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This is what it says on the bottle “A superb thirst quenching,refreshing beer packed full of flavour,lightly hopped with subtle sweet notes and a delicate citrus aroma.Inspired by the author Alfred Wainwright,famous for his Lakeland Fell guide books.For every summit Wainwright conquered through his passion and commitment,each one delivered the ultimate reward.Refreshingly rewarding for those who think they’ve earned it”.

Originally brewed by Thwaites brewery,but now part of Marston’s since 2015.Purchased from Aldi for just £1.00,so an absolute bargain.After pouring it was clear and golden with a nice white head.Quite a strong malty aroma,with a hint of citrus and not too hoppy.A sweet and fruity taste and at 4.1% could be a nice session ale.Overall nothing remarkable about this beer and I’ve had better but very drinkable. 3/5

Organic bottle conditioned beer Python IPA,from The Little Valley Brewery in West Yorkshire thelittlevaleybrewery.co.uk.This is what it says on the bottle label….Python IPA ensnares you with a double hopped bitter hiss.When you think your palette is free this original English IPA snakes in,squeezing your senses with strong malty flavours.Powerful and inescapable.Had this Friday evening and it didn’t let me down.Purchased from Morissons at a great price £1.25.Not a session beer at 6% (didnt taste strong)but we’ll worth a try.The double hopped beer was very satisfying on the palette giving a nice smooth finish with a hint of citrus.Malty and floral aromas and a nice light straw like colour.The nice white head stayed pretty much throughout the time I was drinking it. 4/5

A recent visit to a pub that shall remain nameless was asking us to queue outside 2 meters apart and wait to be seated (if any tables were available),ok that’s no problem.After a short wait we were shown to a table and asked to order and pay from the app and use the one way system to the toilets,again ok.I downloaded the app and so far so good.We only went in for a couple of drinks so browsing the app a pint and a wine were ordered and paid for and the drinks were duelly delivered.Same again I thought,yes excellent idea and again paid for and delivered with ease.On exit from the pub i noticed on the bar was a guest ale (jaipur)….hmmm now how was i to know that was available it wasn’t listed on the app just the regular beers that they have all the time.Ok this is the conversation that i had with the manager……Me:didnt realise that there was a guest ale on….Manager:yes…..Me:how was i suppose to order it if it’s not on the app…..Manager:you would have seen it if you ordered at the bar…..Me:but when you showed us to the table you said table service only,please order from the app…..Manager:but you can still go to the bar to order if you wish….Me:oh dear let’s go home!!

Back in 2015 my wife and I visited Norfolk for the first time(why we left it so long I don’t know,what a beautiful place).We were stopping in the nearby seaside town of Hunstanton,which is not to everybody’s taste but i thought it was great,ideal for a base to walk the coastal path,and use the coast hopper bus service,which operates between Cromer and Kings Lynn.

Walking is another passion of ours,so after a lovely filling breakfast and copius amounts of tea and coffee off we went to find the start of the Norfolk Coast Path.The path is 83 miles long and runs from Hunstanton to Sea Palling.

The start of the path was a bit heavy going as you walk on a sandy beach for the first stretch,but once on the harder path it got easier.Norfolk is an extremely flat county so most of the time it was relatively easy going.The wildlife on offer is superb,with grey and common seals visible,redshanks,skylark,brown hare,pink footed goose,Brent goose,marsh and hen harriers,the list goes on it’s such a wonderful and peaceful area of the world.After a while (around 4 miles),the path leads away from the sea slightly and we arrived in the beautiful village of Thornham.

A few hundred yards into the village we came across a lovely village pub The Orange Tree theorangetreethornham.co.uk ,a hotel,pub and restaurant,perfect for a stop for refreshments. A pint of Chalk Hill bitter and a pinot Grigiot was ordered and we made our way to the beer garden.Chalk Hill bitter is brewed at The Chalk Hill brewery in Norwich and was very nice indeed.As I always do when we visit the pub is analyse whether the price paid for drinks is good value or not,this particular round of drinks came in at £8.50 ish (bearing in mind it was 2015) so a tad expensive,but on reflection it was a lovely pub,nice kept beer garden,friendly staff,clean toilets,walking boot friendly and a lovely drop of bitter,so I don’t mind paying that extra bit for quality(don’t very often mention the white wine because I don’t know much about it and don’t drink it,but I’m learning).

