"Beer of the Festival" awards

As some of you may have gathered, from a comment made in the last paragraph of my previous post, West Kent CAMRA hit the road again yesterday in order to present another brewery with an award picked up at last October’s Spa Valley Railway Beer Festival. We actually visited two breweries;  Downland, who won the award  and Dark Star, who are based about 15 minutes drive away. The latter had extended an open invitation for us to tour their brewery so, whilst we were in the area, it made sense to visit them alongside Downland, and we actually called in at Dark Star first.

I will be writing about these visits in greater detail, later on, but it’s useful to know that yesterday’s day out, along with the previous Saturday’s trip to London, was the branch’s way of saying “thank-you” to the many volunteers who helped out at the SVR Festival; without whose assistance the festival could not have taken place. Using these “thank-you” trips as an opportunity to present the winning breweries with their awards, made perfect sense, and gave attendees the chance to view the breweries for themselves, and to meet some of the people involved.

As one of the helpers at the festival, I went along for the ride, as it is always good to experience the wide variety of brewing operations which exist in southern England today. Apart from choosing a handful of beers from London, the SVR Festival deliberately confines itself to beers from the south-east corner of the country. This not only helps to keep costs down, but also gives festival goers the opportunity to try beers they may not have come across before, but which are nevertheless available in their own region.

So I am quite comfortable in going along on these trips, as I am obviously pleased that the individual breweries did well. I also fully appreciate that these awards mean a great deal to the individuals concerned. What I am a lot less comfortable about is the process by which winners of  the Beer of the Festival Competition are selected; not just at our own but at other CAMRA events as well.

To elaborate, how is it possible to single out any one beer from the myriad of different styles, strengths and flavours amongst the large number on sale at your typical CAMRA festival? For example, how could you choose between a well-hopped, aromatic pale ale or a rich dark and fruity winter ale, given that both these complete opposites are presented in first class condition?

Winning “Beer of the Festival” is often little more than a lottery, in a contest which is anything but objective. If proof were needed, just look at the number of times a new brewery “start up”  wins this award at a local festival.

Bill Bailey has just installed a brewery in his garage or shed, and the local CAMRA committee is understandably keen to get hold of his beer for their forthcoming festival. Come the event, local branch members are keen to try the new beer. They all think it’s wonderful and Bill’s beer is the first to run out. The beer is fresh in everyone’s minds,  they all thought it was great, so come competition time, they all vote for it, and it wins the top award.

The following year, Bill’s beer is again on sale at the branch festival, but another brewer has appeared on the scene, and the whole scenario repeats itself. This this time though, it is Fred’s beer or Angie’s, which is on everyone’s radar, and sometimes it doesn’t even matter if it is inferior in comparison to last year’s winner. Because it is different and something new, people’s minds tend to become focussed on it and because of this increased awareness they all vote for it.

I can, say hand on heart, that I have never voted for any beer in any championship, or other awards,  organised by CAMRA. This is not some “holier than thou” stance; it is more a question of me having been round the block enough times to have observed these contests with the cold eye of detachment. “Beer of the Festival” is often nothing more than a lottery, where it is down to pure chance, and total randomness as to which beers win; or it is a re-run of the scenario just described above.

To add balance to the debate, CAMRA’s national festivals (GBBF and Winter Ales Festival), get round the problem of trying to compare, and judge, totally different beer styles, by having separate categories (mild, bitter, best bitter, golden ale, strong ale, porter, stout, barley wine etc), but this is not the case with smaller festivals. So, whilst it seems almost mandatory to run some type of “Beer of the Festival” competition, is there any real benefit in this, or is it just a case of going through the motions?

You could argue that these types of competition are just a bit of fun, but if this is the case, why does CAMRA attach so much importance to them? As proof of the latter CAMRA provides a service whereby branches can order certificates for whichever sort of award they wish to commemorate; “Beer of the Festival”, “Pub of the Year”, “Runner-up” in these categories etc. My own branch of course, takes advantage of this, and with a little forward planning we can order whatever certificate we wish; all we have to do is provide the frame and these can be picked up now in most Pound Shops for next to nothing.

