Back in
April 2023, I wrote a piece about a
McMullen’s pub
that is a short drive from my home.
McMullen & Sons Ltd are a
long-established family brewer, based in
Hertford, the county town of
Hertfordshire. Against the odds, the company has survived into the first quarter
of the 21
st century and is about to enter the second one. Like many
family breweries of a similar age and heritage, the
McMullen’s tied estate is
quite a tight-knit affair, based mainly in
Hertfordshire, whilst touching a few
neighbouring counties, such as
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex,
and
London (mainly north of the Thames).
There are a couple of lone
“outposts” further afield in
Surrey
and
Kent, and seeing as my home is in the latter county, it is the
McMullen’s
pub that I want to write about today, albeit for the second time in 18 months. The
Bullfinch is situated
in the village of
Riverhead, which today forms part of
Sevenoaks.
It is an attractive looking pub which is just a short hop from the massive
Tesco
superstore, just off the
London Road. Formerly owned by
Grand Metropolitan
and listed in a
1993 CAMRA Guide to Kent Pubs as stocking
Websters Yorkshire
Bitter and
Ruddles County, it has been a
McMullen’s pub since
2009. Today the
Bullfinch advertises itself as a
Kent country retreat, offering relaxed country
dining, with a roaring log fire in winter, and a spacious beer garden, for the summer
months.
I’m not sure why this family-owned brewery from
Hertfordshire decided to purchase a pub in
Kent, but Mac’s has certainly proved
a welcome addition to the local beer scene, despite the disdain shown to the
company by a former
West Kent CAMRA branch chairman. I shan’t say too much more, as
the gentleman in question is no longer with us, and it doesn’t do to speak ill
of the dead. We suspect the antipathy expressed by
Scottish Iain dated
back to when he
lived in
Hertfordshire, although strangely enough
he wasn’t the only person I’ve known who wasn’t keen on the company’s beers.
So, what exactly is
Kent’s lone
McMullen’s
outlet like? Surprisingly spacious, is the answer, and judging by the
number of vehicles in the car park, popular too. Following a couple of earlier visits,
I called in at the
Bullfinch a few days after
Christmas 2024, whilst
Mrs PBT’s
picked up some groceries from the nearby
Tesco Superstore. The store was packed
with shoppers presumably stocking up with goodies ahead of the following day’s
New Year’s Eve celebrations, but I knew a crowded store would work to my
advantage, as it would take Eileen much longer to navigate her way around the
store.
“You’ll be grabbing yourself a coffee?” she said.
“Probably”,
was my resply, although the
Costa Coffee outlet, that forms an integral part of the
store, looked as busy as the shop itself. So, after a quickly nodded goodbye, I
headed off to the
Bullfinch, situated on the far side of the
Tesco’s carpark. As
with
Tesco’s, the
Bullfinch was busy, but not so busy that there were no free
tables or seats available. I had already noticed a clip on one of the hand
pulls for
Boot Warmer Winter Ale, a
5.2% seasonal beer, described as dark,
smooth bodied & rich – another one for
Untappd! McMullen’s IPA and
Country
Best Bitter were the cask ales available, along with a beer called
Harlequin,
from the company’s
Rivertown Brewing subsidiary.
In summary, the Bullfinch is a proper pub, with a cosy lounge
bar, a modern and spacious restaurant, with a varied and interesting food
offering, plus McMullen’s beer. It looks a good bet for a reasonably
priced meal, as well as somewhere for meeting up with friends and family.
Definitely worth calling in, if you are in the area, and as an added bonus, the
Bullfinch is an entrant in the 2025 Good Beer Guide, thereby finally burying the
undeserved prejudice of an ex-CAMRA branch chairman.
8 comments:
"The disdain shown to the company" was because they used cask breathers to maintain the quality of their beer !
I used three of their pubs last year, the Cambridge ones with Retired Martin and the Whitehall one that used to be Tim's.
Hi Paul, I went in one of Mac’s Cambridge outlets, the one that used to be a bank – Cambridge Tap. There was no cask available at the time of my visit, May 2022, but there was good food, plus a selection of Rivertown Brewing craft stuff.
I’m presuming the former JDW outlet in Whitehall that you mention, is/was the Lord Moon of the Mall? If so it represents a significant addition to the McMullen’s estate.
To me, these are all signs that Mac’s care about their tied estate, and wish to see it improve, as well as expand.
Paul ,
Hertford's not the sort of place Midlanders tend to get to so I've mainly drunk McMullens in London.
During the 1970s that meant the Admiral Mann, conveniently close to where my brother lived, but then they took back the much more accessible Nags Head in Covent Garden that they'd leased to Whitbread since the 1970s.
I would have used three of their Cheshunt pubs had my stay there not been cancelled by the pandemic.
Cask was on in both the Cambridge pubs last September, lovely AK Mild in the Town and Gown and a Rivertown beer too citrussy for me in the Cambridge Tap.
Yes, the Whitehall one was the Lord Moon of the Mall, much improved now I believe and one of nearly a dozen now on the capital.
Wondered if you'd been there, Paul.
We took my in-laws there a few months back, prompted by the GBG entry. I was driving (as per when we visit Christine's parents!) and we were very impressed. It's a classy place and the food was great. I would have blogged it but turned my phone off to talk to my in-laws.
Yes Martin, at least twice now.
My most recent day in London ( mid November ) involved St Stephens Tavern ( Hall and Woodhouse ), Horse and Guardsman ( McMullen ), Harp ( Harveys ), Chandos ( Sam Smiths ) and Mabels Tavern ( Shepherd Neame ).
Too many Pauls ! Or, perhaps, not enough !
It was the one in Sevenoaks that Kentish Paul just wrote about I also rated highly. Their town centre diners (more diners than dining pubs) have been well done. Perhaps I should do a London McMullens pub crawl. Perhaps...
And further to Kentish Paul's question about the Lord Moon of the Mall, I understand that Wetherspoons were only borrowing it from McMullens who took it back. They certainly own (I presume) some prime property in London for a small Hertford brewer (see also : Sam Smiths).
Martin & Paul, the McMullen's pub on the edge of Sevenoaks, is definitely well worth a visit, and yes it is a diner, rather than a dining pub.
Mac's seem to have some interesting history behind their London pubs. I certainly remember the Nag's Head in Covent Garden and, as you rightly point out Paul, the Admiral Mann in North London, was another pub, of theirs.
Paul's remark that "Hertford isn't the sort of place Midlanders tend to get to", applies equally to Southerners, like me. Much of those counties to the north of the capital, and north of the M25, are unknown to me, but I get the impression that I'm not really missing much. (Waiting now for Martin to tell me that I need to get out more!)
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