What to do for an hour in Bury waiting for the Thirsty Fish to open? Easy, explore ‘Bury’s Famous Market’ that, for once, merits the hyperbole. It’s huge as is the adjoining shopping centre and the queues for Chadwick’s black pudding are long. The tripe and cowheel were also in demand. Cowheel is apparently popular…… Continue reading Bury Market Markets Bury
Israel
For those wondering about the lack of blog posts in 2020, my year so far has consisted of a trip to Israel bookended by raging flu. Ah, I see, you never noticed. Anyway, Israel is of course primarily known for being the title of the nearest Siouxsie and the Banshees got to a Christmas single.…… Continue reading Israel
Lucky Luxembourg
Our annual European pre-Christmas winter warmers trip was to Luxembourg. Direct flights from Edinburgh with Ryanair (of which more later) opened up this possibility. It was impossibly Christmassy. Every square seemed to have a market and the Gluhwein was certainly flowing. There was even a speciality beer bar. And traditional entertainments. Around 120,000 of the…… Continue reading Lucky Luxembourg
2019 in Numbers
The annual accounts of pubs visited, targets met and missed and other moth, bird and sporting miscellany has finally been released by the auditors. This year the audit was carried out by KPMG who said that, having conducted “due diligence”, they would be satisfied with my claim that I had been to every pub in…… Continue reading 2019 in Numbers
Opening time in Corris
There is always a moment of tension as you hover expectantly at a pub door before opening time. In her book The Last Landlady, Laura Thompson calls it “the shimmering look of those early pub mornings, poised between hush and promise.” When the lights go on and the bolt is drawn back, echoing as if…… Continue reading Opening time in Corris
A Welsh Christmas
‘Twas the weekend before Christmas and the beer was flowing in Wales. These lads were out for the count before darkness fell. Another day, more great Welsh pubs. Well actually the same day as the last post from Denbigh. I had also been to Stori in Bala. It had a couple of tables at the…… Continue reading A Welsh Christmas
Denbigh’s Mr Plum
This is Peter, better known in Denbigh as Mr Plum, as captured in full flow here by the Daily Post. I met him and his charming wife in Y Goron Fach, a delightful micropub in a historic part of this old Welsh town. Here they are minus plum regalia. The Vale of Clwyd Denbigh plum…… Continue reading Denbigh’s Mr Plum
