Blog archive
Magners Cider
Just a short one for openers as I have recently become intrigued with the apparent massive success of Magners Cider. My first experience of this new star of the cider world was when I bought a bottle from a supermarket - I always buy a bottle of anything new.
I have been very impressed with the Irish real ales that I have bought for the pub recently and felt it may be interesting to try Magners for this reason.
Sadly, I felt that on this occasion my money might have been better spent elsewhere. The cider was bland and deeply ordinary. I thought little more about it despite noticing that it was increasingly obvious in fridges behind the bar of nearly every pub I walked into.
Recently, I was talking to a sales rep from one of my major suppliers when the subject of Magners cropped up. I was amazed to hear that it is rapidly becoming the product of the moment in more 'fashionable' outlets than my own, with massive growth in sales over the last 12 months.
It seems, however, that this 'traditional' cider was developed for the US market, and we all know what that means.
A quick slurp of American 'Bud' will tell you that flavour is not very important to the US drinking man or woman. Indeed, it seems important that flavour is totally absent. All they want is cold & wet.
This explains why our Irish cousins have deliberately created a cider that is infinitely bland. But this is seemingly not enough.
Just in case any nasty apple flavours might still upset the consumer, Magners is served cold from the fridge, and for extra reassurance, it is poured over lots of ice.
If you come to The Bhurtpore with somebody who likes Magners (if that is truly possible), just warn them to ask for something else because they may get a bit of a lecture from the bloke behind the bar about apples and flavours and ciders that aren't fizzy or clear. And they may be forced to try some proper cider!
Mission Statements 
What a nice idea. Everybody says how nice they are and what nice things they would like to do and how it will all make the world a better place.
In late 2005 we ordered and paid over £4,000 for some new fixtures in the pub. More than 12 months later they remain incomplete.
Annoying, really, but we all have to put up with annoying things in life. I can live with annoying without taking it too personally. Recently, however, I just happened to 'visit' their website. I don't know why. I just got an urge.
That just made me properly annoyed.
If I was doing a statement for the Bhurtpore I might say something about trying very hard to please most of the people most of the time. But I would really mean it - unfortunately every barrel has a last pint which may not be too good, and every so often things just do go wrong.
We accept that we are only human and hope that customers will throw us a little slack when bad things happen.
I would not come up with a load of vacuous twaddle like 'Our goal is to enjoy continuous success through always exceeding our customers' expectations and to be their first choice supplier of such-and-such'.
This does not prepare that customer for months of unreturned phone calls, and insincere promises when I showed up in person.
Rest assured. The Bhurtpore will never have mission statement as long as it has my name over the door.
The Death of the English Pub? Part 1
This autumn I will slip quietly into my 51st year. I was only 33 when Nicky and I bought the Bhurtpore, and back then it was one of the only pubs I had ever seen boarded up.
I may have seen a few that had to go to make way for redevelopment, or in troubled inner-city areas, but we never saw them in smaller towns and villages.
In recent years such sights have become increasingly commonplace. I find this deeply sad, but not in the least surprising. Do we really understand what we are losing – a part of the vital fabric of English society.
I regularly visit a mid-Cheshire town where just about all the old pubs are drab, downtrodden, damp-smelling and empty. Around 25 years ago I visited the same town several times with a couple of friends and sampled most of the pubs.
It wasn’t great then but, boy has it suffered since. Sadly this pattern is repeated the length and breadth of Britain.
So many of our old pubs are now places few people would visit twice The big brewers who used to maintain them a bit so people would go in and buy their beer were required by (half-baked) law to sell them off years ago.
Now we have faceless pub companies who lease out badly maintained buildings to (often) ill prepared people in return for their life savings, and then wind up the rent every time they smell a bit of profit.
When they run out of takers and the building is on it’s knees they can apply for permission to redevelop the site. It’s a win/win.
But not for you and me.
Death of the English Pub? Part 2
Despite the depressed tone of my last blog (see old blogs page), there are some seeds of hope.
Love them or otherwise, Wetherspoons invest serious money creating interesting, comfortable places to visit and offer food and drink at, frankly, silly prices.
They are the only pubs worth visiting in some towns, but do they really have character, individuality or soul? They tick some of these boxes quite often, but rarely all three.
Also, the Brunning and Price chain were a remarkable achievement by two men of vision. Again, love them or hate them (and some of us publicans did both at the same time!), they offered new standards of excellence in many areas.
Not always a lot of real soul there though, either. I am not sure there is a real buzz of atmosphere on a Friday night. Generally too foody with tables that don’t cross pollinate the atmosphere as groups of diners either leave early or keep themselves to themselves.
Both the above are very worthy ways forward for an essential part of our heritage. Sadly, the recent sale of Brunning and Price to the rather low pedigree Restaurant Group a few months ago means things may well tail off (if subtly at first) quite rapidly.
My final verdict? Too much relies on Her Majesties Government making balanced, sensible decisions about planning, taxation, health and licensing matters for us to have any hope at all for the future. I predict well over half our pubs will be gone by 2015. Especially in rural areas.
Meanwhile, I’m off to the White Lion at Barthomley for a proper pint in a proper pub!
My favourite pubs
After what my favourite beer may be (which depends on the time of day, day of the week and the weather!) the question I am most often asked is what is my favourite pub.
Here are my ten pubs to visit before you die. (On another day I may give a different selection).
The Yew Tree, Cauldon Low, Staffordshire – a treasure trove of antiques from pianolas and polyphons to penny-farthings and zulu shields. It’s just so good to explore.
The White Lion, Barthomley, Cheshire – Just a perfect unpretentious, unspoilt village pub with a great mix of customers, sensitively adapted for life in the 21st century.
The Falkland Arms, Great Tew, Oxfordshire – A favourite for nearly 30 years, Perhaps not quite what it was back then, but still a Cotswold gem. Featured as an Inspector Morse set.
The Sun, Llangollen, Denbighshire - A great pint and a great live music venue. Best Juke-box I’ve ever seen and a real buzz on a busy night. Did I mention a great pint?
The Blue Anchor, Helston, Cornwall – I haven’t been since 1984 but don’t think anything has changed much, including their crazy Spingo beers. An ancient home brew pub.
The Turf Tavern, Oxford – A student days favourite. Tucked away from the bustle and traffic near the Bridge of Sighs. Good beer in a unique setting that is just so right (sadly, on my most recent visit the pub had been 'sensitively' refurbished and extended). Uniquely Oxford. Try also the Bear, King’s Head, White Horse, Eagle & Child etc.
The Philharmonic, Liverpool – A staggering example of the Victorian gin palace. It speaks volumes about the power and wealth around the port of Liverpool in the late 19th century.
The Ty Coch, Porthdinllaen, Gwynedd – No real ale in sight, but bottles of Purple Moose and Budvar on draught are enough to make this idyllic old pub on the beach a must visit. Sit on the wall and watch the sun go down.
The Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Nottingham – Reputedly the oldest pub in England (1189) this remarkable pub is partly in caves hewn from the rock under the castle. Scene of many good nights out in my youth!
Lastly, the Willow at Hack Green, Nantwich has been closed for the last couple of years following a disastrous flood when the canal burst it's banks in 2006. Rumoured to be opening it's doors again in '09. A hidden rural gem which was loved by all who knew it.