Author: lycee23

The date will always be etched on my brain 20th March 2020,this was the last day we were allowed in our local pub (or any pub for that matter).As a Friday afternoon treat me and my wife would have a steady walk up to our local micro pub and have a couple of drinks before venturing to the local takeaway a few doors down for fish and chips or if we were feeling more adventurous over to the Mediterranean grill for some Greek/Italian influenced food.This particular afternoon we sat inside the pub enjoying a pint of Jaipur and a glass of pinot grigiot,when there was a few rumours emerging about the possibility of the pubs being shut from that weekend onwards,at the time most of the customers were not taking these rumours at all seriously and more drinks were being ordered,me also I hasten to add “another pint of Jaipur please Shelly”.Around 6.30PM the owner affectionately known as “Reg”(I dont actually know his real name),walked into the bar area and said the fateful words “please drink up and start to make your way out the pub please,we are officially closed as of 7.00PM this evening.Now Reg is the type of man to play a few jokes on the customers so even then it still seemed to be not a serious situation,but the same message was uttered a couple more times and the mood suddenly changed.Walking home that evening was a major talking point,but not in the same league as the talking points that followed.I didn’t realise how much I would miss the pub but yes it was a massive blow to us and the community that met in there.The wait for the return of the pick and davy has been a long one but we are now returning slowly back to that Friday afternoon treat,although booking a table is essential, what strange times we are entering.

The magic garden, www.themagicgardennotts.com. Visited this newly opened bar in Nottingham city centre for the first time recently and what a brilliant surprise it turned into,at the entrance we were greeted by a lovely lady who explained exactly what the bar was serving and food on offer who then passed us on to our server for the afternoon and proceeded to show us to a table in the brilliantly decorated garden.It was a lovely sunny day and the garden was extremely busy,unfortunately we were given a table in the shade of a large and majestic oak tree,not a huge problem but we would have preferred a table in the sun,not much we could do about it as this was the only table available. As we were only just out of pub lockdown I had to download the app for table service(no problem whatsoever).Just as we were about to order a table just opposite became available and we quickly took advantage of the wonderful afternoon sun.Drinks were on order and paid for via the app (not cheap by any stretch of the imagination) but I didnt mind too much due to the location.A large glass of Pinot Grigiot for my wife and a pint of Camden pale ale for myself went down a treat.45 minutes later we left very happy indeed.Although quite pricey I would highly recommend this garden cocktail bar.

1.St Kew Inn. www.stkewinn.co.uk . Set in the lovely village of St Kew,Bodmin,Cornwall.This 15th century inn is a beautiful building with a lot of the original features still intact, the beer garden is a well manicured family friendly area and welcomes many drinkers and diners alike all year around.My first ever visit was back in 2004 and I fell in love with place straight away.On entering the premises what first struck me was how small the interior was as looking from the outside it seems so much bigger.On the bar was 5 St Austell brewery ales and my choice was Proper Job,and what a great choice it was,a glass of chardonnay for Angie and off to the garden.The garden was probably half full at this point(it was still early),and we found a table sheltering under a majestic oak tree.We could just see the top of the local church tower from the table and we both said at the same time “what a beautiful place this is”.The proper job went down an absolute treat and so another pint was in order.We didn’t stop for food on this occasion but by the look of things the meals looked delicious.We try to visit the St Kew Inn on every visit to Cornwall and subsequently have been 3 or 4 more times since that endearing first visit.

The pub beer garden is another one of my favourite places to visit,there is something magical about drinking outdoors in the sunshine.The problem is though living in the UK it makes the pub garden visit a very limited experience so I like to make the most of every precious rain free day.A walk in the countryside followed by a pint in the pub beer garden to me is something quite special.Again I’m very fortunate living within twenty minutes of the peak district that has some wonderful pub gardens on offer.

Locally to us we have a couple of nice beer gardens,the Horse and Groom at Newthorpe www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk and The Hayloft at Giltbrook- www.pubpeople.com. The horse and groom has a nice patio area with a few large tables and comfy seating mostly used for outdoor eating and many bench type seats on a grassed area set back from the patio mostly used for drinks.There is also a play area for children which is very popular in the summer months.There are only 3 cask ale pumps on offer at the bar offering the usual greene king beers and one guest ale,the guest ale is usually my preference.The Hayloft at Giltbrook is more adult orientated with just bench seating throughout, again the bar has only 3 cask ales on offer but are rotated regularly so theres something different on offer most weeks.

I think the beer garden is quintessentially British and no other country does the experience as good as us,although just as enjoyable to drink outdoors in any country, the British beer garden is without doubt the best.

Nottingham town centre pubs have had a bit of a resurgence on the beer garden experience with many of the pubs now promoting the newly renovated gardens and roof terraces,in fact a couple of places are just gardens with a small bar area(the secret garden and the magic garden)both these are gardens behind shops on the high street that are reached down alleyways then open up to an oasis of pleasure.

