Bandit Country - 1066 and all that

On Friday I had the pleasure of accompanying Retired Martin on a trip down to deepest Sussex. Martin was visiting the county in order to complete a couple of GBG "ticks" from the south eastern corner of  Sussex. We had previously discussed the possibility of calling in at the “ancient town of Rye”, in order to visit the Ypres Castle; an unspoilt classic pub, now run by the legendary Jeffery Bell (“Stonch”), Martin decided we could combine the Ypres Castle with his ticking expedition, so on a rather foggy Friday morning, the pair of us headed down to Sussex.

Now Rye is a place well worthy of its own post, so I will write about the town in a separate article, but the two locations we headed for, after leaving Rye, were unknown entities, as far as I am concerned. This may sound strange coming from someone who has spent the majority of the past six and a half decades living in the adjoining county of Kent, but there are parts of East Sussex that are still completely unknown to me despite them being just a short drive away.

One such place is Brede, and that is where we headed for upon leaving Rye. Brede is a small village to the east of Rye, and is named after the river on which it is situated. The Brede is one of three rivers which converge around Rye, the others being the Rother and the Tillingham. The River Brede forms a broad flat valley, known as the Brede Levels which runs between high ground to both the north and the south and as this isolates this part of Sussex from both the routes I normally take on trips to the coast, it is the reason why it remains largely unknown to me.

Martin and I were heading for the Three Legs Brewing Company, whose brewery and recently opened taproom, are situated just outside Broad Oak, a small village just to the north of Brede. The brewery is housed in a small industrial unit on Burnt House Farm with the brewery tap at the front of the building. There are normally four cask ales available on hand pump, and sometimes additional ones direct from the cask. A selection of snacks is offered in the form of cheeses, charcuterie (cured meats) and pickles. Beers are also available for take-away, either in re-usable one litre, swing-top bottles, or pre-filled bottles and cans.

We nearly missed the turning, and swung in quite sharply, but after parking the car, we walked over to the bar, and were greeted by the two friendly fellows behind the bar. We were asked if we wanted to open a tab, but I explained that regrettably we were unable to stay long.

The truth was we had perhaps dallied slightly too long in Rye; although I can think of far worse places to dally. Martin had a drive back to Cambridgeshire to contend with once the pub tickings were over, and being a Friday the traffic was bound to be heavy so, much as we would have liked, we were only able to stay for the one beer. I chose the 4.0% Dark, whilst Martin opted for one of the three IPA’s. (If he reads this, I’m sure he’ll confirm which one).

We sat outside on the bench seating, enjoying the late winter sunshine, although having left my coat in the car, I was slightly optimistic in sitting there in my shirt-sleeves. I bought a couple of bottles before we departed; English IPA 4.5% and Imperial Stout 9.1%. I left my card with the chattier of the two staff (I think his name was Dave), before we set off to drive to Crowhurst, and the final watering hole of the trip.

The only fact I know about Crowhurst is that it’s the third stop before Hastings on the rail line down from Tonbridge. Martin’s sat-nav directed us to the Plough Inn, in the centre of this isolated village, whose main claim to fame was the destruction of the local manor house, by Duke William’s forces shortly before the Battle of Hastings. It wasn’t until carrying out a bit of research for this article, that I discovered those pesky Normans were responsible for a quite a bit of damage in the local area, including the burning of a number of local villages. (Nice people!).

What I found surprising about Crowhurst was the hilly and wooded nature of the surrounding countryside. It certainly seems a strange location for a station, and perhaps a pub.  The Plough Inn is set on a hill, overlooking a dip in the road as it winds back up towards the station, and the remains of the ruined manor house. It is an attractive brick-built  building, said to date from 1805.

It is a free-house and was taken over by its current owners in 2016. They have since set about renovating the pub to a high standard, and have managed to turn its fortunes around. The interior has been opened up to create a large open-plan space, which is perhaps not quite in keeping with character of the building. There is a large wood-burning stove at the far end of the bar, adjacent to a set of patio doors, opening onto with what looks like a patio.

