It’s been a weekend of unrepentant gluttony and
over-indulgence, with two Christmas meals to get stuck into, but fortunately with
a day off in between them both. Friday evening saw my wife and I attending my company’s
Christmas party, whilst today (Sunday) it was West Kent CAMRA’s Christmas meal.
The events were quite contrasting, but both were equally enjoyable in their own
way.
Around 50 of us attended Friday’s event, but the Jug is a
pub which has been greatly extended over the years, and thus had no trouble in
accommodating not just our group, but several others as well. The food, the
service and the presentation were faultless, and even the beer, in the form of
Larkins Traditional, was ok, but half-way through the meal I switched to wine
anyway, so the limited beer selection did not pose a problem. Food wise I went
for a non-traditional option in the form of fish stew and lobster bisque, which
was excellent. (One can definitely have too much turkey at Christmas!). The wine, in the
form of a full-bodied Spanish red, was also very good; too good in fact as my
aching head testified the following morning!
Sunday’s meal took place at the Windmill, at Sevenoaks Weald, and was a complete contrast with six cask ales on offer. Four of them were local, plus two from further a field, and all were very reasonably
priced. With the exception of the Larkins Traditional, which was replaced later
on, I worked my way up through the gravities, starting with Dark Star Darkness
and ending up on the superb 7.5% Christmas Ale from Harvey’s.
In between I had Fife & Drum, a 3.8% golden ale from Musket Brewery, one of
Kent’s newest micros,
Trade Winds from Cairngorm Brewery and East Street Cream from RCH.
Food wise I again went for the non-traditional option, this
time choosing the tasty and well-presented pork saltimbocca with potato rosti and creamed spinach. There
were 16 of us in total, a number which filled the dining area at the far end of
the pub virtually to capacity. All in all it was an excellent do; in fact one
of the most enjoyable and best attended Christmas meals the branch has hosted over the years.
So after an indulgent weekend it’s back to work until
Christmas Eve when the festivities, this time, kick off at home. My thanks go out to the
management and staff at both the Little Brown Jug and the Windmill for looking after
us so well over the last couple of days.
2 comments:
"my firm is based, at the local pub the Little Brown Jug" - lucky you; I used to be in an ordinary office block.
Thanks for pointing that one out, Nev. I have amended the text accordingly.
Post a Comment