Cologne - for the final time?

Another short post before I depart in the morning for, a four-night stopover in Cologne. As in previous years I'll be helping to staff my company’s trade stand at the International Dental Show (IDS). This event takes place every two years, or at least it did until COVID-19 came on the scene. 2019 was the last show we attended - the 2021 event, of course being cancelled. Looking back, I have been to five previous shows, the first one being back in 2007, which was less than a year after I joined the company.

Being semi-retired, I wasn't expecting to be attending this year’s event, but due to my experience of product testing, acquired following 17 years in charge of the quality control department, I was informed that my product and technical knowledge would be invaluable when speaking to customers on the trade stand. I shall therefore be travelling out to Cologne, by Eurostar, on Monday morning. This year’s journey will be slightly longer, and more complicated than previously, seeing as the two international, Kentish stations at Ebbsfleet and Ashford have still not reopened, following the end of the pandemic, and lifting of travel restrictions.

In previous years, a 30-minute drive from the factory to Ebbsfleet, enabled us to join a Brussels bound train, and head off to Belgium via the Channel Tunnel and northern France. A change of train at Brussels, then allowed us to travel on into Germany either with a Deutsche Bahn ICE train, or a Thalys service. (I actually prefer the latter!) This time around, our journey will start at London St Pancras International. No plausible reasons have been put forward as to why the two Kent stations remain closed, although Eurostar are pointing the finger at increased check-in times at stations, due to Brexit. No doubt the trolls will be back in force on this one, but controlling one’s borders works both ways, and affects UK residents just as much as EU citizens.  

Travel issues aside we will be residing at the same pleasant, and well-appointed family-owned hotel, just 10 minutes’ walk from Cologne's main station. We have stayed there for every IDS since 2009, and I'm sure that both management and long-serving staff members know our faces, if not our names, off by heart. It’s not all glamour though, as being present on the exhibition stand can lead to a lengthy and drawn-out day, as the event opens from 9 am to 6 pm, and speaking from experience it’s that final hour that’s the killer! My colleagues from the sales department will be busy having meetings with both current customers, and potential new ones, although with an order book already full to the brim, it may prove difficult trying to accommodate additional business.

The evening's provide time for relaxing, and spending time with colleagues, away from the normal work environment. You often see a different side of people in such situations! We do have two dinner's planned with members from our Japanese parent company, although the first of these should be less formal. It should give a chance for us all to reconnect with one another, as we have seen very few of our Japanese colleagues, since the end of 2019.

Two nights later, in something of a tradition, we will met again, in a more formal setting, when our parent company host a lavish dinner, at the Regency Hyatt hotel overlooking the river Rhine. On the way across to the dinner, I’m working on a plan for a sneaky visit to the Gaststätte Lommerzheim, a down-to earth Kölsch bar, that is something of a Cologne institution. It’s a question of fine timings, as to whether I pull this off, but watch this space! Wednesday, at the moment, is the only free evening where nothing is planned, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed we can visit a traditional Cologne pub or beer hall and get stuck into a few of the local Kölsch beers. It probably won’t be the one mentioned above, as it’s rather basic, by all accounts.

Despite the at times rather hectic schedule, IDS provides an opportunity to see a different part of the world, experience different cultures as well as different people. This will be my 8^th time in Cologne and my 6^th business visit, and whilst I feel like I know my way around the city, there is always something new to see, or some quirky little, unseen corner to explore. I doubt that I will have time to post anything, so I’m not bothering to take a laptop with me, but I will have a notebook to hand. However, as long as I get the chance to experience the odd down-to-earth, Cologne boozer, then I shall be a happy bunny. I will also endeavour to stock up on a few bottled beers, as I’ve plenty of space in my suitcase!

 

Hiding in the woods - the Villager at Vigo

Saturday lunchtime saw Mrs PBT’s and I visiting a tucked-away, but relatively modern pub, high on the North Downs above Wrotham. I shan’t go into the reasons behind our visit, apart from saying it was to meet up with a close family member, for a spot of lunch. As this particular person lives in Gravesend, and we, of course, reside in Tonbridge, somewhere roughly halfway was suggested as a suitable location to meet up.