I suspect CAMRA views these competitions and their attendant awards as a useful campaigning tool, which also provides the campaign with some welcome publicity. Winning these awards also represents an important achievement for the breweries concerned; so why deny them their place in the sun?

The answer is not to deny them, but instead to take them with a hefty pinch of salt and, if they provide the opportunity to forge closer links between the award winners and CAMRA, then that can only be a good thing.

I enjoyed yesterday’s trip, but for me it was a lot more than “just a ride”, with the chance of a few free beers thrown in. Instead it was the perfect opportunity to once again enjoy the company of friends and fellow branch members by spending a day out in the lovely countryside in the vicinity of the South Downs. To me these things are far more important than any award; but then I am not a commercial brewer, and neither am I a CAMRA committee member.

London brewery visits - Part Two - By The Horns Brewery

If Kew Brewery was compact, crowded and slightly chaotic, By The Horns Brewery was the complete opposite. The brewery is situated on  an industrial park, just off Garratt Lane, in the Summerstown area of South-West London, between Earlsfield and Tooting. It was founded in 2011 by Alex Bull and Chris Mills, and whilst it is still on the same site, the brewery has expanded into adjoining units on either side of the original.

Sharing the site with the brewery, is a tap-bar, open from Thursday through to Saturday, and a bottle shop,  open from Monday to Saturday. There is also a  function room, plus additional storage facilities. So all in all somewhat different from Kew Brewery, but despite the expansion experienced over the past six years, the brewery might still have to relocate to even larger premises, such is the demand for its beers.

All this is good news for local beer lovers, and By The Horns seems very much a part of the local community. Several of the beers have a London-themed name, and these include Diamond Geezer, Lambeth Walk, 2 Tone London Lager and Wolfie Smith. The later of course, is a reference to the 70’s sitcom, "Citizen Smith", which starred Robert Lindsay in the role of the self-styled Marxist leader of the Tooting Popular Front.

We arrived at By The Horns at around 4pm; after leaving the Express Tavern in Brentford, where we had stopped for lunch. Our journey involved taking a train from Kew Bridge to Clapham Junction, and then taking another for just one stop down the line to Earlsfield. It was then a short bus ride to Summerstown, although we could have walked it, as our chairman Craig and his son James did.

I know Earlsfield quite well; the result of a romantic attachment, back in my student days, to a girl who came from the area. Her parents lived locally, and I have fond  memories of Sunday lunchtimes spent at the Leather Bottle, in Garratt Lane, knocking back pints of Young’s Ordinary or Special. I saw the pub from the bus window, as we journeyed along towards Summertown, and had time allowed, it would have been good to call in to see what the Leather Bottle is like, 35 years on.

The brewery tap was ticking over nicely when we arrived, but we were earlier than expected, and  our hosts weren’t quite ready for us. Instead we ordered ourselves a beer each. There were three cask beers on sale, plus 11 craft-keg offerings. I went for a pint of the 3.8% ABV Stiff Upper Lip, a cask pale ale.

I don’t remember that much about the brewery tour and accompanying talk. I had stopped taking notes by then, and I confess I wasn’t overly interested in technical data, such as brewing capacity etc. I didn’t even note the name of the brewer who showed us round; but neither, it appears, did anyone else, as despite posing the question amongst our WhatsApp group, I drew a complete blank.

The presentation of the runner’s up certificate was made after the tour, and this took place outside for photogenic reasons.  I remained outside  afterwards, enjoying the fresh air and the sunshine. I parked myself at one of the bench-style tables and sat there finishing my beer. The combination of an early start, a busy day, lots of good beer and the warmth of the spring sunshine, was sufficient to send me to sleep. I don’t know how long I dozed for, but I don’t think anyone missed me; certainly no-one came looking! I awoke with a start, and after getting my bearings, wandered back inside to find my friends.

Deciding that more beer was in order, I opted for a three glass “tasting bat”, and selected Sour to the People (another "Citizen Smith" reference),  2 Tone London Lager and Lambeth Walk London Porter.  I enjoyed them all, including the Sour beer, but by the time I’d finished most of  the group were getting restless, and the consensus was we should start making our way back into central London.

