Hopping along at the farm, to Sir Tom

Live music is well and truly back, as Retired Martin and Chris Dyson over at Real Ale, Real Music have been reminding us recently. Not to be outdone, Mrs PBT’s and I grabbed ourselves a slice of the action on Sunday evening, when we headed over to the Hop Farm, at Paddock Wood to see the legend that is Sir Tom Jones, perform live in concert.

Eileen purchased the tickets at the start of last year, for a tour that was supposed to mark Tom’s 80^th birthday, but we all know what happened next. Sunday’s concert therefore was the rescheduled tour, with the “boy from the valleys” now celebrating his 81^st year.

After a week of dry and often sunny weather, the forecast for Sunday wasn’t looking that good, with rain expected on and off from late afternoon and throughout the evening, but fortunately apart from some light precipitation before we set off, the evening remained dry, although overcast.

The Hop Farm Family Park is a 400-acre country park at Beltring, near East Peckham, which boasts the largest collection of oast houses in the world. Until the late 90’s, the complex was owned by brewers Whitbread, and was known as "The Whitbread Hop Farm."  Originally a working farm, the brewery opened it up to visitors, but as Whitbread looked to move out of the brewing trade, they began looking at selling the complex. In 1997 the hop farm was acquired by new owners, and whilst it has changed hands several times since, its future now seems assured.

We arrived shortly after 5.30pm, joining one of the expected lines of traffic queuing to get into the complex. I have to say the traffic management and car parking arrangements left much to be desired, but after what seemed like a tour of the whole site, we were directed to a field close to the main arena. From there, it was a relatively short walk to our pre-booked seats.

As with the car parking, the security arrangements weren’t particularly good either, with only a cursory glance at the tickets, that Mrs PBT’s had paid a small fortune for, nearly 18 months ago. So, no scanning of the barcodes, and no checking of the other built-in security features. We were both under the impression that any Tom, Dick, or Harriet would have been allowed in on the strength of a second-rate forgery.

That’s enough moaning for the moment, as we were there to see Tom Jones, enjoy his performance and generally have a good time. We were sat in the front row of Zone B and had a more or less uninterrupted view of the stage. Tom’s set didn’t start until 8.30pm, but prior to his performance several support acts kept the crowd entertained. Foremost amongst these was Megan McKenna, who apparently won The X Factor, and is also a "Reality TV star" – whatever that means?

Mrs PBT’s was pleased to see her, and I too enjoyed Megan’s performance, although her material seemed rather on the weak side. She’s young though and, if I can say this without sounding too patronising, I’m sure that in the fullness of time, she will blossom, discover her true self and learn how to establish a proper accord with her audience.

Sir Tom hit the stage and put on an amazing performance. He demonstrated that he still hasn’t lost it as, if anything, his voice is more powerful than ever, and his stage presence was unquestionable. He opened with a couple of numbers from the start of his career, What’s New Pussycat, It’s Not Unusual and Green, Green Grass of Home, before moving onto some newer material, such as Sex Bomb, She’s a Lady, plus a Leonard Cohen song, whose title escapes me and a Bob Dylan number, One More Cup of Coffee.

The climax of the performance for both Eileen and I was Sir Tom’s stunning rendition of Delilah. The band really pulled out all the stops as well for this number, and I have to say that they too, were amazing.  Tom had certainly gathered together some world class musicians, to act as his backing groups, and as if to compliment the virtuoso players, the sound quality was crisp and crystal clear.

It’s been a while since either of us have been to one of these big-ticket events, and the ability of the organisers to prise as much money as they can, from the palms of what is, in effect, a captive audience, has, if anything become worse. Concert goers were prohibited from bringing their own food and drink into the arena, and this was enforced by bag searches on the entry points.

With bags limited in size to just A4, you couldn’t have smuggled much in anyway, so we were more or less forced to buy bottles of water from one of the many drink stalls (tokens too, just to be really annoying), and with burgers costing £7.50, plus another £4.00 for chips, it could have ended up as a dear night. Cans of San Miguel and a cider, whose name escapes me, were the only “long drinks” available, but this didn’t seem to stop quite a few people from becoming rather the worse for wear!

These things unfortunately, seem to be par for the course for large scale events, so me complaining about them isn’t going to change anything, and leaving these issues aside, it was an excellent evening. We were fortunate to have been entertained by a first class, living legend of a performer, which is all the more remarkable, seeing that Sir Tom is 81 years old!

What's more, live music is well and truly back.

