Earlier this month I gave my regular squeal of anguish from a pub that should have been opened but wasn’t. Some people would have given the Stag in Mentmore up as a bad job, but us Guide tickers don’t have that luxury. And, following our intensive training at GBG Base Camp*, we’re all prepared… Continue reading “WILL YOU BE DINING WITH US, SIR ?”
MISPLACED LOYALTY TO THE TETS
So our bloggers crawl ended at the Templar, the obligatory old-school Tetley pub occupied by all of Leeds society, including plenty of the tradesmen notable by their absence on the Boar Lane strip. It really is gorgeous, and the hand pumps are classics. “Pint of Tetley please” “Tetley ?!” “Yes, Tetley” “Are you quite… Continue reading MISPLACED LOYALTY TO THE TETS
SHUFFLING LEEDS BLOGGERS
Part 2 (of 3) our pub bloggers conference in Yorkshire’s second city* or “Traincatching” as it came to be known. With Wapentake whacked, a fierce debate ensued about the next stop. It really should have been the Duck & Drake, but we’d all been there. While in Wapentake I’d taken a look in the… Continue reading SHUFFLING LEEDS BLOGGERS
LIVE IN LEEDS ! – WAPENTAKE
I am catching up with this stuff. Honest. But the fact this report on Leeds arrives nearly a fortnight after Richard’s report tells you how far behind I am. Legal proceedings against Mr Coldwell for unflattering photography continue. Just to illustrate the impact of this intrusion, I was approached last night in the Waterman by… Continue reading LIVE IN LEEDS ! – WAPENTAKE
FROM SALFORD TO THE SUNDIAL VIA THE ROVERS RETURN
More of those photos of food you love, as I travel between Salford and Bury, the two gourmet capitals of the north. In my mind anyway. A beautiful morning to explore Salford and walk off the previous night’s pie. Salford may lack Manchester’s expensive craft beer scene and disposable clothes shops, but on a good… Continue reading FROM SALFORD TO THE SUNDIAL VIA THE ROVERS RETURN
THE PIE DEBATE RUMBLES ON
A flimsy premise for a post, but on my return to Manchester from (historic) Cheshire I succumbed to that rarity, a return visit to a pub. Last year GBG Northern Quarter newbie Pie & Ale House got relatively short shrift from me, mainly as I’d spectacularly failed to find the Ale side of the equation.… Continue reading THE PIE DEBATE RUMBLES ON
MISS(ING) MARPLE TICKS
The greater the progress with completing the Beer Guide, the harder it gets. In the early stages you have the joy of towns and cities with multiple entries, most notably a half dozen Robinson’s pubs in Stockport in 2002. As my crib sheet shows, not many of those left; The real surprises on that list… Continue reading MISS(ING) MARPLE TICKS
RETIREDMARTIN Snr GOES TO BETHNAL GREEN
Not much on my Dad’s bucket list, apart from a trip to Maidenhead Conservative Club, of course. But he’d always wanted to go and see the Columbia Road Flower Market. A new Beer Guide tick in Bethnal Green and a clear blue sky made up my mind for me. Mrs RM came along on… Continue reading RETIREDMARTIN Snr GOES TO BETHNAL GREEN
LOUGHBOROUGH LACINGS
The blog-naming committee had a tough time on this one. Loughborough, famous for over-excitable athletes, bells and a steam train from Leicester. And lace, apparently. We stopped in Loughborough to complete the Leicestershire section of the Beer Guide for 2017. The welcoming committee was nowhere to be seen. But “New Loughborough” awaited, in all… Continue reading LOUGHBOROUGH LACINGS
BURTON’S DOG – BLACK COUNTRY REDEMPTION
I’ve been a bit critical of Black Country Ales pubs on here recently. Their pubs in Halesowen, Worcester, Leicester and even the Welly in Brum seemed to have far too many beers on for their trade. In fact, whenever I see someone defend them,they always start “It’s a great pub, they always have a… Continue reading BURTON’S DOG – BLACK COUNTRY REDEMPTION
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