There were four cask ales on from Harvey’s, Long Man, Tonbridge and  A another, but the pub has adopted the idea of identical looking, hand-written, white on black pump-clips, designed to resemble small, circular blackboards, but not particularly legible to those whose eye sight isn’t quite 100%. They may look trendy, but a picture tells a thousand words, and I would far rather be confronted with a pictorial clip, instead of what looks like a set hieroglyphics!

Having difficulty reading what is available, whilst being asked what beer I’d like, does not endear me to a place, and I know that Martin felt equally frustrated with this. I tried a couple of halves; a new beer from Tonbridge Brewery, in the style of an old ale, plus the ubiquitous Harvey’s Best. 

We both tried the latter, finding it perfectly drinkable, but not exactly stunning. I also sampled the new Tonbridge offering. There were a handful of other drinkers in the pub, but as Martin observed afterwards, they were sat at the bar, obscuring the view of the hard-to-read pump-clips. I am probably being too hard on the pub, as WhatPub is full of praise for the place, so it obviously finds favour with the local CAMRA branch.

Our route back to Tonbridge, led us up the hill, past the ruins of the former manor and then past the station. We then joined the main road through Battle, which was very busy with Friday afternoon traffic and shoppers. It has always struck me as strange, that a town should have grown up around the site of a battle, but what took place back in 1066 is not only the most memorable date in our history, but it commemorates an event which changed the make-up and destiny of England, and not necessarily for the better.

I arrived back home just before 5pm. My thanks to Martin for a most enjoyable day out in this pleasant corner of Sussex, and for his excellent company.

Jug lands top seafood catch

There’s cause for celebration in the village where I work, as the local pub has recently been named the top food service operator, as part of the 2019 National Fish and Chip Awards. This was a contest organised by Seafish;  a Non-Departmental Public Body set up to support the £10 billion UK seafood industry.

The competition was open to outlets such as pubs, restaurants, leisure outlets, cafés and hotels, where fish and chips is included on the menu but not as the core offering.  As Marcus Coleman, Chief Executive at Seafish, said: "This award celebrates businesses that don’t solely focus on producing fish and chips, but nevertheless go the extra mile to create great quality fish and chips and provide customers with a memorable dining experience.”

He went on to say, “This award is proof that you can eat high quality fish and chips in places other than fish and chip takeaways and restaurants. Well done to The Little Brown Jug.”

The Little Brown Jug is just over five minutes walk from my workplace, and is an attractive late 19th Century building which, despite being enlarged over the years, still retains much of its original character. The pub is situated directly opposite Penshurst station, and started life as the Station Tavern.

It acquired its present name 40 or so years ago, after being bought by a jazz and big-band enthusiast who renamed it as the Little Brown Jug, after the well-known Glen Miller tune. Back then the pub still had two bars, and that is how I remember it when I moved to the local area in the mid 1980’s.

A change of management, at the end of the decade, saw it dramatically increased in size, with new kitchens, a function room and even bed and breakfast accommodation added. The new owner also introduced a wide range of different cask ales to the pub. 

Towards the end of the following decade the owner received an offer he couldn’t refuse, so he sold up and moved on. This was when  Greene King first appeared on the scene. Unfortunately the wide range of interesting beers was replaced by standard GK offerings.

I renewed my acquaintance with the Little Brown Jug in the summer of 2006, when I started work at my present company, but before long the pub closed to allow further alterations to be made to the pub.

The pub reopened in February 2007, and although nominally still tied to Greene King, the Jug is now owned a company called Whiting & Hammond. The latter are a company who operate a small chain of food-oriented pubs in this part of Kent. The beer is still standard GK stuff, but local favourite Larkin’s Traditional is stocked, and is probably the pub’s best selling cask beer – certainly amongst the locals!

I can’t comment on the fish and chips, although I will certainly give them a try next time I’m at the Jug for a meal. My company uses the pub for entertaining customers, from time to time, and I have been fortunate to partake of several excellent lunches there. For the last few years it has also been the venue for several memorable company Christmas meals, and it’s something of a tradition to pop in for a few beers each year, when we close for business at lunchtime on Christmas Eve.