We thanked our hosts and retraced our footsteps back to Waterloo. Several people wanted to visit the Waterloo Tap, so I tagged along. I didn’t really need any more beer, but I was curious to see what the place was like, and it was pleasant sitting inside the large railway arch, which is home to the Tap, watching the world go by outside, through the large, plate glass windows.

Waterloo Tap

A glass of 11º Bernard Lager 3.8% ABV, from the Czech Republic, was both refreshing and sufficient to keep me hydrated. The drinking rate of most of the group had also slowed down, so we made our way back to Waterloo East for the train home.

It was an interesting and most enjoyable day out, and this coming Saturday we are due to do it all again; with a further two brewery trip to hand out certificates for awards picked up at the Spa Valley Railway Beer Festival. The journey this time will be by mini-bus, so keep an eye out for details of yet another beery day out.

The Express Tavern - Kew Bridge

The Express Tavern, at Kew Bridge, was the ideal place to stop for a spot of lunch on last Saturday’s somewhat frenetic tour of south-west London. Our tour organiser had not only chosen wisely, but had done his homework by pre-arranging our stopover at the pub. The result being that we arrived to find the back room reserved for our party, and the tables laid out ready for dinner.

This was my first visit to the Express, although I have driven past it on a number occasions, in a previous life. I had done a little research of my own, by looking at the pub’s website, prior to our visit, and must admit I liked what I saw. I considered the menu, and selected several options which took my fancy. I was also impressed by the photos, which showed that the pub had retained much of what must be its original Victorian interior.

The Express Tavern is described by WhatPub, as a friendly free house, which is  thought to date from the 1860s. It has thus been a local landmark for more than 200 years.  The pub reopened  in September 2014, following redecoration and some tlc. There are two drinking areas, plus a rear dining room. The smaller of the two bars is on the right, and boasts 10 hand pumps, whilst the larger Saloon and Lounge bar  on the left, has five ciders/perries on hand-pump.

The pub is actually in Brentford, although Kew Bridge is the nearest station. We arrived by train, fresh from our visit to Kew Brewery,  and then walked the short distance along to the Express Tavern. I hung back and crossed the busy main road, so as to get some good photos of the pub, and seeing it from the outside confirmed my memory of having driven past when I was working in Hounslow, during the early 1980’s, whilst on secondment from my company in Tonbridge.

An enjoyable lunch

Hanging back, and letting my friends and CAMRA colleagues go in first, had the advantage that most had ordered their beer by the time I strolled in. I therefore had a clear view of the bar, and the selection of  ten different ales to choose from.  I started off with a pint of Daymer Extra Pale 3.8% ABV from  the Harbour Brewery Company. I’ve had good  experiences in the past from this Cornish brewer, and I wasn’t disappointed this time round.

I joined the rest of the party, most of whom were already sat down at the largest of the reserved tables, and were busy perusing the menu. The pie of the day had already caught my eye, and a friend, who knowing my preference for a “proper pie”, had already asked the waitress as to whether the pie had the right “credentials”. Fortunately she confirmed that the meat and gravy filling was indeed completely encased in pastry, and that Saturday’s variety was steak and ale. I duly ordered, selecting mash, rather than chips, to go with my pie.

Before the food arrived I made a trip to the bar, and ordered a couple of halves; Mad Squirrel London Porter 5.0 % ABV and an old favourite from the past – Draught Bass. The Bass was very good, and I’m pleased to report that I wasn’t the only person to go for it. Given the Red Triangle and the words “Draught Bass” in large letters, along the frontage of the building, I thought it only appropriate that we should be drinking this once legendary beer.

As I said at the beginning, the Express Tavern was an excellent pub for lunch, and it was also a real delight to the eye. The character of this lovely old Victorian building has been maintained, and original features such as the old fireplace and bar counter have not only been kept, but have been restored so as to display them at their best.

I am really glad that we stopped there, and I highly recommend a visit should you find yourself in the Kew Bridge/Brentford area of west London.

London brewery visits - Part One Kew Brewery

CAMRA Brewery visit - or pensioners' day out?

