Doing the Guide: 2020 Mid Term Review

The end of February marks the halfway point of the Good Beer Guide season. A time to self-isolate and take stock of progress towards completion; to renew contracts of your drivers – at least those who have met performance targets – and to select a few highlights that missed the editor’s cut in previous blogs. Like this commanding miner’s statue in Brownhills, Staffordshire previously featured by Martin.

Best display of festive presents came from Bromyard, Herefordshire.

Hope Santa got you what you wanted

The Malvern Gazette expressed surprise at the anatomy of the human body.

Meanwhile in Marlborough, Wiltshire, modern communication systems are helping the community solve pressing problems.

Feudal pub of the year is The Duchess of Cornwall is in Queen Mother Square in Poundbury, on the outskirts of Dorchester. Are you picking up a royal theme? It’s part of a sort of hugely upmarket mini-new town on land owned by the monarchy. And you still think inequality in Britain has widened.

“I’m only reading this rubbish to see how many pubs you still need in the Good Beer Guide” writes A. Reader from Cambridgeshire.

6 months and 151 pubs to go: 4 in Scotland (all Highland); 5 in Wales; 3 in N Ireland; 2 in Channel Islands; and 137 in England, of which 24 are in London. Like you care. Devon is the other double figure requirement (12) and, along with Cornwall (9) a target for spring. Let me know if it ever arrives. You’ve just got to keep on raising the bar or alternatively:

Since you ask the title pic is from one of the very best new entries, the Blue Mugge in Leek, Staffordshire, which is fast becoming my favourite pub town.

Always a car in front of a pub to spoil the picture

As long as there are pubs like this there is hope.