As can be seen from some of the photos, the owners of the Little Brown Jug have splashed out on a series of banners, which have been placed outside the pub and also at the entrance to the village.

So well done to all involved with the award, and to those running the pub on a daily basis; and who knows you may see me popping in for some top notch fish and chips.

I'd call that a bargain - the best I ever had

So sang Roger Daltrey, on the second track of Who's Next - a real masterpiece from Pete Townshend and the rest of the band, on what is without doubt the Who's finest album, so continuing with the "bargain" theme, we once again turn to beer.

People might get the impression I’m a bit of a cheap-skate as I appear to be always on the look for beer bargains, but if truth be known I don’t go out with the deliberate intention of finding them, rather it’s more a case of me stumbling upon them.

Take Sunday, for example. After breakfasting at the Gate House in Tonbridge with son Matthew, we drove over to the large Tesco superstore at Riverhead- just the other side of Sevenoaks. We don’t have a Tesco of this size, in the immediate vicinity, so as Matthew was keen to pick up a few groceries and I was under instruction from Mrs PBT’s to collect a few last minute items as well, it seemed a good idea to let him drive over to Sevenoaks, particularly as the journey would allow him to gain a little more practice and a little more confidence behind the wheel.

After collecting the small number of items we required – mainly last minute ingredients for tonight’s dinner, we both gravitated to the beer aisle, and it was there that I found the second bargain of the weekend – I will tell you about the first one later on.

Shortly before Christmas I wrote about the joy of finding St Austell Proper Job in cans. They might only have been 330 ml cans, but I find this size ideal for a quick drink, and if I’m really thirsty I can always crack open another. (Incidentally, this long ignored size seems to have made an astonishing comeback, thanks largely to the growth of the “craft beer” market.)

Back in December, the six pack cans of Proper Job were selling at the reduced price of £5; a reduction of £2 on the normal retail price. This time, whilst they were retailing at the full price of £7, you could buy two packs for just £9, a total saving of £5. Well game on, and despite trying my best to run the beer stocks I have at home, down a little, this was too good an opportunity to miss.

So what about the first cut price beer of the weekend? Well, with our rather swish new bathroom nearing completion, Mrs PBT’s thought it a good idea to look at some fixtures and fittings. Top of her list, given she is still a little unsteady on her feet, was a non-slip bath mat, as despite now being the proud owners of a walk-in shower, it can still end up rather slippery under foot.

M&S have a food and home-wares store a short drive away, so along with what seemed like half the local population, we headed over to the nearby Tunbridge Wells retail park. We didn’t have any luck with the bath mat, although there were some fancy towels which caught my wife’s attention.

Whilst we were there, we decided to do part of the weekly food shop, although not the items I ended up purchasing at Tesco the following day. Now whilst Mrs PBT’s likes a bit of posh-shopping now and again, M&S isn’t our normal place for groceries, so knowing that she likes to shop alone, I left her walking up and down the aisles whilst I perused the beer section.

I’m sure many of you are aware that Marks & Spencer stock an interesting and varied selection of beers, many of which are brewed exclusively for the store by the likes of Adnam’s, Meantime and Oakham, to name a few. Nestling amongst the tinnies were a few beers priced at the unbelievably low price of just a pound each – half the cost of most of the cans. Two in particular caught my eye; a 5.7% German Bock Lager from Butcombe and a more moderate 4.5% offering from Hog’s Back Brewery, called Five Hop lager.

I picked up a couple of cans of each, but was in for another pleasant surprise when I reached the check-out, as the beers were part of the store’s four for the price of three. My four cans of interesting looking beer therefore, cost me just £3.00!

Both beers were very drinkable. The Hog’s Back offering, was on the sweet side; certainly  for a pilsner, although it passed muster as a perfectly acceptable south German Helles. Its stronger counterpart from Butcombe, was packed with lots of chewy, toffee malt, balanced with a touch of spiciness, from the hops. I would certainly buy both beers again, especially at these low prices.