For anyone who enjoys good beer, what could be better than a brewery visit? Two brewery visits, perhaps? This was exactly what my local West Kent CAMRA Branch had organised for Saturday 29^th April, when a group of 15 of us travelled up to London in order to visit the Kew Brewery and also the By The Horns Brewery.

Both breweries had picked up awards at last year’s Spa Valley Railway Beer Festival; the event which is run jointly between ourselves and the Heritage Railway. Kew Brewery were awarded “Beer of the Festival” for  their Nightshade Porter, whilst By The Horns were runners up with their Old Smoked Tea Bitter.

It has become something of a tradition for the branch to visit those breweries which pick up an award at our festival, although preference is understandably given to those who worked at the event, or contributed to its success in other ways. Previous years have seen us making trips to Tillingbourne, Caveman and Black Cat breweries; although in the latter case, they ended up coming to us.

Our branch chairman arranged the visits, whilst our recently resigned social secretary (who still seems lumbered with the job), handled the logistics. The latter were slightly complicated in so much that they involved sorting out a suitable route which would allow us to visit both breweries, and also allow time for a spot of lunch in between. There was also the matter of train and bus times and, in the case of the latter, what particular bus route we needed to take.

By taking advantage of a London Travelcard, we were able to journey up to the capital, by train from West Kent (either Tunbridge Wells or Tonbridge), change trains, then hop on and off the relevant buses. Those of us above certain age and in possession of a Senior Railcard, were able to do this for the princely sum of £13.25, which was an absolute bargain given the amount of travelling we did.

So it was train to Waterloo East, then a short walk across to Waterloo mainline, followed by a train to Barnes. It was then a ride on the No. 33 bus through East Sheen in the direction of Kew. I must admit I would have walked straight past the brewery, as it is housed behind an anonymous looking shop front. Fortunately a couple of sharp-eyed individuals noticed the pallet leaning against the window, along with the boxes of bottled beers stacked the other side.

Kew's Dave Scott (right) receives his award from WK Chairman Craig

We were met by brewer and owner Dave Scott, who was expecting us, and ushered inside. There was only just enough room for us all to squeeze in amongst the fermenting vessels, stacks of boxes, casks and key-kegs, but we just about managed it. After a short welcome and introductory talk, Dave got straight down to the nitty-gritty. He rightly assumed, quite rightly,  that we would be thirsty after our journey, and with not much to look at in the way of brewing equipment, he told us there were two draught beers available for us to try, plus some bottles in the fridge for those wishing to sample something different.

There was a small pin (4.5 gallons) of Join the Kew; a 5.9% ABV IPA, plus on keg, Nightshade Chilli Porter 4.5% ABV. The latter was the beer which scooped the top award at our festival. I tried both beers, I found them equally enjoyable. Some members thought the Porter was on the cold side, which is because it was dispensed through one of those portable keg machines which are an increasing common feature at craft beer events. The unit does chill the beer prior to dispense, but I didn’t have a problem with this.

Kew Brewery is an award-winning new craft brewery, less than a mile from, and inspired by, the world-famous gardens at Kew. The company’s aim is simple – to make great tasting beer as sustainably as possible.

The brewery is owned by Dave Scott and his wife Rachel, both of whom are long-term Kew residents.  Brewing started in May 2015, so the brewery is now approaching its second anniversary. Head Brewer Dave hails from Kent, and had previously worked at Weird Beard Brew Co , as well as helping out at two breweries in Kent; Old Dairy Brewery and Canterbury Brewers.

Dave has created a strong and varied core range of beers at Kew, with occasional unexpected twists inspired by nature. He told us that he wants the brewery to act as a showcase English hops, in order to demonstrate they can compete with New World hops for both  flavour and aroma; if used the right way and in the right quantities. What few of us realised is the wide variety of new breeds of English hops which have been developed in recent years, and which are now coming onto the market.

Beer of the festival

All of Kew’s beers are unfiltered and unfined, keeping them as natural and  flavoursome as possible. With the exception of the milk stout, they are suitable for vegans. Dave did say that even if he were to fine his beers, the high-levels of dry-hopping, would almost certainly interfere with the action of the finings, and in many instances, the beer would still end up hazy.

