Normal (Table) Service is Resumed

The month of May finally brought some relief to our beleaguered pubs across much of Britain, the proviso being table service only. Most people don’t seem too bothered about this. It is, after all, common practice across Europe, and they are just pleased to be inside a pub again. Talbot, Alton, Staffs And as privations……

The Abbeytown Habit

Outdoors only. No booking Today is the 17th of May and heralds the reopening of pubs indoors in (most of) Britain. As Marina Hyde says: “….one of the most absolutely objectionable parts of “unlocking” is having to look grateful as the prime minister meagrely parcels out what have been standard freedoms since time immemorial, and……

I never promised you a dry garden

Soon, it is rumoured, this hell will be over and we will be able to go into a pub and drink beer. Let’s face it this outdoor drinking lark is rubbish, and almost certainly pointless. My last three attempts have involved attempting to shelter from hail, high winds, driving rain and bitter cold. Often at……

The Great Outdoors?

Pubs reopened in Scotland last week. If you count reopening as only being able to drink alcohol outside that is, though you can have soft and hot drinks inside if the pub is open indoors. There is also the matter of a supposed maximum two hour permitted stay. It’s a bonkers rule that encourages the……

Good Beer Guide Histories No 2: Northumberland

After the questionable success of the first post in this series, our attention turns to England’s northernmost county, Northumberland. 64 miles of glorious coastline, 322,000 people and numerous castles, it has more than enough to detain us awhile. 251 pubs have appeared in the 48 published editions of the Good Beer Guide, two of which……

Good Beer Guide Histories No 1: Bedfordshire

Your Good Beer Guide to Bedfordshire. With added chocolate toothpaste.

Arlesey: Bricks, Beer and Bedlam

Despite the homogenisation and ongoing obliteration of our high streets, much of Britain wears its history well. Look up and you can see buildings from different eras, often dated. Look down and the paths, tracks and water courses define where you are. The dents, hollows and bings of a landscape act as a guidebook to……

Magic Numbers: Mapping the CAMRA Good Beer Guide

A while ago I mentioned that a crack team of analysts were mapping every pub ever to have appeared in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. For those at the back who haven’t kept up, CAMRA was founded in 1971 to fight the keg beer tide, producing a prototype Good Beer Guide the following year on……

Good Beer Guide Exclusive comes to Pub Tickers’ Rescue

What do pub bloggers write about when the pubs are closed? Some have been in hibernation whilst others have been very inventive. Blackpool Jane makes up her virtual itinerary based on the Tangerines’ away games and has helpfully renamed swathes of the country. Retired Martin – furloughed from his full time employment as an influencer……

The Last Pub

Four weeks have passed since my last pub visit. I am not sure why it’s taken that long to write about, perhaps holding onto the memory before it entirely recedes, with no other in prospect. The virus has floored us just like one of those er…vindictive steps. Let’s keep things in perspective. Not being able……