Go To The Local

I remember the good old days, when the Friday afternoon feeling was one of excitement and anticipation.

Sigh.

Today I wake up completely convinced that Yazz was right: The only way is up. Happy new year everybody and thankyou for reading any of my posts or listening to one of my pubcasts in 2020.

After a year that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons, 2021 is going to be quite the comeback year.

Great for: 🗣️🏏🥃⁣⁣
Nearest 🚇: Liverpool Street⁣⁣
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If you're in the city next summer and want to slip out for a lunchtime pint and to watch the cricket, head to a former munitions storage facility, ⁣
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It's right in the middle of Jack the Ripper territory, so normally you'd see the tours coming by regularly in the evenings. Despite the massive changes in the city, some of the narrow streets around here endure and I can see how they would be ideal for a murderer to evade capture. Of course, Go To The Local discourages murder in the strongest possible terms.⁣
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Sitting on a corner, the Stores is a bit lighter and airier than some of the boozers in the area, so it used to be my go to when I worked nearby. There's a mixture of mass market and some niche opportunities on tap and its spirit game is particularly strong, perhaps to cater for the bankers who need to keep the buzz going.⁣
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Great for: 🍺⁣
Nearest 🚇: Crouch Hill⁣
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Now that the pubs are once again shut, thoughts turn to memories of better times. Like my recent Saturday afternoon trip to the brilliant Brave Sir Robin.⁣
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Yet another pub that has been harshly treated despite doing everything possible to keep folk safe, see pic 2 with the wooden divider behind previous pubcast guests and (an out of shot) Johnno.⁣
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We appreciated its cosy, laid back feel and how it has avoided the w***y trap that some craft-focused pubs fall into l. It also boasts a genuinely friendly staff, a beer list as long as your leg and chicken burger so good it left me slightly aroused. This is a properly excellent pub.⁣
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They are operating takeaway service during the shutdown, so do yourself and the fine people at the a favour, and get some incredible beers for Christmas here and enjoy 15% off. It shouldn't need saying, but the Tesco around the corner really doesn't need your help, so go to the local.

Now that the pubs are once again shut, thoughts turn to memories of better times. Like my recent Saturday afternoon trip to the frankly brilliant Brave Sir Robin.

Another pub that has been harshly treated despite doing everything possible to keep folk safe, see second pic with the wooden divider behind previous pubcast guests and (an out of shot) Johnno.

We had a lovely few hours in here a couple of weeks ago and rated its cosy, laid back aura and how it has avoided the trap that some craft focused pubs fall into. It also boasts a properly friendly staff, a beer list as long as your arm and chicken burger so good it left me slightly aroused.

They are operating takeaway service during the shutdown, so do yourself and the fine people at the BSR a favour, and get you Christmas beers from here and enjoy 15% off. It shouldn't need saying, but the Tesco around the corner really doesn't need your help, so go to the local.

Great for: 🗣️🥴⁣
Nearest 🚇: Tottenham Court Road⁣
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Afternoons in Soho this year have been tragic affairs. ⁣
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One afternoon last week a pal and I wanted to pop in the Toucan for a quick leveller. Sadly, we found that tier 2 had made it too difficult to stay open. We probably now won't see it until Spring at the earliest. ⁣
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Thankfully, the nearby Crown & Two Chairman was still open. But concerningly, seats were freely available. In dozens of previous visits, I had never actually sat down here. To be honest, it was always so packed that I wasn't even fully sure it had seating. But here we were, sitting down and sombrely ordering a plate of flatbread and hummous to go with our pints in an almost deserted Soho. What the hell is going on here? ⁣
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Now we're going into tier 3 and a probable lockdown to follow. Pubs have been fu**ed about something rotten this year, but the last couple of months have taken the absolute piss.⁣
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Open, shut, open, shut. ⁣
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I have always been under the impression that the government were 'the party of business'. But what kind of business can be expected to turn the taps on and off at the drop of a hat? Have any of these people ever lived in the real world? Do they care? No doubt that it's a very tough situation, but the lack of leadership, foresight and support has been embarrassing.

Merry bloody Christmas.