We didn’t really see much of the brew-kit, which was behind the shop section, in what appeared to be an integral garage unit. A couple of colleagues and I walked through for a look, but like the rest of the set up it was very cluttered. I have to admit that the whole brewery was not at all what I was expecting, and without wishing to appear unkind, it did seem slightly chaotic. However, I’m sure Dave is in control and knows where everything is.

Several other members present were no doubt thinking the same, when they asked him about plans for expansion, and somewhere with more space. Dave replied that he would obviously like more room to manoeuvre, but industrial units in the locality were few and far between. He didn’t want to move out of the immediate area, as the name Kew Brewery, and its connections with the local area, were very important.

I’m not quite sure what time we left. A few brave souls were getting stuck into some of the bottles, but I quite wisely bought a few to take home with me. There was another brewery to visit, and a pub lunch in between as well, so I didn’t want to overdo things. Dave  was obviously pleased with his award, and we enjoyed meeting him and tasting some of Kew Brewery’s products. We thanked him for his hospitality and retraced our bus journey back to Barnes station, for the next stage of the day.

There will be a couple of additional posts to cover this, but on the way back a few of us had a chat about Dave and his situation with Kew Brewery. Whilst appreciating the importance of his connection with the local area, some of us thought he could perhaps relocate elsewhere, but keep the shop and expand that side of the business as well. That way he would have a guaranteed outlet for his beers, and still maintain the company’s links with Kew. 

We all wished him well, as it must be both lonely and vulnerable running an operation like this on his own. His father helps out with the odd delivery, with a wife  who has both a full time job, plus a young family to look after, it can’t be easy.

Having run my own off-licence business for six years, I know that it’s easy to feel isolated at times. However, with a shop I got to serve a variety of different customers every day, so still maintained social contact with the outside world.  Running a brewery single-handed takes a special type of person, so I take my hat off to Dave.

What I will say is do look out for Kew Brewery’s beers. They are available in cask, key-keg and bottle and, as mentioned earlier, they have impeccable green credentials. What’s more they are bittered entirely with English hops, and as someone who lives in a hop-growing part of the country, that's very important.

Ely - the main event

As promised here is the write-up about last Friday evening, which I spent in the lovely little city of Ely with local blogger Retired Martin and Mrs RM acting as my two guides.

It’s always difficult arranging to meet people when you don’t know what they look like, so not having seen any photos of Retired Martin or his good lady wife, I was at a bit of a loss as the agreed hour of our rendezvous approached. I had taken refuge in the saloon bar of the Red  Lion at Stretham, as it was much quieter, and less crowded, than the adjoining main bar.

As luck would have it, it was Martin who recognised me – probably from a photo on my blog, so after a quick introduction I followed him through into the other bar, where Mrs RM had managed to find a table, and was also waiting to meet me. The Marstons Pedigree was on good form, but as the pub's of Ely beckoned we drank up fairly quickly before getting into the car and driving the short distance into Ely.

We parked in the large and free central municipal car park, and then walked the short distance to the heart of the town. Before going any further, I must say I am impressed with the free parking, which seems to be a feature of many East Anglian towns. Dereham, where my sister lives, offers the same facilities, and I just wish our cash-strapped councils in the south east would take note. Offering free parking not only attracts more visitors to a town, but also encourages them to stay longer. (End of rant!)

It was a pleasant evening; albeit a little chilly, but with the light still holding, it was ideal for a walk down through the park next to cathedral and down towards the River Ouse. Having admired the various narrow boats and other floating attractions, we headed back towards the city centre, walking back up the hill towards the High Street.

Here we stopped for first pint of the evening in the excellent Drayman’s Son. Converted from a former hardware store, the Drayman's is definitely one of best micro pubs I've been in. Reasonably spacious and bright and airy, the pub is on two levels; just take care on the steps back down from the serving area! The latter is situated at the rear of the pub, close to the temperature controlled room at the back, where the beer and ciders are kept. As I discovered, after ordering and paying at the bar, the beer is brought over to you.at your table; how about that for service?

I have mixed feelings about micro's, and indeed share some of the concerns raised by the Pub Curmudgeon on his recent post, but rather than being packed full of middle-aged blokes, there was a good mix of clientele in the pub, which included a healthy number of young people and women. I, of course, am now starting to fall into the older male category, but I am still very young at heart.