 

 

Please be seated if you want a drink

I broke one of my own unwritten rules yesterday, the rule being not to have drink at lunchtime. As I’ve explained before, there’s a good reason for me not having even a single pint, primarily because it makes me feel sleepy during the afternoon.

Yesterday was going to be different though, and in some ways it was as, although I didn’t nod off at my desk when I returned from my lunchtime pint, the pub visit itself was not the experience I’d been expecting.

The Greyhound at Charcott was a rather obvious choice, being just over 10 minutes’ walk away from my workplace. Its situation in a tiny rural hamlet, just a short distance off the beaten track, is a major attraction, and in addition there is normally a good selection of beers available.

So far, so good, and as I turned the corner into Charcott, I noticed there were several groups of people sitting out in the garden, which is to the left of the pub. There was also a lone cyclist sat on a bench, directly outside.

It’s a couple of months since I last set foot in the Greyhound, although if I want to be pedantic, it’s much longer than that, because on my previous visit in late June, the pub was operating table service only.  As I sat outside in the garden, I had no need to enter the pub, but this time was going to be different – or was it?

The front door was open, as is the case during a normal summer, so I stepped inside and approached the bar. There were four clips on the bank of hand-pumps, which caught my attention and whilst I was waiting for someone to come and serve me, I weighed up in my mind as to which beer to plump for.

Although fan of both Old Dairy and the ever reliable, and “must stock” Larkin’s Traditional, the 3.9% West Coast Pale from Three Acre Brewery caught my eye, so when the young man appeared behind the bar, I was all ready to order myself a pint. He asked, “Can I help you?” to which I replied that I only wanted a drink, and the Three Acre beer was the one I was after.

My face dropped when he informed me that I couldn’t stand at the bar, or even pay for my drink there, as the pub was operating on a table-service only basis. He would bring my drink over to me once I was seated. Somewhat taken aback, I said I would be out in the garden, and headed off outside, but not before telling him which beer I was after.

That instruction was primarily to save time, as I only get an hour for lunch and didn’t want to be hanging around outside waiting for someone to come and take my order. Several minutes later, the barman appeared, carrying a tray full of drinks – one of which was mine. As he placed the glass on the table, he enthused that this West Coast Pale was a good one. The beer had only just gone on sale, and my pint was the first one he’d pulled through.

That latter comment was sufficient to set alarm bells ringing, as without wanting to appear picky, or indeed obsessive, the beer in the glass certainly had that “just pulled through look” about it. The haziness seems missing from the photo, and the colour too was much more of a straw-coloured yellow, but more than anything it was the taste that was disappointing.

“Dry” would be the best description, and I didn’t really notice the citrus flavours that were listed as an attribute on Untappd. The beer was quite drinkable, and perhaps I am just being over-fussy, but as my first pint of cask since returning from holiday, it didn’t exactly inspire me.

What was more frustrating was the length of time it took me to make payment for my drink. The barman had said that he’d set me up a tab, even though I’d told him, whilst inside the pub, that I would only be staying for a quick drink. I explained that I was on my lunch-break and needed to be back at work by 2pm, but despite this, no one came out to collect my payment. It was shades of drinking in Germany all over again, and that frustrating experience when all the waiting staff disappear, just as you are wanting to drink up and go!

Eventually a young girl appeared to take orders from two groups of people who’d recently arrived. I collared her on her way back inside, pressing a five-pound note on her whilst explaining me need to leave shortly all over again, but after taking the cash, she failed to reappear with my change. Just as I was about to leave, the barman appeared with my change, although I was quite prepared to depart without it.

So, a frustrating, annoying, and totally unnecessary experience, as by refusing me service and payment at the bar, what should have been a speedy and perfectly normal transaction turned into a complete farce!  It also significantly reduces the chance of me making future lunchtime visits to the Greyhound, which is a shame really, as when I look back just a couple of years ago, it was the sort of pub where one could stand at the bar and engage the locals in conversation and the odd bit of banter.

I’m wondering where the “old boys” whom one could almost rely on encountering there, have gone to? I mentioned bumping into one such character, a month or so ago in the Rock, at Chiddingstone Hoath, but, being a 15-minute drive away from work, it's not ideal for a lunch-time drink. I could, I suppose, always call in on my way home, but it's not the same as arriving there on foot.

More to the point though, is why the Greyhound has continued sticking with table service when for casual visitors like me, plus the much missed local “old boys”, it obviously isn’t working? Having to pay waiting staff, just to deliver drinks to customers, can’t make economic sense, and whilst I can understand a reluctance to drop all restrictions immediately (I wrote about this in relation to the Star at Matfield, back in July), it is now a full two months since rules about standing and ordering from the bar were relaxed.