In conjunction with my love of a great pint of ale,and the pub that serves it,by the way I find the public houses as interesting as the beer it serves,I enjoy a walk in the countryside,now I say countryside because that’s my favourite place to be but a walk around a city,town or village is equally interesting so much to see and learn.Always have a guide book on hand or a leaflet for the walk as you learn so much of the history and traditions of each place as you go,also it gives an insight into refreshments available.My particular favourite guide books or walking leaflets are the ones that involve a stop off at the pub,maybe for lunch or just a drink it’s just nice to sit down and sample a pint to reward the long walk that is now behind you.

I am lucky enough to be within a 20 minute car journey of the fabulous Peak District, anyone that’s never been should give it a try it’s worth the effort.There is an array of superb walks,scenery,picture postcard villages,remote peaks,moorland,great village pubs,remote pubs, the list goes on.Every walk we do brings a different scene even the same route at different times of the year will surprise us with the change in flora,mist,rain,snow,mud,farm animals, its beauty is breathtaking.

Walking was always an important part of my life,but until my children were old enough to be left at home alone the walks were pretty much child friendly so were a bit limited as to where we visited,did it have a playground,did the pub have some swings,was the carpark close to the start of the walk.There was a great deal of planning ahead to make sure the kids were happy.Once they were old enough and didn’t want the embarrassment of walking with Mum and Dad,we were off on more adventurous walks.

My ideal day out would be a drive into the Peak District starting the day off with a hearty breakfast at a village cafe,the Old Smithy at Monyash- http://www.oldsmithymonyash.com is a fabulous choice with the full English for me and scrambled egg on toast for Angie.Then off on a walk around the countryside guide book in hand,the walk being at least 5 miles but no more than 10 miles.Stop off after 2-3 miles(depends on the walk length) for refreshments depending on the time perhaps a swift pint or a latte,then at the end of the walk some lunch in one of the fabulous pubs the peaks have to offer.Over time we have built up a great portfolio of walks that we enjoy and more importantly have some great pubs on route.I will touch on the City and town walking at a later time(London is our favourite City of all).

In the 80s and early 90s the highlight of the week was a much eagerly awaited Friday night trip into Nottingham or town as it was known.Traditionally Friday was “the lads” and Saturday was “couples”.Straight home from an early Friday finish from work,bit of lunch into the shower,splash of Aramis and down to the local to meet up with “the lads”.The Hayloft at Giltbrook was the place to meet about 6 o’clock ish,a couple of swift pints of John Smith’s were the usual order of the day then onto the bus into town.The Hayloft was a perfect place for catching the bus as the bus stop was directly outside the front door,we would get the nod that the bus was on it’s way and the drinks would be knocked back and off we trotted.

Getting into Nottingham 45 minutes later usually ready for the first toilet stop the first pub was always The Stage Door.This was a pub owned by the ex Nottingham Forest player Larry Lloyd and being an avid Forest fan would always say hello to him as he was in his favourite position propping up the bar in the corner.I mostly plumped for a bottle of Becks in the first stop off due to the 2 earlier pints and it was still before 7 o’clock,next stop The Bell Inn( https://greeneking-pubs.co.uk) a great characterful establishment with 3 or 4 separate rooms and one of the oldest pubs in town.The Bell was a very popular (and still is) pub and seemed to be packed to the rafters on every visit.In the 80s and early 90s it was a Hardy Hansen run pub and although there was a few more choices of beers than the similar pubs back in Eastwood the best bitter was a decent choice,not the most interesting tasting beer you could have but was ok,also when on a long session I mostly opted for the lower ABV beers and the Kimberley best was only 3.2 ish% ( can’t remember the exact ABV) so was an ideal choice.Next stop The Flying Horse,this was also a great pub with many rooms but the main room housed the Friday night disco,another bottle was in order here probably Becks but it would certainly be a bottle of something.The flying horse is now a smart shopping arcade and the entrance still has the old signage which makes me smile with happy memories everytime I walk past.The Dog and Bear was the next stop,a great old building that now houses the Body shop,now the dog and bear was a notoriously tough pub and the only reason we went in was for the “entertainment “there was guaranteed to be a fist fight at some point and the security were brilliant at sorting these fights out,we sometimes didn’t even bother with a drink as the “entertainment ” was good enough.Next stop The Fountain straight across the road from the dog,again this pub is now a shop (White Stuff or Cath Kidston) I’m sure someone will correct me on that one,back to the pints now for a bit,my memory is a bit fuzzy so not sure which brewery owned the Fountain.Back central towards slab square and into Yates Wine Lodge a beautiful old building with an upstairs bar and a balcony,the upstairs bar on a Friday night always had “the violinist “a bizarre piece of entertainment,a man on a small podium in the middle of the room surrounded by customers paying no attention whatsoever playing a violin that could barely be heard.Being a wine lodge I mostly gave a glass of wine a try oh dear this was the point when the room decided to spin around and was time to go home.