Back to the path.We had purchased an Ordanance Survey map especially for walking the coastal path and easily found the next signpost which lead us further into the village,passing another pub (the chequers inn) which on passing we both nodded to each other as a sign of that looks like a great place.At this point of the walk we were busy chatting away and not really concentrating on which direction we should have been going when we eventually ended up on a new housing development on the very edge of the village (there was only half a dozen houses it has to be said,so hardly a housing development) but again true to form we were lost or locationally challenged.We decided to head back to find the last signpost which was a few hundred yards away from the chequers Inn,and work out what happened.You guessed it we ended up back at the new build houses,the map was again consulted and we declared that we were going in the correct direction but the path had been redirected because of the new houses through a farmers field(we thought).Walking through the said couple of fields we realised it was taking us further away from the coast and in completely the wrong direction,and not one signpost to ease our minds was present.Ok what to do now we thought….. THE PUB!!!!

Retracing our steps back to the village of Thornham and to the glorious looking Chequers inn chequersinnthornham.co.uk,we were full of joy in anticipation of having a pint in this perfect location. We didn’t realise it at the time but the pub was part of a chain of pubs owned by Marco Pierre Wight.On entry to the pub we realised that we were not quite dressed for the style of the interior (walking boots,fleece,heavy duty trousers and backpacks),as the restaurant area was very posh,and the clientele were dressed for the occasion. The bar was a little more restrained but still posher than most pubs.The bar staff were very nice and friendly and didn’t seem to mind that we were a little out of place(probably thought it was quite funny),again a pint and a pinot grigiot were ordered.On this occasion I opted for a pint of Doombar,from the Sharps brewery in Rock Cornwall(although not an independent brewery these days,its owned by Molson Coors).The server said take a seat and it will be delivered to your table,so to the beer garden we went,this particular garden was at the front of the pub which was fine as you could people watch and take in the village life as it happened. The young lady delivered the drinks and I asked her about payments “we have started a tab” was her reply,anyway we enjoyed the drinks and proceeded to go inside to pay the bill.Passing over the bill and at the same time revealing the price £11.75!!!,goodness have you charged us for the correct drinks I thought.I asked the question “is this correct as I only had a pint and a small wine?”,showing me the bar pricelist I was flabbergasted £4.85 for the Doombar and £6.95 for a small wine.We thought the place was lovely but very expensive (after all it still is only a pub)maybe charge a bit more for the Marco Pierre Wight influenced food,but not for the beer.After the couple of drinks in the village pubs,it was decided we would catch the coast hopper bus back into Hunstanton,the bus stop was adjacent to a fine looking delicatessen so as the wait was 20 minutes we proceeded to browse the deli thornhamdeli.co.uk and purchased our food for the evening.

Since our visit we have learnt that the pub is no longer part of the Marc Pierre Wight group so we would probably visit again next time we are in the area.

The tap house in Nottingham City centre www.thetaphousenotts.co.uk,is a recently opened pub and eatery located in the former Paul Smith store on Byard lane,in fact it was Paul Smiths first ever shop.The shop has been transformed and opened as a self serve craft beer bar,allowing customers to choose from over 20 craft beers,lagers,ciders and natural wine and pour them yourself.

On entering the premises you are invited to buy a tab card (£2 refundable deposit) on which you then add funds of your choice,on our visit I put on £10 as a start.Then choose a beer (they are all neatly lined up around the premises),pick a glass,insert your tab card and choose between a third or half a pint and pour away.Not sure what the old school beer aficionados think of this idea but i thought it was great.The credit left on your card has no expiry date so no need to worry about spending everything in one visit.

There was food available on our visit,but this was limited to just pizza.We chose just to have a couple of drinks so didn’t sample any food but it did look delicious. We will certainly be back in the near future (we’ll i do need to spend my credit) .