The pub seems to be majoring on food, and bills itself as a “Gastro-pub.” This is fine and may even be necessary in order to survive in an isolated rural situation, but to ignore the regulars who liked to congregate at the bar, whilst at the same time discouraging casual drinkers, isn’t perhaps the wisest of courses.

A good pub is one that caters for all sectors, and all types of visitors, so it is hard to see why a pub that prides itself on the range and the quality of the cask ales it serves, should choose to alienate the casual drinker and dedicated beer lover.

Footnote: I feel quite bad writing those last two paragraphs, especially as I have watched licensees Fran and Richard rescue the Greyhound from closure, re-open it following a complete revamp and makeover that enhanced its overall character, and then build it up into one of the best pubs in the locality.

The couple have put their hearts and souls into the pub, which is their home as well as their business, so why take notice of me, a casual and occasional visitor, rather than a dedicated regular. Isn’t it rather churlish of me to criticise, particularly as there might be perfectly valid reasons for staying with the table-service only approach?

In my defence, I am only reporting what I found and using it to illustrate what I see as the downside to table service. It works on the continent, and it worked as we started to come out of the pandemic, but I’m not convinced that it’s the future for the traditional English pub.

Relaxed, fully-rested and raring to go

Another quick post, but this time courtesy of my desktop PC, rather than my Smart Phone. We arrived home yesterday, from our cruise, feeling relaxed but also grateful. Our feelings of gratitude relate to us being able to enjoy our first holiday together since November 2019; a date which coincidentally happened to be that of our first ocean-going cruise.

Everything worked out well, from the hotel and its associated car-parking
and transfer arrangements, to and from the port to the room we chose onboard, and the relatively fine weather we experienced. The latter meant calm seas - unusual for the Irish Sea, and allowed us plenty of time, up on deck to spend either relaxing or, when the mood took us, a few circuits around the ship.

The food was excellent, being tasty, well-cooked, and well presented, and with serving staff placing it on one’s plate, rather than the usual free-for-all buffet experience, there was little in the way of waste and even less in the way of gluttony.

We met several interesting people, many of whom were, like us, just glad of the chance of getting away from it all, and pushing the events of the past 17 months, well and truly into the background. To be able to sit there, watching the waves gliding by, whilst observing, from a distance, passing landmarks such as the Scilly Isles, Land’s End, and the coast of North Wales, was pure, unadulterated relaxation of the kind which fills you with a deep-seated feeling of contentment. Just sitting there, up on deck feeling my cares and concerns slipping away with the tide, left me feeling like a new person. Mrs PBT's felt the same. 

This was just what was needed after a stressful time at work; a situation made worse by the pandemic and the aggravation my colleagues and I experienced in dealing with in the build up to a change of management at the very top. This was followed by a period of change ahead of my planned for change of working to a part-time role. 

Whilst I wasn't that involved in the actual recruitment process, I drafted
the job description for my successor, and when the new recruit finally started, I was kept busy conducting her initial training. I also spent time helping her become familiar with the company's procedures and working practices. I officially stepped down at the beginning of September, although there was still something of a transition before finally handing over the reins.

Yesterday I began my new role of Company Health & Safety Advisor. With no staff to manage, I’m my own boss within reason, able to take holiday when I want to, without having to fit in around other members of the department and, by switching to working three days a week, instead of five, I will gain even more leisure time. So yes, it really is good when you can finally let go of things and move forward, unencumbered.

Letting go of unwanted baggage is also be really empowering, especially when the stuff you are letting go of is something that is holding you back or restraining you in some way. A personal example is me no longer being a member of CAMRA. These days, when I enter a pub or bar, I no longer feel obliged to stick solely with the cask offerings.  Instead, I can order whatever takes my fancy, without feelings of guilt that I am, in some way, letting the side down.

If it’s a cask beer that really appeals, I will probably go for it, but if it’s a beer I don't really fancy, then I will opt for a craft, bottled or even keg beer. I found myself doing this on the cruise, although in that instance, there were no cask offerings for me to turn down, or otherwise turn my nose up at!

Returning, for a moment, to the subject of relaxation, Mrs PBT's felt the same way as I did after the cruise, and whilst she won't thank me for mentioning her age, she too now qualifies for her state pension. She is looking to cut down on her work, although she will continue with the book-keeping, and tax-related work
she does for her select group of builders and tradespeople. 

And on that note, I will draw this post to a close and say that we are already looking forward to another cruise, possibly a slightly longer voyage, on one of Cunard's other "Queen ships. We will pick a different  destination as well.

