It may be cold but it’s also crisp which is ideal for a walk round East Hertfordshire’s lethal ‘hoods before ticking off my last Guide entry for the year in Ware Much Hadham promises much, with my OS Map showing “Winding Hill“, “Palace” and “Waltons“.  The latter left for Virginia a century ago, which just… Continue reading GBG DESPAIR IN WARE

  Regular readers will know my opinions on the area known in the Beer Guide as North-West London, or “most of Middlesex” to you and me. Flat, intermittently interesting and short of great pubs (never mind beer), with a few exceptions. Back in the ’90s my job took me to such exotic locations as Eastcote, Neasden… Continue reading HOPE FOR HARROW

There’s no shortage of obvious headlines for a trip to Pompey in November; half an hour spent in Fratton’s Spoons provided no end of witticisms, most unrepeatable. Always safest to use the tried-and-tested Joe Jackson one. Wetherspoons seem to fall into two camps now.  OAP and family dining (e.g. St Neots), and male dominated cheap… Continue reading STEPPIN’ OUT IN PORTSMOUTH

  I’ve been in Fratton for the annual big Pompey GBG tick-off, and took the rattling train to Chichester to say hello to one of our correspondents.  John has interesting tales to tell, having been a founder member of Depeche Mode in their formative pub-rock days in Basildon in the late ’70s*.  His knowledge of Newark… Continue reading HALF-PINTS IN CHICHESTER

A rare pub visit where there is little exciting to tell you about the surrounding area, so I won’t.  In fact this would have been consigned to the bin if not for the unfortunate mini-trauma of asking for a pint to be changed. I won’t name the GBG pub, and don’t go looking in the photos… Continue reading TAKING YOUR PINT BACK – A WARNING

  Staffordshire is in my Top 3 counties for proper pubs; traditional seating, old codgers drinking Bass and Pedi, a lack of pretension. It’s also one of the cheapest counties, producing that virtuous circle of high turnover, high quality and low waste. That applies as much to food as beer. I’ll wager few folk outside… Continue reading CHEAP AS CHIPS IN CHESLYN HAY