If Essex is one of my favourite counties for GBG pubs, Oxon is well down the list. Nothing to do with Light Blue/Dark Blue rivalry, I just find the pubs too food-focused, outside a good cohort of boozers around Banbury. 20 years ago, the county was noted for some of the most unspoilt pubs in the… Continue reading CAMERON-LAND
Tag: Red Lion
MISTLEY TO MANNINGTREE
Some of you might think I pick on Mrs RM on this site, but you’d be wrong. I applaud her decision to leave her handbag under the chair in the Waggon at Wix, as it enables me to ask The Question. WHY CAN’T WOMEN WEAR CLOTHES WITH DEEP POCKETS LIKE MEN DO, INSTEAD OF CARRYING AROUND… Continue reading MISTLEY TO MANNINGTREE
A REQUIEM FOR CHERRY HINTON
The one downside of meeting old work colleagues (apart from them blaming you for the collapse of the NHS) is that they always want to meet in dining pubs. Not that there’s many dumpy old men’s pubs left in Cambridge for a pint and scratchings anyway. The closest boozer to work used to be the… Continue reading A REQUIEM FOR CHERRY HINTON
GOOD BEER IN LONDON SHOCKER
Contrary to what you might think, I’ve nothing against London. It’s one of the top ten cities in the South, with a musical heritage stretching from Adam Ant to Gary Glitter. Music drew me there on a super off-peak slow train on Sunday; a rare one-off gig by alt-country legend William Tyler and a very… Continue reading GOOD BEER IN LONDON SHOCKER
ELGOODS – A HOME WIN
My last Beer Guide pub in Cambridgeshire turned out to be a small joy, just as completing your home county before September is out is a joy. Take note Simey BRAPA Man. 20 years into Beer Guide ticking, you reach a point where there aren’t quite so many return trips into darkest Fenland annually, each… Continue reading ELGOODS – A HOME WIN
IF THE BEER’S GOOD, SAY SO
I’m making a special effort to tell the folk behind the bar when their beer is really good. It goes down well, even in that London (OK, only had to do that once there this month). Simon mentioned some weird looks he’s had when complimenting the beer, but that’s more to do with the notebook in his hand… Continue reading IF THE BEER’S GOOD, SAY SO
BASKET MEALS IN CRIGGION
The M54/A5/A458 is my friend at the moment. Four trips into Montgomeryshire this Summer as I make inroads into Wales and it’s holding up well, despite the best efforts of V Festival and escapee sheep. A quick detour to finish off southern Shropshire (sorry, Salop) provided a good comparison with Wales. The Red Lion in Longden… Continue reading BASKET MEALS IN CRIGGION
WINSFORD – SUBSTANCE OVER FORM
South Cheshire has some of the biggest contrasts between adjacent places anywhere. Old fashioned Nantwich struggles against craft-capital Crewe, while Sandbach and Holmes Chapel feel a world apart from the salt mining towns on the Weaver and Wheelock rivers. Middlewich has a pleasant canal network, but it was harder to see the merits of Winsford… Continue reading WINSFORD – SUBSTANCE OVER FORM
PUB FOOD IN THE MARCHES
Tandleman revisited the issue of pub food this week, following his trip to the Black Country. Whether it’s pies and cobs or trencherman meals, that area seems to get it right. I recommend the Harrow in Coven (posh Wolves) for cobs. Contrary to comments expressed by C. Tevez and believed by most Londoners, Manchester has… Continue reading PUB FOOD IN THE MARCHES
A BRAKSPEAR REBELLION IN THE CHILTERNS
A second day in the Chilterns gave me the chance to finish Buckinghamshire and put BRAPA in its box. If Simon continues averaging 20 pubs in 3 days he’ll have caught me up by next Christmas, and that won’t do at all. I was looking forward to exploring the Ridgeway but my walking boots haven’t… Continue reading A BRAKSPEAR REBELLION IN THE CHILTERNS
retiredmartin 