A lazy Sunday, moored up in Liverpool

Despite the abundance of food on a cruise ship, it's still relatively easy to get something exercise and stay in trim. There are two decks on the Queen Elizabeth that enable you to walk right round the ship, and in the case of the lower one, you are largely undercover.

A notice informs passengers that three circuits of Deck 3, are equivalent to 0.9 mile. Yesterday I quite easily accomplished 10,000 steps, and Mrs PBT's wasn't too far behind me. We've slackened off a bit today, although I'm sure that come nightfall we'll be edging towards our 10k target.

We are on holiday though, so the fitness thing is really just an aside, and at the moment we're lounging on a couple of “steamers," those most traditional of cruising deckchairs. 

We're on the starboard side, looking out over the Mersey, across to Birkenhead, watching the odd vessel chug by. A brightly painted "party boat" called the Snowflake, has just passed by and we returned the waves of a boisterous, but good-humoured party on board.

Our ship is due to depart Liverpool, in around three hours’ time, so we'll be back up on deck to watch as our floating home slips its moorings, turns around and heads off towards the mouth of the Mersey estuary, and back into the open waters of the Irish Sea.

I mentioned in my previous post that it's Mrs PBT's birthday today, but we will leave the posh dinner until tomorrow, in order to experience
properly tonight's departure. In the meantime, there's a few more steps to clock up, and a beer or two to be had.

No more posting now until we reach Southampton, and then it will only be a quick one. It's nice though, just to relax and savour the moment, especially after the year we've just had and the manic period at work over the past six months.

So, for the time being, a fond farewell to Liverpool, even though we didn't see that much of it!

 

 

Welcome to Liverpool

This is the view that greeted Mrs PBT's and I, as we awoke this morning. Actually, we'd seen it three hours earlier, due to Eileen receiving several WhatsApp messages, informing her that her niece's daughter had just given birth to a baby boy.

Something of a coincidence, as today is also Mrs PBT's birthday - the one where she officially qualifies for the bus pass she received last week.

In case you hadn't guessed from the photo, we've docked in Liverpool, following a calm and relaxing cruise from Southampton. 

We only re-established phone and 4G contact, earlier this morning, as we were sailing up the Mersey estuary, and whilst in many ways it's been nice to have been out of contact, I'm now using the time that we're berthed here to catch up on beer related matters.

There's more to come, but as I'll explain later, unfortunately we won't be going ashore and exploring Liverpool today.

It's nothing sinister, just an unfortunate combination of circumstances, but in the meantime, enjoy the view of the Liver Building and the waterfront, alone with a few photos of the ship.

A beer too far?

In the world of food matching, there are some flavours that pair well, and some that just don’t.  The same logic could be applied to beer, especially given the penchant of some brewers to add all manner of weird and wonderful ingredients either to the mash tun, or the fermenter.

The addition of certain fruits to the beers is a long-standing tradition, especially in Belgium, and no one would doubt that a properly matured Kriek, or Framboise is a satisfying and enjoying drink. Other additions, such as chocolate or chilies often work too, and despite initial hesitancy, often turn out far better than the label might hint at, but there are limits, and when they are breached, what might have seemed like a good idea when first proposed, can in certain instances, turn out t be a complete disaster.

Nowhere was this demonstrated more clearly, than with the "blended beer" I “enjoyed” the other night. And, without any hint of irony or indeed shame, the origin of this beer just had to be the good old US of A!

Included amongst the beers I accumulated over the course of the summer, was a Peanut Butter Milk Stout, from the equally strange sounding, Belching Beaver Brewery. I acquired this “strange brew” in one of the deliveries from FUGSCLUB – the monthly subscription club run by Fuggles Beer Café; a set-up that helped the company get through the worst of lockdown.

It was a beer I kept looking at but couldn’t quite bring myself to crack open and drink. The very concept somehow, seemed wrong, and yet, according to the can, the offering from Belching Beaver (the very name is off-putting), is America’s favourite Peanut Butter Milk Stout. You mean there are more versions of this beer?

Belching Beaver are based in San Diego, California, and appear to be a reasonably sized outfit, that offers a wide range of different brews. According to their website, their aim is to offer quality craft beer, whilst inspiring good times – “Dam good times,” if you will pardon the pun!

Before describing what the beer is actually like, it’s worth noting that unsurprisingly, the majority of the reviews on Untappd for this Peanut Butter Milk Stout, are from North America. Peanut butter and America go together, but as a young boy I was quite partial to a peanut butter sandwich – Sun-Pat, of course, and crunchy, rather than smooth. I still enjoy the stuff from time to time, although these days I tend to go for the slightly healthier, low-sugar versions. But would peanut butter work in a beer?

