Blog Tracker
03-05-2023, 21:49
Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/a-long-lost-relative-and-celebratory.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PTkzRJAArqOlYhpEzhfAvDY1MuePnvuVKeYHX6cwqJGYXuJ4I9 1hGVVAvDBkqa-OFWFmXMqest14vJ2alSk4hEH793ffigASm6E7XcxwvpRm-jegx_GOJV-JMb9FlZ0vJ-RugHdiKV52RRrsYuo5_TAR_1xMS6zrj4B85ABsc46bTUir_IkK HOXh/w229-h400/Coronation%20Ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PTkzRJAArqOlYhpEzhfAvDY1MuePnvuVKeYHX6cwqJGYXuJ4I9 1hGVVAvDBkqa-OFWFmXMqest14vJ2alSk4hEH793ffigASm6E7XcxwvpRm-jegx_GOJV-JMb9FlZ0vJ-RugHdiKV52RRrsYuo5_TAR_1xMS6zrj4B85ABsc46bTUir_IkK HOXh/s3713/Coronation%20Ale.jpg)
Last Sunday lunchtime, I came across my first draught Coronation Ale. The beer in question was the imaginatively named, Coronation Ale, fromGreene King, and I have to say it was very good. It's a shame I was driving asit's no exaggeration to say it was one of the best GK beers I've had in a longtime. Coming in at 4%, the beer is described on Untappd as “An easy drinkingand refreshing golden ale, with tropical fruit notes.” I won't disagree withthat, and it’s evidence that a large brewer, such as GK, can turn out decentbeer when they put their minds to it.The pub where I enjoyed this beer, was the Cock Horse (https://cockhorsedetling.co.uk/), inthe village of Detling – just off (literally), the busy A249, as it descends the steepescarpment of the North Downs, just to the north of Maidstone. Detling isfamiliar territory to me, as I passed through the village back in October 2020,whilst walking the North Downs Way. I'd stayed overnight at Black Horse, in nearbyThurnham, so the Cock Horse wasn’t open when I passed by mid-morning. I'd calledin a few times, when I lived in Maidstone, but that would have been three and a half decades previously..
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDonKita1zi24sQE3Roa1L_Nj2bQd59-NuZc65VeXmgf-_oEjVnfN-lMuKcPsALna8u5Vmzm02B-NRPU1cRlytnyj6X-MxZUfSEjcqNNdbQDE5oAxZsEEBLE5D1anDZ6KmBqCfINsyNtX6 3pX-Y6CLQCyMivNr_jGEBGz5SjJd_y8isUtHpyICVQBR/w400-h225/IMG_20230430_123515.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDonKita1zi24sQE3Roa1L_Nj2bQd59-NuZc65VeXmgf-_oEjVnfN-lMuKcPsALna8u5Vmzm02B-NRPU1cRlytnyj6X-MxZUfSEjcqNNdbQDE5oAxZsEEBLE5D1anDZ6KmBqCfINsyNtX6 3pX-Y6CLQCyMivNr_jGEBGz5SjJd_y8isUtHpyICVQBR/s1280/IMG_20230430_123515.jpg)
So, apart from drinking Coronation Ale, what was I, andindeed the rest of the family, doing at the Cock Horse on Sunday lunchtime? Astruth is sometimes stranger than fiction, I shall give a truthful answer – wewere there to meet up with Mrs PBT’s long lost cousin. You can blame theAncestry website, the one where you register, submit a small sample of your DNA(by spitting into a tube), post it off, and wait it to be analysed, and yourDNA profile to be emailed back, in due course.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn05-t2pVtpxPswoX5WdDH4Fiezp7ieA11heYhYqizHXLyi316h8Fh2 fjF1iiYVwllpE-UVp6OlCa-ADL9GDJXW8c4wQ3WndyoJSxpkpHzWg4x9DvKfjy-Usa6s0be9yblhSoTK3Zbboxry0TKcVdTsf4o4uZXAmj2VOFb6N GiY5NzbyDKHBG85DoI/w400-h272/DNA%20Paul.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn05-t2pVtpxPswoX5WdDH4Fiezp7ieA11heYhYqizHXLyi316h8Fh2 fjF1iiYVwllpE-UVp6OlCa-ADL9GDJXW8c4wQ3WndyoJSxpkpHzWg4x9DvKfjy-Usa6s0be9yblhSoTK3Zbboxry0TKcVdTsf4o4uZXAmj2VOFb6N GiY5NzbyDKHBG85DoI/s2346/DNA%20Paul.jpg)