Around 8 years ago my mother and my 2 brothers and me decided to purchase an apartment in Spain.All the research was done by my eldest brother,we opted for Gary as he already owned an apartment in Spain and was the obvious choice as he had the experience.The area was always going to be in close proximity to his recently acquired apartment for family holiday purposes.It took around 8 months from start to finish for the purchase and soon we were proud owners of a Spanish holiday home.At the beginning we decided just to use it between close family for free,and let a few close friends have holidays there for a small charge to cover fees,but the interest in it as a holiday apartment grew and grew so we came to the decision of renting to a wider clientele. At first this was great,but never underestimate the power of TripAdvisor, a couple of issues arose after a few months (nothing major,all could have been worked out) but these issues escalated quickly due to hastily written bad reviews on the internet.Now there’s nothing wrong with constructive criticism but these reviews were obviosly written on the spare of the moment and tended to exaggerate the faults without any thought to the consequences of the owners.We were new to the rental market and didnt have the experience to deal with them properly (we were trying to put things right from another country,and this was a big stumbling block).So we draughted in a contract cleaning firm and the owners of the apartment above us (who actually lived there permanently) were given the job of general managers and key holders,they even volunteered to pick customers up from the airport at a reduced rate of 50% less than a taxi.The TripAdvisor reviews had done the damage and we couldn’t get many bookings,so with a heavy heart we decided to put it up for sale.During the 8 years that we owned the apartment (we do still actually own them,lockdown in Spain has slowed the market to a standstill),my wife and I travelled to the apartment many times and made a few good friends,there was an array of nationalities that owned apartments in the complex and we had some happy times over there.One thing I would say is when you have a holiday home it tends to be the only holiday you choose so we did miss out on some other destinations,but we will certainly make up for it in the coming years.

So down to the beer and wine side of things.With the apartment being located in a predominantly Spanish holiday resort,the bars and restaurants had mostly Spanish speaking customers which me and my wife absolutely loved, traditional Spanish bars and restaurants serving great Spanish food and drink (all at great prices too).I would choose the paella any day of the week (absolutely gorgeous),I’ve never been a fan of lager,but when in Spain as the saying goes try the local brews.Picture the scene,the sun is shining,your sitting outside a bar watching the world go by with an ice cold glass of Spanish beer what’s not to enjoy about that.

There was a few factors about why we decided to sell the apartment, 1.Cost of up keep,2.Tripadvisor,3.Ever changing Spanish rules,4.Nightmare of trying to get a hire car from Alicante airport without fear of being excessively charged,5.Air travel in general (to me as an ordinary passenger it’s not a comfortable travel option),6.Arriving at the apartment in the middle of the night.When the build up to the holiday began deep down in the back of our minds we thought is it worth the hassle.Having said that when you’ve done all the above and settled in,it usually turned into a fabulous holiday.

A Nottingham company that produces some amazing tasting coffee.On any visit to our city centre the first stop before anything else is the superb coffee shop 200 degrees.Originating in Nottingham in 2012 they have gone from strength to strength with now 10 shops spread over the country.The cup of choice is always a cappuccino,absolutely delicious.Always a friendly welcome and great service,me and my wife are true fans of this fine establishment.

A wonderful beer from the superb dancing duck brewery in Derby.dancingduckbrewery.com. This is how its described on their website “An eminently drinkable pale session ale.Subtle malt and floral notes are matched splendidly with citrus hop,rounded off with a slightly dry finish”….Its available in cask and bottle and at 3.9% is very much a session ale.Worth a try any day of the week.

Ingredients (serves 4).

• 450g pork tenderloin (sliced into thick discs.
• 4 rashers streaky bacon (cut into small pieces).
• 300g black pudding (sliced).
• 1 small onion.
• 50g butter.
• 2tbsp plain flour.
• 500ml good quality dry cider.
• 500ml chicken stock.
• 1 tsp mustard powder.
• 100ml cream.
• 1 tsp tomato puree.
• Pinch of salt.
• Pepper.
• Pinch of thyme.
• 1 bay leaf.

Method (sauce).

