even though I am now fully retired, as I seem to have less spare than I used to! (my darling wife now being home full time has something to do with that).
Ok, off to find Si’s new website before I call it for today. (the whole wife thing again)
PS – not sure how to do emojis for the time being… which is probably a good thing!
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He lives!
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Great to have you back. I look forward to hearing of your adventures.
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I’ll be able to lay off the spell checker now !
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