Eileen and I both had our profiles analysed some years ago,and to anyone interested in this sort of thing, or indeed curious about theirgenetic makeup, and hence their ancestry, it’s certainly well worth doing.Getting your DNA analysed can throw up some surprising results, as I discoveredwith mine - 60% from Southern England and North West Europe, with the remainder split in roughly equal portions, between Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, and Scandinavia. The Wales connectiondoesn’t surprise me, as my maternal grandmother came from Mountain Ash, in theWelsh valleys, but the Ireland and Scotland connections were totally unexpected.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLmWI8a3FWXv257QztGZwWKGK_2ETv9RIuz-qO-udPDLSGcXvYu1c_JeZtaEjpWXAtyNosVa-pWM2MiGdm3g3o7jGr0xpqhRvx3RONp_rcLjxWNxhuN_jmXrcBz f3qd7tWNdptWkx3C52F1N-xLylPGnJB3boJGLj7-yGUMA8OGT-_Xsyft2xB_vS/w400-h271/Cock%20Horse%20frontage.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLmWI8a3FWXv257QztGZwWKGK_2ETv9RIuz-qO-udPDLSGcXvYu1c_JeZtaEjpWXAtyNosVa-pWM2MiGdm3g3o7jGr0xpqhRvx3RONp_rcLjxWNxhuN_jmXrcBz f3qd7tWNdptWkx3C52F1N-xLylPGnJB3boJGLj7-yGUMA8OGT-_Xsyft2xB_vS/s3645/Cock%20Horse%20frontage.jpg)
I’m digressing here, as this is supposed to be aboutEileen’s ancestry, and hers veered more towards Northern Europe andScandinavia, with the wildcard being a small amount (1%), from Sardinia! Eileen took out a monthly subscription to ancestry, which means she gets much more regular updates than I do, but fouror five months ago, she received a message from a person with a DNA match,close enough to be a first cousin. Contact was established, more so with this long-lostcousin’s wife, but because there are still other relatives living, who are not awareof this individual, or from which side of the family he originates, this is asfar as the disclosure goes.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPsuT3bQKTwwAZ-dEHuK3Eo3i8cZIlALlBqdup47RM8Zmn8Kh58WkXEtF3MnL7UXx o3IHtIz6DRwYCyFT07M9KKY_ki2sZm43HgCdFxcnZ9AH0MGaAS AcGHzjMpmuVmxecGwueMDxLa8Oyk-fPcF49gS1KCFstSPNzgRZ-Qu9cAihSRM2QY7mRSzw/w400-h225/Cock%20Horse%20bar.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPsuT3bQKTwwAZ-dEHuK3Eo3i8cZIlALlBqdup47RM8Zmn8Kh58WkXEtF3MnL7UXx o3IHtIz6DRwYCyFT07M9KKY_ki2sZm43HgCdFxcnZ9AH0MGaAS AcGHzjMpmuVmxecGwueMDxLa8Oyk-fPcF49gS1KCFstSPNzgRZ-Qu9cAihSRM2QY7mRSzw/s3959/Cock%20Horse%20bar.jpg)
What I can reveal is that Eileen and I arranged to meet upwith her new cousin, and his wife, and as they were staying relatively local, whilstvisiting another member of their family, we chose the Cock Horse at Detling, asa suitable venue. It was less than 10 minutes’ drive from the hotel they werestaying at, and it also offered a “lite bites” option alongside its main Sundaylunchtime menu. I’d been tasked with locating a pub with this option, but as I explainedto my good lady wife, most pubs understandably want to capitalise on the Sundaylunchtime trade by offering the full roast or carvery options, complete with all the trimmings. "But you're the pub expert," I was told. Pub expert, possibly, but miracle worker, definitely not, but as proof that persistence sometimes pays off, I eventually came up trumps.