Now I know what some of  you are saying, that buying beer at bargain prices, to drink at home, doesn’t help pubs, especially at a time when the on-trade is really struggling. You would of course be right, but only to a point, as me spending less on my home-drinking, means I end up with more disposable income to spend when I do venture out to the pub.

To put things in perspective, I am reasonably well paid, but with an eye to the future, and especially with State Retirement Age just over two years away, I want to ensure I have sufficient funds to keep me comfortable, and in something like the manner I’m accustomed to, when I finally quit the rat race.

So the plan is to pay off the mortgage by the end of the third quarter of 2019, and then save as much as my lifestyle allows; both without living too miserly an existence. After all, there has to be a happy medium, especially as you can’t take your money with you, and as you never know what is round the corner, it does pay to live life to the full as much as possible.

Therefore any cut-price offers I come across which involve beer – and it has to be decent beer, rather than swill, are to be embraced, and taken advantage of.

The porter at the Castle gate

I managed to track down some more Larkin’s Porter on Friday lunchtime, a find which represented only my second sampling this season of this excellent beer.

I broke with my usual lunchtime regime of  a brisk walk, and considering the appalling weather which hit the south-east today, I certainly made the right choice. However, Storm Erik was not the reason for my break of routine, as I’d already made my mind up to go off and find some of this difficult to locate seasonal beer from Larkin’s, and my plan was to phone around a few local (to my workplace), pubs where I thought there was a good possibility of them stocking the beer.

I struck gold with my first phone call, when the Castle Inn at Chiddingstone confirmed the availability of the porter. I jokingly asked the recipient of my call to reserve me a pint, and come lunchtime, I jumped into my car and set off to drive the short distance over to Chiddingstone village.

Just leaving the factory, and getting hit by a deluge of rain, was enough to prove I had made the right choice, and just over  five minutes later, I was pulling in to the tiny National Trust-owned village of Chiddingstone. Parking has always been something of an issue in a settlement which has remained largely unchanged since it was sold to the Trust during the 1930’s, but I managed to find a place just past the village church.

I then walked briskly down toward the pub, taking advantage of a brief lull in the rain, to stop and take a few photos. The Castle Inn lies at the far end of Chiddingstone’s main street, adjacent to the entrance to the stately pile which calls itself a castle.

I made for the Public Bar, which is housed in the right-hand portion of the pub. I entered the bar and was immediately struck with the sensation of having travelled back in time. I spotted the pump-clip for Larkin’s Porter, and after breathing a sign of relief, ordered myself a pint.

The barman asked if I was the gentleman who’d phoned earlier. I confirmed that indeed I was before he disappeared into the other bar to pull my pint. He placed it on the bar, jet black in colour and topped with a fluffy, off-white head. It looked delectable, and as I handed over my cash I couldn’t wait to raise it to my lips.

The biggest and most pleasant surprise though was the price, a very reasonable £3.60! Under previous ownership the Castle had a reputation for being an expensive place to drink in; something to do with being an upmarket pub in a National Trust village, so paying under four quid for a 5.2% ABV beer was a real revelation.

I sat down at a table opposite the fireplace, my eye drawn to the log burner which was blazing away nicely. The beer was in fine form and I scored it at 3.0 NBSS. It slipped down a treat, but at that strength, and with a busy afternoon ahead – plus the driving, of course, I sensibly stuck to just the one. I needed to be back by 2 pm anyway, as one thing about my workplace is no-one is ever late back from lunch.

I couldn’t see through to the Saloon, but there were just two other people in the Public, a mature couple, sitting at a high “posing table". From their conversation they were locals from the village and when one of the bar staff brought their food out, I admit to being slightly envious, as the lamb shank in particular looked rather good.

The pub cat who’d been hanging around my table, made a beeline for the couple as soon as their food arrived, but its foray didn’t last long as the barman walked over, picked it up and took it out the back. This may have been because the woman had said she was a dog person, rather than a cat lover.

The barman explained to us that this cat was a roving moggy, probably belonging to someone in the village, before having made itself at home in the Castle. Its favourite place, apparently was a bench, close to a radiator in the other bar.