The chosen spot was a pub called the Villager, and whilst it was nearer to Gravesend, it was a place that I’d wanted to visit for some time. In fact, ever since I read about the Villager at Vigo village, on ticking legend Pubmeister’s website, I’d been looking for an excuse to call in at this pub which is tucked away in the middle of chestnut woodland, at the top of the North Downs, close to Trosley Country Park.

Vigo village takes its name from a 15th-century public house, which was renamed in the 18th century after the Battle of Vigo Bay. The Vigo Inn is reputed to date from 1471, when it was known as the Upper Drover. It was renamed after the Battle of Vigo Bay, a naval battle fought in 1702 during the War of the Spanish Succession. According to legend, a former sailor, who had saved the life of Sir George Rooke, the Admiral of the Fleet, during the battle, was granted the pub as a reward for his services.

The Vigo's famous daddlums table c. 1987

 

 

Sadly, the Vigo Inn is now a private house, having closed in 2014, but prior to that it was a simple and unspoilt rural alehouse which, despite its isolated position, was one of my favourite country pubs. As well as a regular entry in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide, the Vigo was home to an ancient daddlums (miniature skittles) table long after these had disappeared from other local pubs. It was also a welcoming and idiosyncratic hostelry, but despite widespread local opposition, planning permission was granted to convert the pub into residential accommodation, thereby consigning 500 years of public service, to the history books.

The former Vigo Inn, 2020

But what about the modern day village, and the pub built to serve it? The present-day Vigo village was built in the mid-20th century, on a site that had previously been an army camp. The military occupied the site between 1942 and 1946, but following the departure of the army, the area was occupied by people who, for the most part, had lost everything during the Blitz. The camp provided ready-made accommodation, in the form of Nissen Huts, plus well-made roads, and soon a small community was formed.

The presence of around 1,000 people in the area prompted the local councils to improve conditions for the inhabitants. Roads were upgraded, the huts were partitioned to provide three rooms, and toilets and bathrooms installed. In return, the local authority charged rent and the settlement became known as Vigo Village. As well as the dwelling places, a community centre, library, school, and shops were opened, and this was later followed by a pub in 1985.

Known as the Villager and constructed and run by members of the same family, the pub provided a place where local people could get together to enjoy some good food and drink Thirty years later, the pub changed hands, with two of the original owning brothers buying out the share of the others. There was also an ingress of new blood, which led to a major refurbishment of the Villager, which re-opened in its present form, in November 2019.

Eileen and I arrived shortly after one o’clock. The lady we were meeting was already in the car park, so after exchanging greetings, we headed inside. Whilst open plan in appearance, the interior is divided into a number of smaller areas, which helps create a cosy and homely atmosphere.  A wood-burning stove complements this feel. As far as the beers were concerned, the cask offerings were Musket Muzzleloader, St Austell Proper Job and Iron Pier Bitter, from Gravesend.

Whilst standing at the bar, ready to place my order, I was tapped on the shoulder, by someone who then addressed me as, "Mr Bailey." It was Peter B, a member of Maidstone & Mid-Kent CAMRA who was with a party of around six other, most of whom I know. They were on a CAMRA bus trip, and like us, had called in for a bite to eat. I of course, received the comment from Mrs PBT’s, about trust me to bump into a group I know, especially in a pub!

Returning to our pre-booked table, I ordered the homemade turkey and ham pie, which whilst not a “proper pie” – it came served in a dish, with just a pastry lid on top, was still very good. There was plenty of gravy within the dish to soak up the mash potato accompaniment, authenticated as “real mash potato” by Mrs PBT’s. Afterwards, the ladies went for a sweet, in the form of apple and blackberry crumble, but being mindful of my figure, I passed on the dessert.

Following the conclusion of our business, we parted company, but not before agreeing to meet up again once the warmer weather arrives. I realise this all sounds rather mysterious, but it’s a family matter that whilst not directly affecting Eileen and I, is still something we’d prefer keeping under wraps, for the time being.

All power to the Engine Room

On Friday, I joined a bus trip to East Grinstead, with half a dozen members of West Kent CAMRA.  The idea was to visit the Engine Room Bar & Tap, a relatively new establishment, located in the heart of this Sussex town, The bar is located in the basement of an old mill building, at the top of a hill, behind London Road, which is one of East Grinstead’s main shopping streets, and is accessed by a footpath leading up between some of the shops.

