retiredmartin

April 2026. Tutbury & Hatton.

As promised, a rare “long read” (ugh) on our pub crawl to Tutbury and Hatton this Tuesday.

If you get bored after my regulation 389 words send me a note and I’ll go back to writing up every pub individually, which will take me into May.

This trip to unheralded villages of about 3,000 souls between Derby and Burton followed my post on Guide newbie the New Inn last October, after which Will the Sheffield Hatter kindly put together an itinerary which we were duty bound to ignore.

Sticking the invite on CAMRA Discourse converted it from “Pub Crawl” to “Curated Exploration of Licensed Premises“, as CAMRA doesn’t approve of alcohol consumption outside of third pint tasting chalices.

And then the Magnificent Seven of us, from Sheffield (Will and I), York (the mysterious Graham who I’d ignored on the train), Oxford (Nick), Leicester (Shawn), Frome ((Jon) and Stafford (Paul) descended on the home of Nestlé, which sadly doesn’t have a coffee museum to rival Turin.

So focused was I on the coffee factory I also blanked Nick, who’d also turned up early for a bit of slow tourism, crossing over the Derby/Staffs border to take in churches, castles and courtyard cafes.

Wiki reckons that Tutbury gets tourism for its lovely slice of “lil ol’ England“,

but the continued closure of the castle for “restoration” works by the Duchy of Lancaster can’t help.

This is an artists impression (thanks ChatGPT) of what it will look like after “restoration“.

I contemplated an early, calorie controlled lunch from Ye Olde Tutbury Fryer,

but had a healthier option in mind.

Your first stop is the picture book pub.

1. Dog & Partridge, High Street, Tutbury

Your ancient beamed Chef & Brewer coaching inn (rooms £100 on Tuesday), it will appeal to the cocktail and pork belly crowd,

rather than the casketeers.

Nick and I had a half hour start on the 12:38 arrivals.

I’d finished an OK but rather too sweet Abbot by then, though apparently the 3rd pint of London Glory was better than the first.

Right, enough of the twee,

let’s head to the Black Country.

2. New Inn, Ludgate Street, Tutbury

Yes, it was so quiet that Nick of Prop Up The Bar fame could stand in the middle of the road to take photos, which is the sign of a proper blogger.

As is a willingness to succumb to the Black Country cobs.

As noted last year, this is a homely pub, with dominos, village chat and “Through the Barricades“.

Makes a welcome change from “Gold” or “True“.

A better Pig on the Wall than last time, too (NBSS 3.5), served by a charmer of a landlady. The locals were both astonished and delighted that foreigners were visiting their village pubs.

Next up, 10 steps south, the plain Marston’s boozer.

3. The Vine, Ludgate Street, Tutbury

In you go.

All the life in the public bar to the right, a surprisingly busy bar at 14:45.

Never mind your Tap Takeovers, here you get Locale beers (ugh) Directors or Pedi, a cool and chewy 3.75. Yes, I’m adding quarter points to my beer scores, in clear contravention of the new CAMRA ruling. To be honest, I’d be happy with the two categories that Alan Winfield gave us, “Nice” or “John Smiths Smooth c***“.

I guess this is Tutbury’s equivalent of the Atherstone’s Maid of the Mill, both pubs that Alan would have loved, basic but respectful, for lack of a better word.

My sort of pub, too.

I suspect the Leopard would have been, too, but the advance party found a lack of cask (Bass) due to supply issues, and decided to head on to contiguous Hatton, crossing the Staffs/Derbys border.

Some of us walked; some of us waited for a bus. The walkers won, and got a look at the breweriana at Edgar’s Collectibles.

Pub 4 was my favourite of the day.

4. The Tavern, Station Road, Hatton

I needed the loo, the front door was closed, I had to improvise (details for patronised readers).

Oh, the entrance is round the back of the car park.

Now, this may look a bit plain, it reminded me of the Waggon & Horses in suburban Stafford,

but it was a joy, mainly due to a landlady genuinely interested in us and proud of her Bass.

That Graham from York is photogenic, isn’t he ?

I find your view of Bass varies by dispense preference; flat, tight head or banked. This was a soft, tight headed marvel (NBSS 4), and a more sensible person would have cancelled plans and stayed till the last train.

But casketeers have to save ALL pubs, including the indiosyncratic micro with inconsistent opening hours.

5. Cask & Pottle, High Street, Tutbury

Actually, I think Graham has probably trademarked the term idiosyncratic in his Pubs Galore review (here).

It wasn’t for me, and possibly not for another of our group who went on ahead,

but the Froth Blowers was, er, frothy (NBSS 3.5),

and when our host brought out tasters (ugh) of some Dutch IPA I’m afraid that some of us stayed put (cheers, Shawn).

If you didn’t stay for the Juicy Lucy you missed out.

A very, very, quick half (ugh) in our last pub before a mad dash for the train.

6. Cross Keys, Burton Street, Tutbury

Traditional, a recent Beer Guide entry, and again busy,

with a rather more interesting beer range than expected,

but the Bass (3.5) again wins.

I then had to find our stragglers a short cut back to the station. This one will do.

“Don’t stop at the allotments to take photos, RM !“.

Yes, you’ll need to be the right (or is it east) side of the level crossing if you’re going back home via Derby, as we were.

And if you are, and you have 16 minutes between trains, a reminder that a pint of Leatherbritches in the Victoria is entirely sensible,

an attempted half in the Alex, less so.

Cheers !