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcT7x3FvUfZsBdnewbe_my-PBFKnHymAupiFplAEf-qmaCLlSRKi7w3q5xpSfKoH0HzshQ9bfoQgm9qqnJrv6pqURvjU Br4pVE58OdMckJhy8jQmn4hgZ6-THxGqFU45eLaU_OYY5KOma8c0G11rQEweNmO3AL3Ie_YZQMkQO dU1bfGzwt-li6I_Ib/w400-h225/Cock%20Horse%20Rear.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcT7x3FvUfZsBdnewbe_my-PBFKnHymAupiFplAEf-qmaCLlSRKi7w3q5xpSfKoH0HzshQ9bfoQgm9qqnJrv6pqURvjU Br4pVE58OdMckJhy8jQmn4hgZ6-THxGqFU45eLaU_OYY5KOma8c0G11rQEweNmO3AL3Ie_YZQMkQO dU1bfGzwt-li6I_Ib/s3709/Cock%20Horse%20Rear.jpg)
The Cock Horse stood out as one of the very few pubs with abaguette or jacket potato option, alongside the Sunday roast, and its close proximityto where Mrs PBT’s newly found relatives were staying, made it the idealchoice. The landlord had told me, over the phone, that whilst there were notables available in the restaurant, we were welcome to find some space in thebar, and order what we liked from the “lite bites” menu. With fine weathermaking a long overdue appearance, many people were sitting out in the garden,so there was plenty of room in the bar when we arrived.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAT43BSgso09BdD9ECn2jANa8SYQXcQ2ct8unU5LWZf PGV_V86j9fUP_XF3-EXb3ldx29SaOHtYCPrCEuoeXkqhe8yudEQHb1i0kuLGkzEZwun 6YiYfH6l5k3msblOVTtKjaLKB0IV8PVfs4imVVjGS0eFLrQB6O 4EQmaYlxnl8-9foOyWKa33e_X/w400-h300/IMG_20201015_145503.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAT43BSgso09BdD9ECn2jANa8SYQXcQ2ct8unU5LWZf PGV_V86j9fUP_XF3-EXb3ldx29SaOHtYCPrCEuoeXkqhe8yudEQHb1i0kuLGkzEZwun 6YiYfH6l5k3msblOVTtKjaLKB0IV8PVfs4imVVjGS0eFLrQB6O 4EQmaYlxnl8-9foOyWKa33e_X/s3832/IMG_20201015_145503.jpg)
The meeting was a success, and we could tell, at a glance,exactly who Eileen’s long-lost cousin is related to. Furthermore, him and hiswife were really nice people, so we will arrange a further meetup in the not-too-distantfuture. The pub also proved a good choice on a busy Bank Holiday weekend, aswell as providing my first opportunity for a visit movingaway from Maidstone, nearly 40 years ago.The pub was friendly, welcoming and the food offering was good too. It was certainly busy last Sunday, with a full restaurant, and a packed garden as well.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tmYYQ0Xv1NMcEi2ZK0sim5PCycwibFyOOq_7W2Fqbs Vmnd5LZAYd9k7y4nYICx9BN7bNDjKoFrbBEguBIhelPbDREjHA kwBJQ2-Wma1FBJDHhJDccIpHZhZ450wRPhMpUaRUmKv8dbKppdC1oqTmw BPLmHjECxQPSf4OIOPy9xpNw8-nYuex1Xpx/w195-h400/Sainsbury%20Coronation%20Ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tmYYQ0Xv1NMcEi2ZK0sim5PCycwibFyOOq_7W2Fqbs Vmnd5LZAYd9k7y4nYICx9BN7bNDjKoFrbBEguBIhelPbDREjHA kwBJQ2-Wma1FBJDHhJDccIpHZhZ450wRPhMpUaRUmKv8dbKppdC1oqTmw BPLmHjECxQPSf4OIOPy9xpNw8-nYuex1Xpx/s3714/Sainsbury%20Coronation%20Ale.jpg)
