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14-07-2016, 08:52
Visit The Pub Curmudgeon site (http://pubcurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2016/07/no-foreign-muck-here.html)
Contrary to popular rumour, I don’t actually spent all my leisure time sitting in dingy pubs, and last Sunday I went along to Didsbury Car Show (http://www.didsburycarshow.org.uk/), where a friend was exhibiting his classic car. If you have any interest in cars, this annual event is well worth attending, with free admission and over 200 cars on display, ranging from exotic supercars to the family favourites of our childhood. Here’s a rather unflattering picture of me inspecting a 1970 Renault Alpine:
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zWJMoh9PGI/V4dFlkb0orI/AAAAAAAAE4E/F1qWdIn_mToZ8frINLTot76zii7sPki7QCLcB/s320/renault_alpine.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zWJMoh9PGI/V4dFlkb0orI/AAAAAAAAE4E/F1qWdIn_mToZ8frINLTot76zii7sPki7QCLcB/s1600/renault_alpine.jpg)
At lunchtime, we wandered down to nearby Didsbury Green for a bite to eat and ended up in the Olde Cock. One thing that struck me about the menu (http://www.yeoldecock-didsbury.co.uk/menus/food) was how resolutely “traditional British” it was, with the possible exception of the Falafel, Sweet Potato, Kale & Quinoa, which sounds like a parody dish. Not a sign of a lasagne, pizza or curry, let alone anything Chinese, Moroccan or Mexican. The typical Brunning & Price menu is far more wide-ranging. The menu in the Didsbury across the road was similar, but about £2 more for each dish.
I’ve written in the past about how pubs were in danger of boxing themselves into a corner of being the English Ethnic Restaurant (http://www.pubcurmudgeon.org.uk/beer97/curm9711.html). Now, obviously pubs are entitled to serve whatever menus they want, but I can’t help thinking that something that might appeal in a Cheshire village or a National Park may not be the right thing for cosmopolitan Didsbury.
It was reassuring to see a young couple sitting in the pub playing Scrabble. Didsbury wouldn’t be Didsbury without that. No doubt they have a Jenga set somewhere as well.
I had a pint of Mobberley Roadrunner which was perfectly good, although one of my companions went straight for the Greene King IPA pump. I didn’t notice the price as I wasn’t paying, but I’d bet it was considerably nearer to four pounds than three.
More... (http://pubcurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2016/07/no-foreign-muck-here.html)
Contrary to popular rumour, I don’t actually spent all my leisure time sitting in dingy pubs, and last Sunday I went along to Didsbury Car Show (http://www.didsburycarshow.org.uk/), where a friend was exhibiting his classic car. If you have any interest in cars, this annual event is well worth attending, with free admission and over 200 cars on display, ranging from exotic supercars to the family favourites of our childhood. Here’s a rather unflattering picture of me inspecting a 1970 Renault Alpine:
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zWJMoh9PGI/V4dFlkb0orI/AAAAAAAAE4E/F1qWdIn_mToZ8frINLTot76zii7sPki7QCLcB/s320/renault_alpine.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zWJMoh9PGI/V4dFlkb0orI/AAAAAAAAE4E/F1qWdIn_mToZ8frINLTot76zii7sPki7QCLcB/s1600/renault_alpine.jpg)
At lunchtime, we wandered down to nearby Didsbury Green for a bite to eat and ended up in the Olde Cock. One thing that struck me about the menu (http://www.yeoldecock-didsbury.co.uk/menus/food) was how resolutely “traditional British” it was, with the possible exception of the Falafel, Sweet Potato, Kale & Quinoa, which sounds like a parody dish. Not a sign of a lasagne, pizza or curry, let alone anything Chinese, Moroccan or Mexican. The typical Brunning & Price menu is far more wide-ranging. The menu in the Didsbury across the road was similar, but about £2 more for each dish.
I’ve written in the past about how pubs were in danger of boxing themselves into a corner of being the English Ethnic Restaurant (http://www.pubcurmudgeon.org.uk/beer97/curm9711.html). Now, obviously pubs are entitled to serve whatever menus they want, but I can’t help thinking that something that might appeal in a Cheshire village or a National Park may not be the right thing for cosmopolitan Didsbury.
It was reassuring to see a young couple sitting in the pub playing Scrabble. Didsbury wouldn’t be Didsbury without that. No doubt they have a Jenga set somewhere as well.
I had a pint of Mobberley Roadrunner which was perfectly good, although one of my companions went straight for the Greene King IPA pump. I didn’t notice the price as I wasn’t paying, but I’d bet it was considerably nearer to four pounds than three.
More... (http://pubcurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2016/07/no-foreign-muck-here.html)