What makes a perfect pub?

This debate has raged for many a year and in all likelihood will remain as such for evermore … not least as it comes down to p[personal choice!

However, there are certain factors such as a mixture of good ale, lager, wine and food.

In addition there is the opportunity for engaging and sympathetic conversation, hospitality and lighting.

Despite the recent economic gloom there are plenty of pubs still surviving and – in some case – thriving!

• The pub remains as an affordable luxury.
• You can eat good food for the fraction of the price you’d pay in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
• You can enjoy a pint or two in the company of like-minded souls, or maybe just spend some quiet time in the corner, pint or single malt to hand, perusing the paper and listening to the gentle ebb and flow of conversation.

One debate best joined in the conviviality of the pub is considering exactly what it is that constitutes a good one. In 1946, George Orwell entered the fray with his marvellously prescient essay “The Moon Under Water”. For him, the perfect London pub had to include draught stout, simple but filling food, a well-sized garden, Victorian decor, and no radio or piano to spoil the prospect of stimulating conversation. His perfect pub didn’t exist (though he knew of several that were close) but he wasn’t the first – or the last – to play this peculiar pub game.

This country has a wonderful variety of pubs:

Town pubs, city pubs, suburban pubs, seaside pubs, village pubs, in-the-middle-of-nowhere pubs including pubs on a roundabout! (As in Shepherd & Flock, Farnham) and pubby pubs.

All of which proves that the pub is very much alive and kicking here in Britain.
A feeling Hilaire Belloc drew on marvellously when he wrote the lines: “When you have lost your inns, drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England.” 

I’ll toast to that!

What's the a-peel? Drinking cider can be good for your health!

Drinking cider may be good for your health, according to the results of trials which prove a glass of cider is rich in health improving antioxidants

The old adage an apple a day keeps the doctor away now also applies to a drop of cider, made from fermenting apple juice.

Cider, one of England’s oldest alcoholic drinks, has long been thought to be beneficial to health, but there was never any proof.

Now scientists at Brewing Research International have confirmed high levels of health enhancing antioxidants in cider, on par with red wine, a drink long recognised as having health benefits. 

A half pint of cider delivers the same amount of antioxidants as a glass of red wine.

Commenting on the research work, Dr Caroline Walker, a scientist at Brewing Research International, said: “A diet rich in antioxidants may help to protect against disease, and our research confirms cider has the same levels of antioxidants as red wine.”

It is clear that cider has a good dose of antioxidants, and as nutritionists recommend a healthy diet should include plenty of antioxidants it could well be claimed that a glass of cider a day will keep the doctor away!!.

For those who enjoy a glass of cider it is reassuring to know it may be healthy, too. 

John Thatcher, of Sandford in Somerset, Chairman of the National Association of Cider Makers, said:"I have spent a lifetime making cider, enjoying a regular glass or two, and now I can enjoy it all the more knowing it is helping to keep me healthy".

He added: “We have known for centuries that cider in moderation was good for you and it will be helpful to consumers to have this scientific confirmation.”

Cheers!

A pub sign is a sign of the times …

The purpose of a pub sign is obvious – but its origins less so.

The Romans brought wine to Britain and with it their Taverns (Tabernae)

A Roman tavern was signified by a bunch of vine leaves hung outside which indicated it had wine to sell.

However vine leaves were not readily available in the cold British climate… so and evergreen bush was hung out instead.

Taverns then began to stock local ale as well as the wine – and the first ‘Inns’ were created, which served travellers who used the new network of Roman roads.

‘Alestakes’ were also fast emerging.

If an alestake had an evergreen bush attached to it, this was a sign that the alehouse had wine to sell as well as ale.

• In 1375 alehouses in London were in such proliferation that their alestakes were causing a hazard in the narrow streets – so an order restricted their projection to a maximum of seven feet (2.1 metres).
• In 1393 King Richard II decreed that alehouses must show a sign or have its brew confiscated

Changes in legislation also meant the alestake was no longer required.

Alehouses, taverns (which sold wine) and inns adopted the practice of other trades and displayed a pictorial sign. Oddly they opted for objects totally unrelated to their trade; instead of a tool or product, such as a shoe in the case of the cobbler or a horseshoe by the blacksmith, they chose obscure objects such as the sun or moon, or a swan or eagle.

The hostelry did not assume the name of the sign, but was known as 'the inn at the sign of the sun'. There was little point writing on the signs as few people could read.

 Hostelries set up by the church would have a Christian symbol, the Lamb (Lamb of God), the Cross Keys (St.Peter, keeper of the keys to heaven) or the Bull (connected with Rome and the Pope’s seal). After the Reformation all catholic references were changed or hidden, the Pope’s Head a definite no-no, more likely to be renamed the King’s Head.

By the 17th century 'public houses' were quite numerous and needed to distinguish themselves from one another.

As a consequence their signs were becoming more important and sophisticated.

The purpose of the sign became more than just an indication of the building and its function, it was also a status symbol, the more flamboyant the sign the more impressive the establishment.