So for a Friday lunchtime, the pub was pretty quiet, but with Storm Erik raging outside I wasn’t surprised. Having said that, on a wild, wet and windy early February day, tucked up close to the fire, with a pint of Larkin’s Porter in front of me, I can’t really think of a much better place to be.

One final thing I couldn’t help but notice was some snippets of conversation between the two blokes behind the bar. It was evident that at least one of them was from the Castle’s sister pub; the Wheatsheaf at Bough Beech. Both establishments are owned by a local businessman who I understand  has connections with Westerham Brewery. Beers from the latter are on sale at both pubs, and it would appear from what I witnessed that staff also rotate between the two hostelries. 

From a personal point of view, it is good to see the Castle open and trading again, after a prolonged period of closure, and I’m sure that had I visited when the weather was more clement, I would have seen a lot more customers. I fully expect therefore, that come spring, when the coaches and tourists are out in force, the Castle will once again be bustling.

Grab it whilst you can

Not that I think the Asahi takeover of Fuller’s will make the slightest difference to the  taste of the beers (certainly not in the short term), but I have nevertheless taken the opportunity to stock up on what I regard as one of the best beers to come out of the Chiswick brewery.

Waitrose are currently running a promotion on selected Fuller’s brands, one of which is the delectable London Porter. At three bottles for just £5.00 I took full advantage, and whilst not quite filling my trolley, I now have sufficient porter to see me through what’s left of the winter months.

ESB and Honey Dew are also included in the promotion, but not 1845 or Bengal Lancer. Speaking of the latter, I haven’t seen it around recently. Nothing to do with the Ashai buy-out, as it’s been absent from both Waitrose and Sainsbury’s for quite some time.

Briefly, and whilst on the subject of discounts and supermarkets, you rarely see Sainsbury’s running a promotion on beer, except at Christmas, whereas both Asda and Waitrose often have some really good offers. I appreciate this doesn’t help the pub trade, but for the stay-at-home drinker, these deals are very attractive.

Well that first bottle of London Porter should be at just the right temperature for drinking. Lightly chilled but definitely not too cold, so if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to crack one open!

The Honingham Buck

Like virtually all beer lovers, whenever I go away, I always like to find a decent pub or bar. After checking into your hotel, apartment or guest house, there’s something both special and exciting about going out for that first evening stroll, eager to discover what your new location has to offer, especially when it comes to discovering somewhere a bit special, where you can enjoy a few beers.

This has been my "modus operandi" every time I go away, but to make virtually certain that that first pub or bar in  new town or city is all that I wish for, I normally do a spot of research first. That way I am seldom disappointed, and it is here that publications like the Good Beer Guide, or its international equivalent, comes into its own.

So does a quick trip up to Norfolk, accompanied by one’s nearest and dearest, still qualify for such pre-planning? Answer, of course it does, perhaps even more so when time is limited and you’re attempting to squeeze in as much as possible.

Now I don’t have a current Good Beer Guide, at least in paper form, but I do have CAMRA’s inter-active Good Beer Guide App on my phone, and whilst I didn’t manage to find anything to spark my interest when I looked at home, the “Search by location” feature really came into its own once we were settled into our hotel, on the western fringes of Norwich.

The pub which came up was the Honingham Buck, an attractive looking pub in the heart of the village of Honingham, and Google Maps indicated that it was just six minutes drive from where we were staying. We went and checked it out on the drive over to see dad, primarily so I could get a few decent photos of the exterior, during the hours of daylight. The Buck is a traditional long, low building with a white-painted, rendered exterior and the sort of red pantiled roof which is so typical of this part of the country. We didn’t venture inside but, liking what we saw, took the decision to return that evening.

Now it has to be said that Mrs PBT’s isn’t much of a pub person, and reminded me of this as we walked from the car park to the entrance at the front of the pub. “I’m surprised we ever got married,” was another pearl of wisdom, as we approached the door, conveniently forgetting that opposites attract. How else would you explain over 30 years of togetherness?

