THE TRUE START OF CHRISTMAS

December 2025. Waterbeach.

Back at Home (2) after that little Gravesend diversion and 20 minutes between train at Kings Cross that I judged just insufficient for a pint at the King Charles I, I visit Dad in the afternoon (I’ve just missed “Annie” at the care home), hoover Sunnyside and then pop to The Sun.

That might look like bad photography but it’s actually The Sun sending a message to 3i/Atlas offering discounts on cask if the aliens passover Waterbeach.

New landlord Gary had just has a perfect inspection from Cask Marque,

and I hadn’t the heart to tell him that some CAMRA reckon that Cask Marque is Latin for “too cold”.

There’s a few more folk in the Lounge than of late, so I head right, where I’m greeted by a wondrous sight.

I may have more to say about Pedigree later, but for now,

“Wow” (NBSS 4.5). The best pint of Pedi in years. I bump into a village friend, someone who I only seem to meet abroad, who drinks 3 pints in half an hour while waiting for a kebab and telling me about his own parental issues that put mine into context.

And then Jona starts to sing, marking the Official Start of Christmas.

I know “Stop the Cavalry” was a great favourite of Old Mudgie’s, so here’s a brass band version from Uphill in Weston Super Mare.

And here’s your True Taste of Waterbeach.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

43 thoughts on “THE TRUE START OF CHRISTMAS”

  1. Martin, my “best pint of Pedi in” this week was £3.30 ( yes, change out of a tenner for three pints ) at 2pm in my last of five pubs yesterday. Ash’s former boss looked very pleased that his pub was so busy, but that might be expected on a high street the Friday afternoon before Christmas.

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    4. Did you actually tell me which Stafford pub this is, Paul, or is it anonymous to keep it a secret and not share it with the world ;-0.

      I share Will’s frustration with folk on Discourse who write about pubs without naming them. I recall a while back someone wrote glowingly about the beer in a local but refused to name it in case it seemed like a recommendation !

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  2. SPOILER ALERT: No discussion of the role of cavalry in WW1 will follow. Just heard the Jona Lewie thing for the first time this year. Haven’t hit Whamageddon yet though.

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    1. I’ve heard a lot less Christmas music in pubs this year, Bill.

      And Christmas decorations seem more subdued in houses. Of course, everyone will tell you the opposite and insist Christmas (whatever that is) starts earlier each year, but I’d say the opposite.

      Less Santa hats at the Etihad this afternoon, too.

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      1. Yes, I haven’t heard that much Christmas stuff either.

        We haven’t even got any decorations up yet.

        Christmas seems to start in October but only in supermarkets. No-one else would appear to give a toss until mid December.

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      2. There’s quite a few cliches about pubgoing that don’t stand up in practice. For a start, I haven’t seen that many queues in pubs, or poor behaviour by “Christmas drinkers”, and it’s a while since I’ve noticed badly behaved children, barking dogs are far worse.

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      3. Several Christmas jumpers were being worn in Sedgley this lunchtime but thankfully only in the back yard, not actually inside the Beacon Hotel. That’s the best of such Proper Pubs, they don’t need to impose a ban.

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    2. Well at least you won’t have to watch morris dancing, Bill.

      To the wit who observed “Try anything once except incest and morris dancing” I’d add a third: mulled wine.

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  4. The true start of Christmas for me was a pint of Snowflake in the Beacon Hotel this lunchtime.
    Yes, they’ve abandoned that “only halves” nonsense of yesteryear.

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      1. Paul, It’s Sarah Hughes’s 8% winter beer. I found it too sweet originally but think longer conditioning in more recent times makes it drink like a session beer hence the potential danger.
        Holdens Old Ale wasn’t yet in the Great Western while I used it up to 26th November but with just one cask it had sold out in Sedgley’s Bulls Head a fortnight before yesterday.
        I was told that Batham’s XXX sold out in Gornal’s Britannia at 4,20pm on Friday.

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      4. I was just about to agree with you (I think) that Christmas beers seem disappointingly weak these days and I came across Harvey’s 7.5% Christmas beer today in Hastings !

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      5. Yes Martin, after a funeral this month I noticed Wye Valley’s Dorothy Goodbody Christmas beer at only about 4½%.

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  6. “That might look like bad photography but it’s actually The Sun sending a message to 3i/Atlas offering discounts on cask if the aliens passover Waterbeach.”

    (slow golf clap)

    “and I hadn’t the heart to tell him that some CAMRA reckon that Cask Marque is Latin for “too cold”.”

    I thought that was something, something, fridge?

    “There’s a few more folk in the Lounge than of late, so I head right, where I’m greeted by a wondrous sight.”

    Is it the Christmas lights?

    “I bump into a village friend, someone who I only seem to meet abroad, who drinks 3 pints in half an hour while waiting for a kebab and telling me about his own parental issues that put mine into context.”

    Blimey. I can’t imagine what his issues are like if he’s sinking 3 pints in 30 minutes!

    “I know “Stop the Cavalry” was a great favourite of Old Mudgie’s, so here’s a brass band version from Uphill in Weston Super Mare.”

    I know the song, but never knew the title. 👍

    “And here’s your True Taste of Waterbeach.”

    That’ll be me on Tuesday. We always stay overnight at (one of) my wife’s sisters in Kamloops. For saving us a hotel room we spring for Chinese food.

    Cheers

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      2. Well Martin, two pints of £4.95 7.2% Holdens Old Ale and a pork bap in half an hour, 4.30 to 5pm, with my wife was undoubtedly my highlight of our anniversary day, and she was well pleased with her red pepper soup and garlic mushrooms.

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  7. RM: we don’t really have “Christmas drinkers” in Shetland, most people know exactly how to behave properly in pubs. They’ve had practice.
    Similarly, no badly behaved children. These have already been sold to the Vikings.
    Dogs are allowed everywhere though. Never come across a badly behaved one in a pub since I’ve been here.

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      1. There are (many) worse Christmas choons surely. Talking of which, I have a soft spot for “Driving Home for Christmas”, sadly topical today.

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      3. Haven’t heard it anywhere, and only listen to Radio 3 when I’m not out and about so not much chance of catching it any time soon.

        Kylie was, of course, responsible for the worst hit single of modern times in “Confide In Me”.

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      5. Mrs RM explained it’s something to do with Kylie’s record company putting a lot of actual, physical copies in shops that then get bought rather than downloaded. I think one CD/vinyl is worth about 1,500 plays (streams).And it doesn’t take much to reach Number 1 anymore.

        If you want a Christmas album recommendation, it’s The Judds Christmas album.

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      7. The second half (last 4 songs) is particularly good. The Judds were a popular country group through the 80s into this century but this Christmas record got a bit overlooked.

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