There was a good range of beer, both cask and craft, on tap, along with ciders and wines. I also understand that the Drayman's stocks the local artisan Ely Gin. Mrs RM and I enjoyed a half of Hell Hound Brewery, Lil Devil IPA; described as "blonde and heavily hopped". At 5.9%, it certainly fitted the bill. I can't remember what Martin had, but it must have been something with a much lower gravity, as he was driving.

I really liked the Drayman's and it is definitely the sort of place I would like to return to, but there were other pubs to visit, so we took our leave and walked up the hill, passing both the marketplace and the cathedral, which was now on our left hand side. We were making for the Prince Albert, which is one of Ely's current GBG entries. It is a traditional town-centre pub,  with the  two areas at the front given over to drinking, and a more comfortable section, which includes a restaurant, at the rear.

The Prince Albert is owned by Greene King, but also offers a good range of guest beers; some of which were a little on the pricey side. Martin went for the XX Mild, which he said was excellent, whilst I opted for a beer from Milton Brewery. It may have been Sparta, but unfortunately I didn't make a note of it. What I do remember was the £4.00 a pint price tag. Milton are based in nearby Waterbeach, but according to Martin struggle to get their beers into local pubs, because they can't compete with the discounts offered by some of the bigger boys.

Our final stop of the evening was the Fountain; a solid  looking 19th Century, brick-built, corner  pub. The Fountain is close to the Porta Gatehouse, which we had walked through earlier, and I recall Martin saying something about a nearby college as well. Inside the pub is nicely laid out, with good beer, and with no noisy jukebox, offers good conversation plus a good atmosphere.

No longer in the Guide, the beer range at the Fountain was rather more limited, but the Adnam’s Southwold was in excellent form as I gather, so was the Ghost Ship. Poor Martin had switched to water by this time, so it seemed a little unfair to start enthusing about the beer. We noticed the pub's clientele was young and mainly female in nature, which might  have had something  to do with the nearby college.

The evening was drawing to a close, so we left the Fountain and headed back to the car, passing on the way the attractive half-timbered house which once belonged to the Lord Protector of England -  Oliver Cromwell. Martin and his wife then drove me back to Stretham and dropped me off at the Red Lion.

It had been an excellent evening and I really enjoyed their company. I can safely say we all got on well, which is always a bonus when people meet for the first time. We exchanged notes about our respective families, and it seems we have much in common with each other, but there was one thing I particularly wanted to ask Martin and it was how did he find the time to output such a prolific number of posts?

He told me that it was mainly by working late. I had visions of him carrying a laptop or tablet  on his travels, but it turns out that he takes notes on his phone, and then writes everything up when he gets home. As he said to me, tapping stuff out on a phone is far less conspicuous, and attracts far less attention than sitting there scribbling  away in a notebook. I certainly intend to follow his tip, especially as I have received some strange looks when I've been spotted taking notes in a pub.

It was really good to meet up with Martin and his wife, and we have arranged a return match in Tonbridge, for when Fuggles opens in the town. This should be sometime in June, and I am pleased to report that work is continuing apace to transform the former flooring shop at the north end  of the High Street, into a much needed decent watering hole for the town.

The following morning I drove back into Ely, parked up and took a more leisurely look round the city. I also  managed to photograph the Prince Albert and the Fountain in daylight. I visited the excellent market selling all sorts of goodies, and saw that the artisan gin shop, which was closed the previous evening, was now open. I didn’t peak inside, but I did take a quick peak in the cathedral.
 
Afterwards it was time to hit the road and head off towards Dereham, stopping briefly en route at Beers of Europe to pick up some bottles for my "smoke beer" fix.

To Ely at last

I had wanted to visit Ely for a long time, ever since I first caught a glimpse of the city’s magnificent cathedral through a train window. This would have been twenty or so years ago, back in the day when my wife and I, along with our five-year old son, journeyed up to Norfolk to visit my parents.