Once inside, we quickly noticed that the Buck has been lovingly restored and sensitively modernised to a high standard, so that it still retains the feel of a traditional village local. There are slate floors, oak beams and stylish furniture, plus a new bar. A separate restaurant area and large garden complete the package. This work was carried out by Lacons Brewery of Great Yarmouth, when they acquired the pub in 2015; the Buck being the company’s first tied house in over 50 years.

Given the wintry weather outside, it was heartening to find a welcoming fire, blazing away in the wood-burner, but it was radiating so much heat that we chose to sit well way from it. When we arrived, there was just the one solitary drinker sat at the bar. I don’t wish to stereotype, but we couldn’t help noticing, over the course of our relatively short stay, that this customer  sounded very much like the pub bore. The barman certainly seemed glad when a party of women entered, complete with suitcases. They had booked rooms for the night, and after being shown to their accommodation, the ladies returned for a drink as well as taking the inevitable “selfies”.

We were sat in the adjoining restaurant section, but I could see through into the main bar area, where the pub bore was offering his expert opinion on log burners and the best type of wood to burn. The visitors ignored him, too wrapped up in their own conversation and sharing photos on their phones.

We had already looked at the menu online, back at the hotel, and had taken the decision not to eat at the Buck. There was anything wrong with the food offering, but it did seem a little upmarket from the pub-grub we were looking for. Also my non-pub-going wife had taken a fancy to one or two of the offerings back at Table Table, next to the Premier Inn.

As mentioned above, the Honingham Buck is a Lacons tied house, and three of the company’s cask beers were available on Saturday evening. I opted for the 4.0% ABV Legacy, a well-hopped blonde ale and one that I have enjoyed on previous visits to East Anglia. Also available was the slightly weaker Encore, a 3.8% ABV amber ale, plus a seasonal beer whose name escapes me.

We didn’t stay too long, as Mrs PBT’s was getting hungry. I made a note to return on future trips to Norfolk, and also to look into the possibility of staying the night  there.

Footnote: Lacons Brewery was founded in 1760, and was based in the seaside town of Great Yarmouth. The brewery developed into quite a sizable concern over the years, and in 1952, the directors decided to float the company on the stock market.

This attracted the attention of Whitbread, who bought Lacons for £3.2 million in 1965. Three years later, Whitbread decided to shut down the brewery, bringing to an end, over 200 years of brewing in the town. The Lacons story could have ended there, but in 2009 Mick Carver and Trevor Hourican of JV Trading, a drinks distributor based in Lowestoft, started working to secure the rights to the Lacons name and bring brewing back to Great Yarmouth.

After acquiring suitable premises in the town, Lacons was re-launched in May 2013. The beers are brewed suing the original Lacons’ yeast, a sample of which had been deposited in 1957, at the Norwich-based National Collection of Yeast Cultures, as a backup in case their own cultures got contaminated. 

Initially, the brewery concentrated on producing three new permanent beers both bottled and draught as well as introducing some seasonal beers. The company has extended the beer range to include some original Lacons recipes, in its heritage range. These beers are modern interpretations of historic recipes, dating back to the beginning of the last century.

A brief visit to Norfolk

After a rather hectic January, it was nice to get away to get away for a long weekend and travel up to Norfolk, for the chance to visit my ageing father. I felt bad not having seen him since the autumn, but with his Alzheimer’s becoming gradually worse it’s unlikely that he remembered yesterdays’ visit. As I’ve said before, my sisters and I are just relieved that he seems content in himself,  is being well cared for and doesn’t want for anything.

The other reason for us going away is we are having a complete bathroom re-fit, and our absence allowed the builder some additional time to crack on, without having to work around us. It was also good from our point of view to have unfettered access to proper washing facilities; something which hasn’t been easy these past few days.

I took Friday afternoon off  from work, and after collecting Mrs PBT’s from her workplace, we headed off in the direction of East Anglia, following the well-worn route of M25, M11, A11 and A47. There was the usual shenanigans at the Dartford Crossing, with  traffic virtually at a standstill from the junction with the A2 to the crossing itself, but once through the tunnel, we made good progress, despite the large number of lorries on the road.