Great for: ⚽🏉🏇⁣⁣
Nearest 🚇: Mornington Crescent⁣⁣
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If you like your pubs to be sport-focused and with wall-to-wall-to-ceiling memorabilia, get to the Sheephaven Bay asap.⁣⁣
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For many years, the only other pub where i'd feel properly at home watching the game was the Albion on Goldsmith's Row, Hackney. With that pub having gone through a radical transformation in recent years, the Sheephaven Bay now stands alone at the summit. ⁣⁣
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It's as good as you can get without actually being at the ground. Packed to the rafters and always good humoured, honestly this really is the place to be. ⁣⁣
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One of my most fondly remembered days here was in the summer of 2012 when Sergio Aguero scored in the last second of the season to deny Man United the league. As a Liverpool fan in those days, this was about as good as it got. Schadenfreude? Absolutely. But, I make no apologies. The utter devastation in the eyes of the United shirt wearers in the pub that day will continue to live long in the memory.⁣⁣
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I was lucky enough to have a chat with landlord Pat recently. I'd love for you to have a listen to his thoughts on the pandemic of 2020, the challenges facing pubs and his hopes for the future. The link to the Pubcast is in the bio above. 👆

"Pubs like ourselves who have regulars in their 80s who have been coming to the pub for 60 years are being told that if they want to have a pint, they must have a substantial meal.
..In pubs and restaurants and hospitality there are very few cases. We are being punished and hit by more restrictions and when it's all over there will be a lot fewer pubs and restaurants around."

A snippet from my conversation with Pat Logue of the wonderful Sheephaven Bay. Have yourself a click of the link in the bio to hear the whole thing.

Great for: 🔒
Nearest 🚇: Finsbury Park⁣
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This was the last pub I sneaked into before the second lockdown with my pal from pubcast episode #7 (link in bio). And sneak in we did, as the shutters were literally coming down for the final time for a month. ⁣
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As a result, there wasn't really much time to get the lay of the land, although I did get served a staropramen in a fosters branded glass. Is it me, or is this thing quite confusing? Like when you see the name of a colour written in different coloured font. ⁣
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Situated on a busy junction, the Eaglet was almost completely destroyed by a direct hit in 1917. Thankfully it has since been rebuilt, with maroon tiles beckoning the thirsty punter in. A single-roomed and surprisingly spacious pub, it was actually pretty quiet on the night I was in, possibly because of the impending lockdown, or more likely because Chelsea were in Champions League action on the TV.

Great for: 🍆🎤⁣
Nearest 🚇: London Fields⁣
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If you haven't woken up with a headache that makes you want to cry and a vaguely dolphin-shaped stamp on your wrist, you haven't lived. ⁣
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Welcome to The Dolphin, the go-to East London spot for late night good times, sing-along fun and slightly frantic searches for breakfast companions. Living within walking distance for a few years meant that the temptation to pop my nose in late on a Friday was usually too great to ignore. ⁣
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So what's it like? Riotous. I've never seen it less than packed either in the main bar area or in the courtyard, but sometimes slightly less so in the side room. Put simply, it's a place to arrive drunk and leave drunker. That said, I have enjoyed a slightly surreal lunchtime pint in there in the past, which has lead to a series of embarrassing flashbacks that were frankly too much for a man to deal with. ⁣
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My personal favourite Dolphin night was on a Valentine's Day some years ago. As you might imagine, spirits were high and a sense of desperation hung heavy in the air. I was about to the complete a first lap of the venue when I came across an incongruous velvet rope, presumably installed so as to create a separation between the main bar and a slightly quieter romantic zone. The sign that greeted you as you entered the area? 'Welcome to the Er****on Section'. Although specific details remain sketchy, this set the tone for the remainder of a classic Dolphin evening.⁣
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What's your favourite Dolphin night?

Great for: 🎶👻🧙‍♀️⁣
Nearest 🚇: Rectory Road⁣
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Ever wondered why the Hand of Glory is so named? Or where the term scouser comes from? Well, why not have a listen to the latest episode of the pubcast, where you will find the answers to these questions and much more besides. Joining me in this quirky, music focused pub is my pal of Scouse heritage, Suze.⁣
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We had a little chat about London and Liverpool pubs while we were waiting for Sunday lunch. It was worth the wait. Without question, this has to be up there with one of my favourite Sunday roasts around... Loads of meat, proper roasties and enough gravy to keep you going until Spring. Damn, it's good. Alas, they no longer feature a pig in blanket as a porky little extra treat, which if I'm honest, i'm absolutely devastated about.⁣
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I appreciate the irony of posting this on a Monday morning, but you can take it as an anticipation builder for next weekend. Wherever you live, book yourself a table and support your local pub.⁣
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Pubcast link is in the bio above! 👆⁣
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Thanks to everyone who gives it a little listen.

Great for: ?
Nearest 🚇: Southwark

The only time i've been in here was towards the tail end of a pretty extensive pub crawl. As such, I remember nothing about this place, other than everyone was having a good time. Which isn't a bad start.

Are there any locals or previous visitors that would care to sing the praises of this music focused boozer? In particular, is it worth a second, more sober, visit?