Before bringing this article to a close, I want to touchvery briefly on the subject of royal, celebratory ales. In the past, such beers proved immenselypopular when brewed to mark various royal events, and thinking back to the lateQueen’s Silver Jubilee, in 1977, it seemed that just about every brewery inthe land, irrespective of size, produced a special beer to mark the event.Almost without exception these beers were only available in bottled form. 25 years later, fewer celebratory beers were brewed to markthe monarch’s Golden Jubilee, and in 2012, fewer still appeared in honour ofthe Diamond Jubilee. Some of these might well have been draught, rather than packaged,but I didn’t give that much attention to the matter and might still have donethe same with regard to the coronation of the new King. A quick browse of theshelves in Sainsbury’s, last Bank Holiday Monday, revealed a Coronation Ale aspart of the store’s "Taste the Difference" range. Coming in at 7.0% abv, this strong, rich ale seemed worthyof my attention, so I treated myself to a bottle. Priced at £2.25, for a 500mlbottle, and attractively packaged, the beer is brewed by Dorset brewers, Hall& Woodhouse, and to my mind at least, is produced at a more fitting strengthfor a bottled, celebratory beer. Photos on Untappd, show this beer to be quitedark in colour as well, so I shall look forward to cracking this one open, nextweekend.
Several other brewers, including Abbey Ales, Chiltern, Elgood’s,Greene King, Mauldon’s, Timothy Taylor, Tring, plus Windsor & Eton have alsobrewed their own coronation brew, to mark the occasion, but there hasn’texactly been a flood of these beers. So, worth sampling, should you come acrossone, but on the other hand not really worth going out of your way to track anyof these down.
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https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PTkzRJAArqOlYhpEzhfAvDY1MuePnvuVKeYHX6cwqJGYXuJ4I9 1hGVVAvDBkqa-OFWFmXMqest14vJ2alSk4hEH793ffigASm6E7XcxwvpRm-jegx_GOJV-JMb9FlZ0vJ-RugHdiKV52RRrsYuo5_TAR_1xMS6zrj4B85ABsc46bTUir_IkK HOXh/w229-h400/Coronation%20Ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PTkzRJAArqOlYhpEzhfAvDY1MuePnvuVKeYHX6cwqJGYXuJ4I9 1hGVVAvDBkqa-OFWFmXMqest14vJ2alSk4hEH793ffigASm6E7XcxwvpRm-jegx_GOJV-JMb9FlZ0vJ-RugHdiKV52RRrsYuo5_TAR_1xMS6zrj4B85ABsc46bTUir_IkK HOXh/s3713/Coronation%20Ale.jpg)
Last Sunday lunchtime, I came across my first draught Coronation Ale. The beer in question was the imaginatively named, Coronation Ale, fromGreene King, and I have to say it was very good. It's a shame I was driving asit's no exaggeration to say it was one of the best GK beers I've had in a longtime. Coming in at 4%, the beer is described on Untappd as “An easy drinkingand refreshing golden ale, with tropical fruit notes.” I won't disagree withthat, and it’s evidence that a large brewer, such as GK, can turn out decentbeer when they put their minds to it.The pub where I enjoyed this beer, was the Cock Horse (https://cockhorsedetling.co.uk/), inthe village of Detling – just off (literally), the busy A249, as it descends the steepescarpment of the North Downs, just to the north of Maidstone. Detling isfamiliar territory to me, as I passed through the village back in October 2020,whilst walking the North Downs Way. I'd stayed overnight at Black Horse, in nearbyThurnham, so the Cock Horse wasn’t open when I passed by mid-morning. I'd calledin a few times, when I lived in Maidstone, but that would have been three and a half decades previously..