If proof were needed of the huge amount of freight being moved by road, and the gridlock which even the smallest of delays for extra custom checks will cause, then this was it. Government ministers and their lackeys are probably isolated from this though, so they remain in blissful ignorance, whilst ignoring it at their peril.

We encountered the odd snow flurry as we passed from Essex into Cambridgeshire, but it was nothing like the amount that had blanketed Kent in the early hours of Friday morning. We eventually arrived at  our home for the next two nights, the Norwich West, Premier Inn, adjacent to the Norfolk Showground.

As Mrs PBT’s says, you know what you are getting with a Premier Inn, unlike some of the places I have taken her to in the past; something she never seems to tire of reminding me about. Mind you the motel in Ilford we stayed at back in the mid 1980’s, following a friend’s wedding, really did take some beating for seediness.

My excuse that the groom had booked it on behalf of several of the wedding guests, didn’t cut it either, so whilst I have never minded “roughing it” myself, I have always been a lot more circumspect when my beloved is in tow!

I stayed at the Norwich West, Premier Inn several Christmases ago, on one of my last visits to see mum and dad, before their health and life situation took a turn for the worse. The icy weather was similar on that occasion too, so on the first evening we decided not to venture far, settling instead for the pub-cum-restaurant adjacent to the hotel. Table Table is a brand of restaurants set up by Whitbread in 2008; the majority of the outlets having been converted from Brewers Fayres.

The hotel was busy, due to an antique and collectors fair taking place over the course of the weekend at the Norfolk Showground opposite, so I was glad at my wife’s foresight of booking us a table, when we checked in. We perused the menu from the warmth of our room before heading down to the imaginatively-named, “Showground”, for our evening meal, so were ready to go as far as food was concerned. Beer though, was a different matter.

I remembered my previous visit, when  I was served a pint of Adnam’s Southwold, only to find it ruined by it being pulled through a “sparkler”, so what tricks have they up their sleeves this time, I thought.

How about no cask at ale then? And only bottled Brew Dog Punk IPA to interest me, at a price in excess of £4 a bottle? To be fair it was Mrs PBT’s shout, and the beer went well with my Thai Green Curry, and given the nature of the establishment, I shouldn’t have expected much else, but even so?

Well the curry was good, even though the chef had rather over-did the chillies in the accompanying “hot slaw”! Hot wasn’t the word, and after that assault on my taste buds, any beer with fire-quenching properties would have sufficed, but the following evening, the same restaurant redeemed itself somewhat, with a perfectly reasonable pint of Doom Bar.

It was obviously fresh on, and I scored it at 3.0 NBSS. Perhaps I should have been a little more generous, as you couldn’t fault the quality. However, the blandness of the beer itself, did it no favours, so under the circumstances 3.0 was a fair enough score, especially as a chain restaurant is unlikely to make the running for the next Good Beer Guide.

We visited dad on Saturday afternoon, and he was in good spirits. It’s hard to tell whether he recognised me, but I like to think that he did. We had planned a trip to the coast, but after some shopping (Mrs PBT’s favourite means of relaxation), plus coffee and cake, a hailstorm put paid to our plans.

Sunday dawned frosty and bright, and was in fact the best day, weather-wise we’ve had for a long time, but regardless of this, we headed for home, stopping off at Thetford for breakfast, on the way home.

We arrived home to find the house in chaos, with Larry the builder still beavering away. The majority of the tiling is complete and we have a posh new toilet and sink. The former is working and the latter should be plumbed in tomorrow. We are still waiting for the shower tray and screen to be delivered, but once these items are fitted, it should be all systems go.

We’re a year behind our original schedule, but there was of course, my wife's pneumonia and resultant hospitalisation at the start of last year which threw a rather large spanner in the works.

I will leave until next time a write up of the really nice pub we found, on the way back from seeing dad, as it’s definitely a place worth reading about, and also visiting again, on our next trip, so bye for now,