Pubs
The English pub is even more alive and well, in parts, than I had thought. On Friday I was at the Stag in Balls Cross, Sussex, and felt myself gently drawn into the embrace of a fine old tradition: welcoming landlord, good ale and open fire of Olympian proportions. Then on Saturday I was at the Welldiggers, close by on the edge of Petworth, and ate the sort of pub meal that I thought was almost extinct. Not 'gastro' - just delicious, honest and generous. Long may those landlords reign! They are local heroes.
posted by Alastair @ 10:44 am
3 comments
3 Comments:
Really good to hear we share the same opinion, I stayed in a 'gastro' pub a couple of weeks ago and they tried far too hard to impress, it became far more gastric than gastro. I love to find stout, hardy, well love places. The Star at Lidgate near Cambridge is great and I woould thoroughly recommend it to anyone.
Thank you Spider and you'll be pleased to know that we agree that the Star at Lidgate is indeed a fantastic pub. It is recommended in our Pubs & Inns guide (available in all good bookshops and via our website!)
One is led to believe that if the car park is full, the pub must be good. This is not always the case, as witnessed by a place near us, which had better go unnamed. It can be true though, as in the case of Felin Fach Griffin in Felinfach near Brecon in Powys, mid-Wales (handy for the Hay-on-Wye Literature Festival, but book well in advance!) This unique place has not been metamorphosed into a fashionable gastropub, yet it is stylish, and serves food which is inventive and far superior to what one finds at most restaurants. Yet there are relaxing areas where one can sip a pint and browse newspapers, or enjoy a chat in front of a homely fire. This is one of the most characterful pubs in Wales. The Gurnard's Head in Treen, Cornwall is under the same ownership, but I haven't eaten or stayed there, so cannot comment.
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