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDonKita1zi24sQE3Roa1L_Nj2bQd59-NuZc65VeXmgf-_oEjVnfN-lMuKcPsALna8u5Vmzm02B-NRPU1cRlytnyj6X-MxZUfSEjcqNNdbQDE5oAxZsEEBLE5D1anDZ6KmBqCfINsyNtX6 3pX-Y6CLQCyMivNr_jGEBGz5SjJd_y8isUtHpyICVQBR/w400-h225/IMG_20230430_123515.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDonKita1zi24sQE3Roa1L_Nj2bQd59-NuZc65VeXmgf-_oEjVnfN-lMuKcPsALna8u5Vmzm02B-NRPU1cRlytnyj6X-MxZUfSEjcqNNdbQDE5oAxZsEEBLE5D1anDZ6KmBqCfINsyNtX6 3pX-Y6CLQCyMivNr_jGEBGz5SjJd_y8isUtHpyICVQBR/s1280/IMG_20230430_123515.jpg)
So, apart from drinking Coronation Ale, what was I, andindeed the rest of the family, doing at the Cock Horse on Sunday lunchtime? Astruth is sometimes stranger than fiction, I shall give a truthful answer – wewere there to meet up with Mrs PBT’s long lost cousin. You can blame theAncestry website, the one where you register, submit a small sample of your DNA(by spitting into a tube), post it off, and wait it to be analysed, and yourDNA profile to be emailed back, in due course.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn05-t2pVtpxPswoX5WdDH4Fiezp7ieA11heYhYqizHXLyi316h8Fh2 fjF1iiYVwllpE-UVp6OlCa-ADL9GDJXW8c4wQ3WndyoJSxpkpHzWg4x9DvKfjy-Usa6s0be9yblhSoTK3Zbboxry0TKcVdTsf4o4uZXAmj2VOFb6N GiY5NzbyDKHBG85DoI/w400-h272/DNA%20Paul.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn05-t2pVtpxPswoX5WdDH4Fiezp7ieA11heYhYqizHXLyi316h8Fh2 fjF1iiYVwllpE-UVp6OlCa-ADL9GDJXW8c4wQ3WndyoJSxpkpHzWg4x9DvKfjy-Usa6s0be9yblhSoTK3Zbboxry0TKcVdTsf4o4uZXAmj2VOFb6N GiY5NzbyDKHBG85DoI/s2346/DNA%20Paul.jpg)
Eileen and I both had our profiles analysed some years ago,and to anyone interested in this sort of thing, or indeed curious about theirgenetic makeup, and hence their ancestry, it’s certainly well worth doing.Getting your DNA analysed can throw up some surprising results, as I discoveredwith mine - 60% from Southern England and North West Europe, with the remainder split in roughly equal portions, between Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, and Scandinavia. The Wales connectiondoesn’t surprise me, as my maternal grandmother came from Mountain Ash, in theWelsh valleys, but the Ireland and Scotland connections were totally unexpected.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLmWI8a3FWXv257QztGZwWKGK_2ETv9RIuz-qO-udPDLSGcXvYu1c_JeZtaEjpWXAtyNosVa-pWM2MiGdm3g3o7jGr0xpqhRvx3RONp_rcLjxWNxhuN_jmXrcBz f3qd7tWNdptWkx3C52F1N-xLylPGnJB3boJGLj7-yGUMA8OGT-_Xsyft2xB_vS/w400-h271/Cock%20Horse%20frontage.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLmWI8a3FWXv257QztGZwWKGK_2ETv9RIuz-qO-udPDLSGcXvYu1c_JeZtaEjpWXAtyNosVa-pWM2MiGdm3g3o7jGr0xpqhRvx3RONp_rcLjxWNxhuN_jmXrcBz f3qd7tWNdptWkx3C52F1N-xLylPGnJB3boJGLj7-yGUMA8OGT-_Xsyft2xB_vS/s3645/Cock%20Horse%20frontage.jpg)