The Engine Room, Brewery Tap and Bar specialises in cask ale and ciders, together with craft beers, and artisan spirits. It also stocks an assortment of bottled and canned beers for both in-house consumption and takeout. The pub is reached via an internal set of steps and is a downstairs labyrinth of small seating areas which are good for small groups to hold conversations, or for those who wish to escape the world outside, for a short while. It offers, between five and seven ever-changing gravity-served cask ales, four craft beers, plus around six or seven ciders. There is also live music, once a month, on Thursday evenings.  

  Our group travelled over by bus, to help the pub celebrate its 4th anniversary,  the occasion being marked by a festival featuring dark and strong beers. The event was billed as the Dark'n'Strong Beer Festival, and it represented my first actual visit to the Engine Room. I say "actual", as I had viewed the bar's exterior on a previous trip to the town with my son Matthew, who now works in the town. Our bus was 20 minutes late in departing from Tunbridge Wells, which meant we arrived in the town shortly before midday. It was a pleasant journey over along a route which took us to the south of the main A264 road, through the villages of Groombridge, Withyham, Hartfield, and then, eventually up into Forest Row, just to the south of East Grinstead. As this area lies at the edge of Ashdown Forest, it is characterised by some attractive countryside of rolling hills and woodland, plus plenty of picturesque settlements.

Knowing that the Engine Room has no kitchen, and that no food would be available, most of the party piled into a café just off the High Street.  I decided to give this a miss, as it was rather too soon after my own breakfast, so leaving my friends to enjoy their meal, I made my way down to the pub. I had seen a note on the Engine Room’s Facebook page, that an outside caterer would be providing some “street food” for the festival. It turned out I had got the day wrong, as I discovered when I arrived at the pub, and found my way down into the bar.

Most of the Engine Room is either below ground, or very close to it, and by the pub’s own admission is not particularly suited for people with mobility issues. I was one of the first customers of the day and found myself presented with a range of 12 different cask ales, all but one of which were dark beers. This suited me as I'm a big fan of old ales, porters, and to a lesser extent, stouts. Apart from a couple of beers from Thornbridge Brewery, the majority seem locally sourced. With such a range on offer I decided to go for half pints, and tried a porter from Vibrant Forest, plus a stout from Thornbridge.

I then decided that some food would be a good idea, which is when I learned that the “street food” would only be available on Saturday. Sensing my disappointment, the bar staff told me that it was fine to bring in food purchased from outside the pub, so headed out to the nearest Greggs., which was just across the road. As I arrived back at the Engine Room with a sausage roll, and a steak bake, I bumped into my friends, who had finally turned up following what sounded like a fairly substantial “brunch.” Another group from Tunbridge Wells had also arrived, having caught the bus that departed an hour later than the service we arrived on.

The next couple of hours were spent chatting with various members of the two groups, interspersed by visits to the bar. I won’t list off the beers I drank, as whilst they were all good, I ran into that typical beer festival situation where, after a while, they all start tasting very similar to one another. They were all priced at £4.60 a pint, although for seasoned festival goers, tokens were available at five pints worth for £20. They were valid across all three days of the event, but this wasn’t much use to “casual” visitors, like ourselves, although a couple of people did end up sharing tokens between themselves.

I departed shortly after 3pm, as my son Matthew, who works at the local branch of  well-known hardware store, had offered me a lift back to Tonbridge. He was due to finish early that day, although as it happened, he got stuck in a meeting which delayed him somewhat. This allowed me time to call in at Armstrong's, an excellent, independent off license that I discovered on a previous visit to East Grinstead. Amongst the bottles of Samuel Smiths beers that I picked up, was a bottle of the legendary Yorkshire Stingo. This beer is hard to come by, especially in the south-east, so despite the six pound price-tag, I treated myself to a bottle.

  After receiving a further text message from Matthew, I ended up
diving  into the Ounce & Ivy Bush - the local Wetherspoons, which is opposite the shop where he works, and took advantage of their refillable coffee offer. We travelled home along the A264 road towards Tunbridge Wells, after what had been an enjoyable day out. This was despite the inclement weather - a mix of bitterly cold winds and driving rain, but as it is still early March, perhaps this should be expected.