January 2024. Preston. Last post from last Saturday in our premier pub city (I think it really is), then you get a St Helens write-up. Iron Fist in the Vinyl Tap, hairy fist in the Ferret, A rather unnecessary stamp to prove you’ve paid your fiver for a night of quirky alt pop in the… Continue reading LAURA J MARTIN AT THE FERRET, PRESTON
Motörhead
January 2024. Preston. For those of you at the back not keeping up, or confused by the nightly “Half A Dozen Pubs…” this is STILL Preston. What a night, though not one I want to repeat this lifetime. A quick check of the set times revealed it wasn’t worth tipping up at The Ferret for… Continue reading Motörhead
THE CHAIN HOUSE, PRESTON
January 2024. Preston. We (finally left) the Black Horse for our gig in Preston’s student-land, relatively bright and breezy as well as full of pastry, gelatinous jelly, pork and chilli jam. Even the Old Black Bull looks appealing after an hour on the Old Tom. Duncan had been recently and described the Chain House tap… Continue reading THE CHAIN HOUSE, PRESTON
HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY. No. 37 – SHROPSHIRE
A great county, and not one over-dominated by its county town, either. Tough picking six; was spoilt for choice in Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth, though pickings get a bit slimmer towards the north-east. Shrewsbury – Cross Foxes No tour of England is complete without a wander round Shrewsbury’s medieval streets and health food cafes. I might… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY. No. 37 – SHROPSHIRE
“Another pie, then ?”
January 2024. Preston. Sorry for a two part post about one pub, my first such extravagance since a similarly photogenic wonder in Plymouth. Mrs RM had spotted the bargain pies, and if anything is guaranteed to fuel appetite for pork in pastry in Old Tom and Plum Porter. A marvellous combination, in a pub with… Continue reading “Another pie, then ?”
WHERE DID THAT OLD TOM COME FROM ?
January 2024. Preston. Short posts from the front carriage of the inevitably delayed Manchester to Sheffield EMR service. Leaving NICOs after mixing beer and wine, Mrs RMs first words were, “That looks nice we should go in there” No, we shouldn’t. We had to be sensible with a gig in a couple of hours. Somehow,… Continue reading WHERE DID THAT OLD TOM COME FROM ?
NEVER MIX BEER WITH WINE. ESPECIALLY SERBIAN MARMALADE ORANGE WINE.
January 2024. Preston. The train back from Accrington arrived at Preston station at 16:38. I really should have stopped off in Blackburn and taken pictures of the modern cathedral, you’d love it, but I was missing Mrs RM. Our big gig at the Ferret started in less than 3 hours; what could possibly go wrong… Continue reading NEVER MIX BEER WITH WINE. ESPECIALLY SERBIAN MARMALADE ORANGE WINE.
HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY. No. 36 – RUTLAND
“Multum in Parvo” – roughly translates as “one new Guide entry per year”. The UK’s smallest county, famous for keeping Corby off the top of the Covid charts in those halcyon days of Lockdown 2021. And a few other worthwhile features. There ARE good pubs here, but I wanted to stick to those I’d blogged… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY. No. 36 – RUTLAND
SHOULD I HAVE STUCK TO THE MILK IN ACCRINGTON RATHER THAN CHASING PRE-EMPTIVE TICKS ?
January 2024. Accrington. For the benefit of our less culturally aware US readers, here’s the reference. Never gets old. Stanley have thrived since that cruel 1989 advert, but at the time of of my first visit years later still languishing in the Northern League. Back in 1995, we rejected a night in a £33 Blackburn… Continue reading SHOULD I HAVE STUCK TO THE MILK IN ACCRINGTON RATHER THAN CHASING PRE-EMPTIVE TICKS ?
TICKING ACCRINGTON LIKE A TROOPER
January 2024. Accrington. A night in Preston, but still 5 hours till our gig. Exactly the wrong amount of time, really. Despite the station’s perfect positioning, there’s insufficient time to reach a place with more than a lone pub to tick (that would be Carlisle or Glasgow). It’s too late to get to a football… Continue reading TICKING ACCRINGTON LIKE A TROOPER