I’m digressing here, as this is supposed to be aboutEileen’s ancestry, and hers veered more towards Northern Europe andScandinavia, with the wildcard being a small amount (1%), from Sardinia! Eileen took out a monthly subscription to ancestry, which means she gets much more regular updates than I do, but fouror five months ago, she received a message from a person with a DNA match,close enough to be a first cousin. Contact was established, more so with this long-lostcousin’s wife, but because there are still other relatives living, who are not awareof this individual, or from which side of the family he originates, this is asfar as the disclosure goes.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPsuT3bQKTwwAZ-dEHuK3Eo3i8cZIlALlBqdup47RM8Zmn8Kh58WkXEtF3MnL7UXx o3IHtIz6DRwYCyFT07M9KKY_ki2sZm43HgCdFxcnZ9AH0MGaAS AcGHzjMpmuVmxecGwueMDxLa8Oyk-fPcF49gS1KCFstSPNzgRZ-Qu9cAihSRM2QY7mRSzw/w400-h225/Cock%20Horse%20bar.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPsuT3bQKTwwAZ-dEHuK3Eo3i8cZIlALlBqdup47RM8Zmn8Kh58WkXEtF3MnL7UXx o3IHtIz6DRwYCyFT07M9KKY_ki2sZm43HgCdFxcnZ9AH0MGaAS AcGHzjMpmuVmxecGwueMDxLa8Oyk-fPcF49gS1KCFstSPNzgRZ-Qu9cAihSRM2QY7mRSzw/s3959/Cock%20Horse%20bar.jpg)
What I can reveal is that Eileen and I arranged to meet upwith her new cousin, and his wife, and as they were staying relatively local, whilstvisiting another member of their family, we chose the Cock Horse at Detling, asa suitable venue. It was less than 10 minutes’ drive from the hotel they werestaying at, and it also offered a “lite bites” option alongside its main Sundaylunchtime menu. I’d been tasked with locating a pub with this option, but as I explainedto my good lady wife, most pubs understandably want to capitalise on the Sundaylunchtime trade by offering the full roast or carvery options, complete with all the trimmings. "But you're the pub expert," I was told. Pub expert, possibly, but miracle worker, definitely not, but as proof that persistence sometimes pays off, I eventually came up trumps.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcT7x3FvUfZsBdnewbe_my-PBFKnHymAupiFplAEf-qmaCLlSRKi7w3q5xpSfKoH0HzshQ9bfoQgm9qqnJrv6pqURvjU Br4pVE58OdMckJhy8jQmn4hgZ6-THxGqFU45eLaU_OYY5KOma8c0G11rQEweNmO3AL3Ie_YZQMkQO dU1bfGzwt-li6I_Ib/w400-h225/Cock%20Horse%20Rear.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcT7x3FvUfZsBdnewbe_my-PBFKnHymAupiFplAEf-qmaCLlSRKi7w3q5xpSfKoH0HzshQ9bfoQgm9qqnJrv6pqURvjU Br4pVE58OdMckJhy8jQmn4hgZ6-THxGqFU45eLaU_OYY5KOma8c0G11rQEweNmO3AL3Ie_YZQMkQO dU1bfGzwt-li6I_Ib/s3709/Cock%20Horse%20Rear.jpg)
The Cock Horse stood out as one of the very few pubs with abaguette or jacket potato option, alongside the Sunday roast, and its close proximityto where Mrs PBT’s newly found relatives were staying, made it the idealchoice. The landlord had told me, over the phone, that whilst there were notables available in the restaurant, we were welcome to find some space in thebar, and order what we liked from the “lite bites” menu. With fine weathermaking a long overdue appearance, many people were sitting out in the garden,so there was plenty of room in the bar when we arrived.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAT43BSgso09BdD9ECn2jANa8SYQXcQ2ct8unU5LWZf PGV_V86j9fUP_XF3-EXb3ldx29SaOHtYCPrCEuoeXkqhe8yudEQHb1i0kuLGkzEZwun 6YiYfH6l5k3msblOVTtKjaLKB0IV8PVfs4imVVjGS0eFLrQB6O 4EQmaYlxnl8-9foOyWKa33e_X/w400-h300/IMG_20201015_145503.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAT43BSgso09BdD9ECn2jANa8SYQXcQ2ct8unU5LWZf PGV_V86j9fUP_XF3-EXb3ldx29SaOHtYCPrCEuoeXkqhe8yudEQHb1i0kuLGkzEZwun 6YiYfH6l5k3msblOVTtKjaLKB0IV8PVfs4imVVjGS0eFLrQB6O 4EQmaYlxnl8-9foOyWKa33e_X/s3832/IMG_20201015_145503.jpg)