Mum and dad had recently moved to the county, from Kent, following my father’s retirement. Money was a little tight back then, and it made sense for us to take advantage of a deal which was available at the time on the old British Rail Network South East. I can’t remember the exact mechanics of the package, but it worked out quite a bit cheaper letting the train take the strain, rather than driving up to Norfolk and back.

 

Owing to some quirk in the way the rail network had been divided up in pre-privatisation days, Kings Lynn was part of Network South East, whereas Norwich wasn’t. The deal therefore applied to the former destination, but not to the latter. My parents lived roughly halfway between the two places, so dad was quite happy to drive over to Kings Lynn and meet us off the train, and it was from one of these trains, on the journey up to Lynn that I had my first glimpse of Ely. The view across the river, towards the cathedral, with its majestic looking "lantern", was particularly enthralling, and  I decided there and then that I should one day like to visit Ely.

Little did I realise that it would be twenty plus years before that desire was achieved, but the seeds of an idea to stop off in the city, were first sown towards the end of last year. My son and I had spent the weekend in Norwich, a stay which of course included a visit to see my father. I had decided to travel back by a different route, because I wanted to call in at the Beers of Europe warehouse, to the south of Kings Lynn, in order to stock up on some beers for Christmas.

Mission accomplished, we headed south on the A10, through the flat, but fertile Fenlands, in the direction of home. There, looming up on the horizon, was the unmistakable sight of Ely cathedral, and before long, we found ourselves approaching the city. The sat-nav didn’t take us right into the centre; steering us in the direction of Newmarket and the M11, but we saw enough to rekindle my long and almost forgotten desire to visit Ely.

I decided to put my plan into action on my most recent trip, especially as this time I would be travelling alone. Ely, or the immediate environs, would be a convenient stopping off place on a journey up to Norfolk, as it is roughly two thirds of the way there. By staying there for the night, I could then continue my journey the following day, and would have more time to spend with my family (my youngest sister also lives in Norfolk). All I needed to do was to find a suitable place to lay my head for the night.

Finding a bed and breakfast place which offers parking in a town or city, can sometimes be problematic, so instead I opted for a room at the Red Lion pub in the village of Stretham; just over four miles from Ely. All I needed now were some recommended pubs to visit.

A request for  suitable recommendations on local blogger, retiredmartin’s site yielded an even better response than I was looking for, as it turned out Martin would be at home that weekend, and suggested meeting up. I was lucky to catch Martin on home turf, as he is a prolific traveller and writer. Since retiring, he has set himself the task of visiting all the new entries in the current CAMRA Good Beer Guide. I think he may have done this last year as well, but I forgot to ask him.

As might be imagined, the new entries to the Guide occur all over the country, so Martin, and sometimes his wife as well, is often away from home visiting far-flung and obscure corners of the British Isles, as well as towns which some people might not even know existed. The write-ups on his travels and pub findings which Martin posts on his excellent retiredmartin blog, come thick and fast, but are essential reading for anyone with an appreciation of pub life in 21^st Century Britain. What makes Martin’s posts even more appealing is the inclusion of the odd off-beat or indeed out and out quirky fact about the towns and villages he visits.

I was  therefore doubly pleased to receive an email from Martin a few days before my trip, stating that he and his wife would pick me up from the Red Lion and then drive us to Ely, where we would be able to enjoy a few of the city’s choicest pubs. So that Friday evening the three of us met up, as arranged, and set off to enjoy Ely, but for details of how we got on, and for information on the pubs we visited, I'm afraid you will have to wait for the next post.

The Blue Ball Inn - Grantchester

Regular readers of this blog will be aware that I’m a fairly frequent visitor to Norfolk. I have been making the journey to this northernmost part of East Anglia primarily for family reasons; in fact ever since my parents first retired to the county 23 years ago.

The frequency of visits has increased over the years, and although they have been scaled back somewhat in more recent times, I’ve completely lost count of the number of occasions I’ve driven up and down the M11 and the A11. I feel that I know every inch of both roads, and whilst on a good run, I can accomplish the journey in just over two and a half hours, it is still a tiring and rather monotonous trip.

One way to break up the journey is to stop off at a decent country pub, and I have started doing this as and when my schedule allows. Wherever possible I have selected pubs which feature on CAMRA’s Pub Heritage Website of Historic Pub Interiors, and finding my way to some of these historic gems has been made easier by the purchase of a sat-nav for the car.