The answer is this combination didn’t work for me. It wasn’t undrinkable, and I sort of get what the brewery are saying on the side of the can, about the aromas of roasted peanuts blending with those of dark chocolate and coffee. This makes sense, as the beer is basically a milk stout with added natural peanut butter flavouring.

Unfortunately, I found the aromas of the peanut butter rather overpowering, and whilst I could still discern the underlying base of milk stout, the added flavouring had a significant masking effect. Trying to drink my way through the 355ml can, proved something of an endurance test, and I eventually gave up, even though I almost finished it.

So, an experiment, but exactly that, and a repeat purchase from me at least, is out of the question. Looking online, a handful of other brewers produce a Peanut Butter Milk Stout, including Hammertons in the UK and Tailgate Brewery, from Nashville, Tennessee.  Both beers have won awards, as has Belching Beaver, so they must be doing something right – or are they?

The cynic in me suspects that it’s the novelty factor, so more likely the “shock factor” that has propelled these beers to stardom, but do let me know what you think. 

Footnote: I have included a few photos, of other "experimental" beers, including the opening shot which demonstrates Bateman's rather short-lived attempt at mixing up the flavours.

There's something happening here

So, as we move into September, what is there to write about that is beery, and/or travel-related? Well, for a start, there’s some ocean-going travel coming up at the end of the week as, providing neither of us record a positive test for the plague, we’ll be setting sail for a brief, sea voyage to Liverpool and back.

Packing will commence this weekend, and amongst the various items of “smart casual” clothing required (numerous items in Mrs PBT’s case), will be a suitable supply of tinnies – beers such as Pilsner Urquell, Hawkshead Mosaic Pale, plus one or two others that I can stash in our cabin (sorry State Room), and keep cool in the fridge.

This is because whilst food is included on an “eat as much as you want – stuff yourself silly” basis, alcohol is, let’s say, rather on the dear side, and the beer selection is almost certainly limited to big, international brands. Now a word of caution here, neither of us are intent on stuffing ourselves silly and, in the case of the beer, I have no intention of drinking myself into oblivion either. However, enjoying the odd cool beer or two, as we sit out mid-afternoon, or early evening, on our balcony, as our ocean liner glides through the waves, is something I am looking forward to, and the better the beer, the more enjoyable the whole experience.

Before moving on from the cruise, I discovered that, due to Covid restrictions, passengers are only allowed to disembark at Liverpool, if they have a place on one of the pre-booked excursions. Stepping ashore on an independent, DIY sight-seeing basis, is unfortunately not allowed, which is a bit of a bummer, as we are a couple who like to do our own thing.

I’m presuming that the thinking behind this is to keep the ship and its crew Covid-safe, as by restricting excursions to carefully curated excursions, Cunard remain in control of the situation. More so than if they allowed passengers to go off anywhere within the city, but the whole thing could be a cynical ploy to coerce people into booking one of the official excursions, and thereby making more money.

This minor gripe aside, we should now be ready, having printed off vaccination certificates, uploaded photos, and passport details, and all this for a cruise that doesn’t leave UK territorial waters.

The two other main items of news are that after a slight delay with the hand-over, on Monday, I will be starting in my new role as company Safety Advisor. In order to prepare, I’ve booked myself on a three-day introductory course in Safety Management, which is a real, physical one, rather than a virtual, online affair. It’s being held at a London hotel and takes place during the last week in September. This means I will remain on full time until the start of October, and then I will be working a three-day week – yippee!

The other, even more exciting news item is, that after seven months of dealing with funeral directors, banks, government departments and solicitors, the estate of my late father has finally been settled. Probate has been granted, the Inland Revenue have been dealt with, and the residual of my parents’ estate distributed amongst myself and my two sisters.  It's not sufficient to fund my retirement, but it’s a nice little sum all the same. The main thing though is the family can put all this behind us.

We can now concentrate on remembering the good times we enjoyed with our parents and be grateful for the loving and caring environment they provided for us, and for the virtues of truth, honesty, and diligence they instilled in us, along with the work ethic.  That they were both able to achieve financial security and independence, after coming from relatively humble backgrounds, is testament to what I have just been saying.

So that’s about it for the time being. I’ve got a few mundane tasks to complete, before we go away, including replacing the roofing felt on the summerhouse. Boring, but it’s long overdue, as is doing the same thing with the shed. That can wait a while longer because, at the moment I’m going to crack open a bottle and pour myself a cold one!