The group now had the decision of Night Club and taxi or bus home straight away,my decision was usually down to how much money I had left in my pocket.There was many Night Clubs in Nottingham back then so a 10 minute drunken discussion on which one was going to be visited was probably a funny sight for passers by.The decision was made and 9 times out of 10 I took the bus home.The tradition of the lads Friday night lasted well into the 90s but family commitments (couldn’t afford it anymore) from most of the lads stopped us in our tracks.

As a family we have enjoyed some fantastic holidays in Cornwall,my wife was a veteran Cornish visitor having been on family holidays from being a babe in arms.My first visit was in 1985 and unfortunately it rained every day so we did most of the entertainment in the hired cottage we were residing in,so the beer and wine were purchased from the local Asda.Not a great start to my eventual love of Cornwall but with some perseverance from my wife it didn’t end there.

From a recommendation in 1989 we found a fantastic caravan site called Seaview near a little village on the south coast called Boswinger,and never looked back, this became a regular destination for many years.Boswinger didn’t have a pub but the neighbouring village of Gorran had a brilliant establishment called the Barley Sheaf,which was within walking distance so was an ideal place to visit, trouble was though we were in the deepest darkest corner of Cornwall so it was a bit dark walking back to the caravan and also had to contend with no pavements so a torch was a necessity not just to find the way back to the caravan but also to warn any cars that you were in the road although we didn’t see too many.

The Barley Sheaf was a typical Cornish village pub,very welcoming and bustling with lots of locals telling great stories of old times,mostly exaggerated of course but great to listen to.We spent many an evening there and over the next 10 to 12 years visited every time we was in the area so became a bit of a friend to us.

Back in the early days of visiting Cornwall going to the pub meant going for a drink,very few did food so fish and chips down in the harbour of Mevagissey was a great option, the fish always seems to taste better at the sea side maybe its fresher or just the fact your enjoying the holiday makes it taste better.Mevagissey harbour was a slightly different pub experience,as it was a working harbour the pubs were full of the local fishermen and tourists were not so welcome,that never really bothered me but once the family came along we avoided the harbour pubs but still enjoyed the great fish and chips on offer.Happy days

Many people would disagree with Newcastle brown ale being a craft ale (would love to hear other views) but for me it gave me the push to experiment with new beers and ales after an early life of tasteless boring best bitters.

As previously mentioned the brown ale was drunk when the landlord had issues with the pumps and it was the next alternative. I thoroughly enjoyed that first bottle and that changed my drinking habits forever.Its been a brilliant journey seeking out ales from around the world.So let’s get down to the nitty gritty and talk about some fabulous or not so fabulous drinks/pubs/breweries or anything beer related really,in fact doesn’t need to be related to beer at all.

1985 was the start of married life for me,and something that I have thoroughly enjoyed.

The pub scene in Eastwood was now in a bit of a decline as the coal mines in the area were closed or closing and the bustling Friday,Saturday and Sunday nights were now a thing of the past.How would the humble pub survive in these uncertain times?

Well a lot of them didn’t and 4 or 5 of them were demolished to make way for much needed housing soon after.

My married life was eventually blessed with my first child born in 1992 and this meant the end of regular visits to the pubs although it was no great loss at the time as the start of the 90s was a very disappointing pub scene,they tried there hardest to entice customers in with various ideas (quizes,live music etc) but looking back all we wanted was some great tasting beers.

1994 saw the birth of my second child and again the pub visits were few and far between.This was the period of change for me,the Newcastle brown ale incident mentioned earlier changed my view of beer forever.

So almost into my 30s I came to the decision that would change my drinking habits forever.No more corporate large brewery best bitters for me,although this would be generally difficult in the early days as there was still very limited options in the local pubs.

As previously mentioned, Eastwood in Nottinghamshire back in the early 80s when my drinking days began was an old coal mining town,and although it had a good choice of drinking establishments the choice of beers was very limited.

A beer and wine shop opened on the high street and was a fantastic addition to the beer and wine scene,although at first it was very much a shop to cater for the area (only large brewery beers and lagers were on sale).This was still great news for myself as there was plenty of choices and my plan was to try a different brewery beer each weekend.

Nottingham city centre was the place to go for a treat,just a 30 minute bus ride away and pubs a plenty,the trouble was though that the security on the pub doors was how can i put it ‘ready for a fight’, and so my times in the big city were limited to a few times a year mostly for birthdays and stag nights.

Derby city centre was also a good place to go but from coming in from Eastwood it turned into a hard place to get to having to catch two buses and then pay for an expensive taxi ride home.