I have to admit I was dead against these devices at first, having always prided myself on my map-reading abilities, but when driving alone I found it increasingly difficult  to keep one eye on the map and both eyes on the road! I succumbed a couple of birthdays ago, and can now safely navigate to the most remote and tucked away places, without risking life and limb.

On last weekend’s trip to East Anglia, I selected a pub called the Blue Ball Inn, from the Heritage Pub website for a lunchtime stop. The pub is situated in the village of Grantchester, just outside Cambridge, and is just a short hop from the M11.

I won’t dwell on the village’s connections with the well-known poem, “The Old Vicarage, Grantchester”, by Rupert Brooke, (“Stands the Church clock at ten to three? And is there honey still for tea?”), but I will make special mention of the latter day writer, and musician Roger Waters, who wrote and performed the song “Grantchester Meadows” which appears on the classic Pink Floyd album, Ummagumma.

From its location on the edge of the village, the Blue Ball looks out across Grantchester Meadows; although last Friday lunchtime, the meadows were looking a trifle bleak! According to CAMRA’s WhatPub, there are four pubs in Grantchester, but the Blue Ball is the only one to feature on the Heritage Pub list, by virtue of it having a historic pub interior of regional importance. The pub retains its original two-bar layout along with many old fittings; and with no TV or  gaming machines,  good beer and good conversation are very much the order of the day.

The current owner is a former regular, who purchased it from a Pub Company, and then carried out some essential repairs and sympathetic redecoration which manages to retain the pub's charm. Bed and breakfast accommodation and new toilets, have been added, along with a modest expansion of the bar area, achieved by opening up a room behind the serving area. The garden has also been extended, but I didn’t venture outside, owing to the unseasonably cold weather.  

I arrived at the Blue Ball shortly after 3pm; my journey having been delayed by at least half an hour due to slow moving traffic on the approach to the Dartford Crossing. I managed to pull in and park on the road directly outside the pub; there being no separate car-park as such. Apart from the landlord who was tapping away on his laptop in the smaller right-hand bar, I was the only customer.  There was a choice of either Adnam’s Southwold or Woodforde’s Wherry. I opted for the former, and it was in superb condition, rating a score of 4 on the NBSS. Looking back, I possibly underscored it, as with hindsight it deserved a 4.5!

I knew I would be eating that evening, so I ordered a ham-salad roll, complete with homemade piccalilli. There was a very pleasant and chatty young girl behind the bar, who told me of her existence as an almost perpetual traveller. She was home visiting her parents, who live nearby, but was cursing the fact she had cancelled a trip to Singapore, due to the weather being so warm in England.

That was a couple of weeks ago, and on Friday it was anything but warm. The landlord remarked that he was tempted to light the fire, but as the pub’s stock of logs had been exhausted, he would have to use coal. I must admit to feeling quite envious of the barmaid’s ability to hop on a plane and jet off somewhere exotic, with hardly a moment’s notice, and with just a couple of years left on the mortgage, I trust it won’t be too long before I am following her example.

But back to reality, I had a journey to complete and whilst it was tempting to stay for another swift half, I decided to press on, but not before mine host had told me to watch out for the Blue Ball on a forthcoming episode of the T.V. show, “Grantchester”. I had to look the latter up online, when I go to my overnight destination, but I now know it is an amateur detective series, set in the 1950’s.

I was sorry to be departing from such a fine old pub, and I’m sure that if I lived locally, I would almost certainly be a regular there. A pub doesn’t need to offer a vast  range of beers to make it a place I would wish to drink in; neither does it need to offer something totally obscure. The choice of the two, well-kept, locally brewed beers, would be enough to encourage my custom; as would the pleasant décor and unspoilt surroundings of a traditional village boozer, such as this.

I learned from the barmaid that I had arrived during a traditionally quiet period, and that come five o’clock, the pub would soon be filling up. If you find yourself heading in the direction of Cambridge or, like me, you are just passing through, then I can thoroughly recommend calling in at the Blue Ball, as I promise you will not be disappointed.