Blue Scrumpy at The Three Conies in the Oxfordshire / Northants wilderness:
"We were led away from the main bar area to a separate dining area that was decorated in a bizarre manner, with plenty of stuffed animals and the like. The animal theme apparently continued in the ladies toilets, where animal noises were being played through a speaker. I normally find similar noises in the gents. So, I set off to explore if that was the case, only to find complete silence."
"Breakneck speed we drown ten pints of bitter"
The working man's Pubman Alan Winfield rises from the grave with a gem of a review.
The Chintz Symposium
I went to the bar to see a sign saying NO Real Ales,i turned round to look at my wife for help,no chance of that,i looked at the keg things on the bar,none i had ever heard of like Bondary Imbongo,too strong for us,the others had stupid names and too strong,so i asked for two halfs of Verdant Some Fifty Summers,expensive and it looked like no other drink i or my wife have ever had,it looked like sludge,we both tried it and agreed it was vile but not off,as we drank more of it the taste got worse.
We both could no wait to get out and into a proper pub,we went up to Wetherspoons and the first two drinks did not take the taste away,after two more we were almost back to normal.
I said to my wife we have just done a craft beer bar,she said "they can stick them,i prefer proper pubs".
Top quality stuff, from Mrs as well as Mr Winfield.
That review was written when it was called The Hand. It seems to have gone downhill since then, if your recent photos are anything to go by.
Come On You Hatters!
BF at The Rochester Castle (JD Wetherspoon) -
The cheap drink and food options do attract a strange mix of older customers and a large table of over 70 men did emit an unfortunate reek,a seating booth had three very elderly folk slumped and still nursing their all day coffees at 3pm and at the front some well oiled regulars engaged in volumous islamaphobia and homophobia,while swearing loudly at any passing police vehicles .However it is better to have such customers concentrated within a 'spoons rather than let them loose on the other pubs in the area.
I downed my half and left avoiding eye contact with the foul mouthed celts,after one of them tried to engage me in drunked conversation,I suppose you just have to accept this if you visit 'spoons.