• In a heavy pan,sweat the chopped onion in the butter until soft,stir in the flour and cook gently for 2 minutes,then slowly stir in the cider and stock a little at a time.
• Cook for 2 or 3 minutes,then add mustard powder,cream, tomato puree, pinch of salt,pepper,thyme and bay leaf and stir.Cook uncovered on a very low heat for 15 minutes,stirring occasionally. Carefully remove the bay leaf and check seasoning.

Meanwhile

• Prepare the kebab skewers starting with a piece of pork followed by a slice of bacon then a ring of black pudding.Repeat along the skewers until full.
• Brush with melted butter,and grill under a fairly high heat turning a few times,until the pork is cooked-approximately right minutes.
• Serve on caramelized apple slices,or apple and potato mash,with a pool of sauce on the side.

Delicious!!!

I’ve always loved the game of cricket,even back to my childhood I enjoyed playing and watching cricket more so than football, which was a bit controversial back then as 99 percent of my school mates were football through and through and if the conversation strayed onto cricket it soon was back on to match of the day. Luckily football was my second choice so I had a good variety of sporty mates.My eldest brother was also an avid cricket fan and even got to play at a decent level,making a few appearances for Derbyshire under 18s.He spent most of his amateur days playing for Eastwood Town and became the youngest player to make an appearance for the first eleven.I spent many a Saturday and Sunday down at the ground watching Eastwood play.When I reached my teens I plucked up the courage to go for a trial to play for the newly formed Eastwood under 16s,there was around 30 young kids waiting in the wings to show the coaches what they had to offer and I was very nervous as the only experience I really had was playing on the local park,with my brother and his cricket buddies.The first session went quite well and because my brother played in the first team I think I got selected in the 16 man squad due to him being part of the “family”,as you read on you will realise why.Now to the bad bit.The year was 1978 and I was 13 years of age and the long established players of Eastwood were sensing a bit of a competition for their place in the team.The atmosphere at the training sessions was horrible and after finishing each session and walking home I was almost in tears and muttering to myself I’m not going back ever again,but I enjoyed cricket so much that I soon snapped out of it and back I was next time suffering the same indignity as before. Luckily my brother was now a well established player at the club and a great opening batsman breaking records for most runs,highest opening partnerships etc,so he looked after me and stopped the bullying towards me by threatening to quit the club many times if things didn’t change.How the club worked was like this “the Chairman”(who we will not name) was absolutely in charge,nobody would question his motives.His son was the first team captain,his other son was the Sunday team captain,his 1st grandson was under 18 captain and his second grandson was the newly formed under 16 captain.Im not saying they were bad players,as it happens they were all pretty decent players,but a family of team captains was a bit of “nepotism” in my book.My cricket career was very short lived making perhaps 5 or 6 appearances for the under 16s when I decided that the club was very much a family and friends affair and i was better off playing for a different team.Again my eyes were opened when I attended a few selection processes for a few other local teams,they were all run in the very same fashion and my cricket career was over.Some people over the years have suggested that maybe I wasn’t good enough to play at that standard and the coaches were only doing what they did for the club to survive at the top level,looking back at those times makes me think maybe they are correct but the way I look at it is that the cricket club was a very close knit family and any outsiders threatening the positions of the old guard were stopped in their tracks as soon as possible.

All that said I do still love the game and go to spectate as much as possible, which brings me to the drinking of beer at the games.As you all know I love a pint or two,but going to a cricket game is a disappointing drinking scenario for me.The bars around the ground typically have 3 different draught beers on offer “a lager” “a bitter” and “a cider” sometimes Guiness is available,all in a horrible plastic cup prepoured 10 minutes before you’ve asked for it and a lot of it spilled down the waste pipe,and to top it off the price is around £2 more than my local pub.I took my son as a treat to a 20/20 game recently and whilst we were there met up with a couple of mates,and after a bit of a review of the game next morning realised that I had spent £48 on two rounds of drinks (£6 per drink).Because it was a treat for my son and I had invited my friends all the drinks were purchased by me so including 2 tickets,beer,a couple of trays of scolding hot chips,transport and a programme the 3 hours of cricket cost in excess of £100.Happy days…….