The meeting was a success, and we could tell, at a glance,exactly who Eileen’s long-lost cousin is related to. Furthermore, him and hiswife were really nice people, so we will arrange a further meetup in the not-too-distantfuture. The pub also proved a good choice on a busy Bank Holiday weekend, aswell as providing my first opportunity for a visit movingaway from Maidstone, nearly 40 years ago.The pub was friendly, welcoming and the food offering was good too. It was certainly busy last Sunday, with a full restaurant, and a packed garden as well.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tmYYQ0Xv1NMcEi2ZK0sim5PCycwibFyOOq_7W2Fqbs Vmnd5LZAYd9k7y4nYICx9BN7bNDjKoFrbBEguBIhelPbDREjHA kwBJQ2-Wma1FBJDHhJDccIpHZhZ450wRPhMpUaRUmKv8dbKppdC1oqTmw BPLmHjECxQPSf4OIOPy9xpNw8-nYuex1Xpx/w195-h400/Sainsbury%20Coronation%20Ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tmYYQ0Xv1NMcEi2ZK0sim5PCycwibFyOOq_7W2Fqbs Vmnd5LZAYd9k7y4nYICx9BN7bNDjKoFrbBEguBIhelPbDREjHA kwBJQ2-Wma1FBJDHhJDccIpHZhZ450wRPhMpUaRUmKv8dbKppdC1oqTmw BPLmHjECxQPSf4OIOPy9xpNw8-nYuex1Xpx/s3714/Sainsbury%20Coronation%20Ale.jpg)
Before bringing this article to a close, I want to touchvery briefly on the subject of royal, celebratory ales. In the past, such beers proved immenselypopular when brewed to mark various royal events, and thinking back to the lateQueen’s Silver Jubilee, in 1977, it seemed that just about every brewery inthe land, irrespective of size, produced a special beer to mark the event.Almost without exception these beers were only available in bottled form. 25 years later, fewer celebratory beers were brewed to markthe monarch’s Golden Jubilee, and in 2012, fewer still appeared in honour ofthe Diamond Jubilee. Some of these might well have been draught, rather than packaged,but I didn’t give that much attention to the matter and might still have donethe same with regard to the coronation of the new King. A quick browse of theshelves in Sainsbury’s, last Bank Holiday Monday, revealed a Coronation Ale aspart of the store’s "Taste the Difference" range. Coming in at 7.0% abv, this strong, rich ale seemed worthyof my attention, so I treated myself to a bottle. Priced at £2.25, for a 500mlbottle, and attractively packaged, the beer is brewed by Dorset brewers, Hall& Woodhouse, and to my mind at least, is produced at a more fitting strengthfor a bottled, celebratory beer. Photos on Untappd, show this beer to be quitedark in colour as well, so I shall look forward to cracking this one open, nextweekend.
Several other brewers, including Abbey Ales, Chiltern, Elgood’s,Greene King, Mauldon’s, Timothy Taylor, Tring, plus Windsor & Eton have alsobrewed their own coronation brew, to mark the occasion, but there hasn’texactly been a flood of these beers. So, worth sampling, should you come acrossone, but on the other hand not really worth going out of your way to track anyof these down.
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