During the coaching era of the mid-17th century to the late 18th century, the coaching inns vied for trade, a street on a coaching route might have fifteen or twenty other inns in close proximity, therefore the sign was designed to attract the drivers attention

Some pub signs were attributed to great painters.

One of the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Millais is supposed to have painted pub signs.

Pubs signs are a reflection on the long history of the pub and it is a shame that so many are being replaced without reference to the heritage of the pub or its original sign.

However this does reflect the influences on today’s society and the high literacy rate… where many people can now read!

The Campaign For Real Ale

CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) is an independent, voluntary organisation campaigning for real ale, community pubs and consumer rights.

The organisation was formed back in March 1971 by four men from the north-west who were disillusioned by the domination of the UK beer market by a handful of companies pushing products of low flavour and overall quality onto the consumer.

 Many brewers during the late 1960s and early 1970s had made the decision to move away from producing traditional, flavoursome beers which continued to ferment in the cask from which they were served.

Such a move was opposed by Michael Hardman, Graham Lee, Jim Makin and Bill Mellor … all of whom thought it was about time British beer drinkers were given better variety and choice at the bar.

Hence, CAMRA was born!   

CAMRA’s stated aims are to:

1-      Protect and improve consumer rights

2-      Promote quality, choice, and value for money

3-      Support the public house as a focus of community life

4-      Campaign for greater appreciation of traditional beers, ciders and perries as part of our national heritage and culture

5-      Seek improvements in all licensed premises and throughout the brewing industry

CAMRA’s campaigns include promoting small brewing and pub businesses, reforming licensing laws, reducing tax on beer and stopping continued consolidation among local British brewers.

CAMRA membership now exceeds 143,000 and spreads across the world.

It has been described as the most successful consumer campaign in Europe.

The Shepherd and Flock regularly appears in the Camra Good Beer Guide.

Is it ‘Gin O’ clock’ yet?!

The popularity of gin … and of course gin and tonic appears to be as strong today as it ever was.

Gin is one of the few alcoholic spirits which has fans from all age groups and both the sexes. Traditionally used as a health tonic, today gin is a popular ingredient in almost every cocktail.

The spirit has a very soothing and refreshing nature and has been in existence for many centuries.

Gin is made from any spirit alcohol of a 96% volume. In addition to the spirit, a collection of botanicals and juniper berries play an important part in giving gin its distinguished flavor and aroma. Gin is dry in nature and is therefore rarely consumed on its own, but is often used as a base to make various cocktails.

This fine spirit was first originated in Holland back in 1550 when a medical professor, Franciscus de la Boe was working on a cure for stomach complaints. While conducting various experiments, he accidentally discovered this wonderful drink which he named "Genever".

It soon gained popularity as an alcoholic drink and its export to the UK for its troops as a warm drink made it a global phenomenon.

Gin is probably differentiated in three main categories Distilled Gin, Compound Gin and London Dry Gin. Distilled Gin is fashioned in a traditional manner. It is made by re-distillation of white grain spirit with juniper berries. Compound Gin is a flavored grain spirit without re-distillation. London Dry Gin is re-distilled grain spirit which contains added citrus botanicals such as lemon, orange peel with a decent combination of spices like cinnamon, lime peel, dragon eye, coriander and nutmeg. London gin may not contain added sugar preservatives and colorants.

Not many people know but, gin is the only alcoholic spirit that was first developed as a medicinal tonic before it became popular as a social drink. For people who want to cut on their daily consumption of hard liquor, gin is a good alternative. It has less calorie content than beer or wine and it also gives the consumer variety, by mixing in with various cocktails.

Beer … your flexible friend!

Beer has received a bit of a bad reputation in recent years.

Phrases such as “lager lout” and “beer belly” have become part of the British vocabulary, while women have shied away from choosing to drink beer for fear of being labelled as “pint swilling ladettes.”

This should not be the case.

Beer should be revered not scorned! Its versatility is endless. There are more than 60 different beer styles to choose from – so whether it be fun and fruity, full and wheaty, or dark and malty there really is something for everyone!

One of the wonders of beer is that it goes so well with food.

Beer is the perfect accompaniment to curry, cheese, chocolate, pies, sausages, seafood... I could go on, but I’m getting hungry. It’s a party on your palate! Better still, beer works for every occasion... including a leisurely evening in the pub.

The best thing about beer though, is that it can surprise you...

Believe it or not, beer is NOT responsible for the beer belly - as a guide, a half pint of 4% lager contains 94 calories, while a medium sized glass of white wine (175ml) contains 131 calories – making it the lighter option in fact!

Drinkers in the UK looking for a beverage without a lot of alcohol know what to order at the pub: a shandy! This mix of beer and sparkling lemonade is lightly alcoholic and very refreshing.

In a traditional shandy, beer is mixed in equal parts with sparkling lemonade or a citrus-flavored soda like 7-Up, or with ginger beer for a drink called a shandygaff. Germany has its own version of the drink, called a Radler, and France and Italy call the combination a panaché.