Great for: 🇮🇪🎱🎯⁣
Nearest 🚇: Tottenham Hale⁣
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Adrift in a bit of a no man's land between Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters, Mannions is an Irish pub that I wasn't 100% sure was still trading. ⁣
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Thankfully, it is very much open and is a proper slice of the emerald isle, with all the friendliness and craic that you could hope for. There aren't many pubs with pool, darts, and karaoke these days, but this one does, so it's worth bookmarking.⁣
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My personal highlight came in the shape of an old boy who was incandescent with rage at the early arrival of his taxi, much to the amusement of his drinking pals. The idea of finishing his Guinness 3 minutes earlier than planned was clearly an concession that he was unwilling to make. So much so that he had it cancelled and remained in the pub for the rest of the afternoon.⁣
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I feel confident in saying that the Sunday menu would be right up most people's alley. The idea of another bacon and scallop bap alone is enough to secure a return visit from me. Possibly even tomorrow.

New episode ALERT. See up here for the link 👆⁣
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This time I'm chatting with pub enthusiast Chris Murphy in the wonderful Bank of Friendship.⁣
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Every wondered why it has such an unusual name? Well, the answer to this and many more points of interest are contained in this half hour of on location pub-related conversation.⁣
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As an additional bonus, there's some much anticipated Northern perspective. It's not as grim as you might think...⁣
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Let me know what you liked and what you didn't in the comments or by DM. Thanks for listening. 🍻

Great for: 🎱🎰⁣
Nearest 🚇: Rectory Road⁣
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Like many of us, I too consider M People's seminal 90s hit 'One Night In Heaven' to be criminally underrated. So, it was with genuine joy that my entry to this pub was greeted with the considerable vocal talents of Heather Small. ⁣
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This is a pub that I have walked past a thousand times, but criminally only went in for the first time last week. Better late than never I guess. It's really quite a good looking pub inside, with a great mix of punters, a welcoming atmosphere and wall to wall belting tunes from the 80s, 90s and beyond. What's more, they have not one, but two pool tables, which in modern day London is, appallingly, almost unheard of.⁣
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Quite why an Irish pub is named after a Mexican state is unknown, but it doesn't really matter because the Yucatan is a great pub, and is a reminder to always give those pubs that you've been meaning to go in for ages a go. ⁣
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With that, do any of you have any recommendations of a under-the-radar favourite that is worth checking out? ⁣

There's sadly no Munich Oktoberfest this year, at least not in the usual beer tents and fairground way. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be enjoying a beer and pretzel or two tonight.⁣
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And here's an accompanying factoid for you as you do: Despite it being a German word, the glass in this picture isn't known as a stein locally. It's actually known as a mass (Maß). Originally, these measures allowed for a cool 1.069 litres of beer, but since rounded down to 1 litre.⁣
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So, there you have it. A mildly interesting bit of information for you. ⁣
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Prost!

This episode is a little different.

I had the pleasure of speaking with David Paulin from .compassproject - An initiative aiming to improve the mental health of people who work behind the bar across London.

As David works in the Queen's Arms in leafy Walthamstow Village, it would've been rude not to head upto E17 for a pint of with him as we talked about the great work of the project.

I hope you enjoy!

Link in bio 👆

Great for: 🎯💆‍♂️⁣
Nearest 🚇: Clapton⁣
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Before I had ever even heard of this place, the fella who ran it came to mine to buy an old indesit washing machine. We enjoyed a fair and good natured negotiation and I promised him I'd come and have a pint in the pub. ⁣
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I'm a man of my word, so a short 3 years later I went in this week for a couple of afternoon shoulder relaxers. ⁣
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One of the clearest signals of a good pub is a mixed, friendly crowd. Here, within a few minutes an old boy starting chatting with me about his time in Africa, a handful of locals started to share tales of their days at work with the pub and a few American accents were heard from the back yard laughing with another table. I then accidentally walked into the ladies without being sprayed with mace. All very good signs.⁣
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It's a pretty small place, with enough space for maybe 30 inside, with the same again in front and back courtyards. Old school branded mirrors and a dart board complete the vibe of what is a great little pub with an unmistakably good atmosphere. I'm giving this another visit very soon.

Great for: 🍮🏇⁣
Nearest 🚇: Borough⁣
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Don't drive in London. ⁣
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Every week, additional restrictions are being implemented making driving almost impossible. This leaves motorists gridlocked on an ever-decreasing number of roads still open to cars, or u-turning themselves into a frenzy as it seems Google maps can't keep up with the changes. This past week my return journey to the other side of town turned into a 3 hour ordeal.⁣
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Luckily, in life there is always light at the end of the tunnel. On this occasion, it came in the shape of a pie and a pint in the Lord Clyde on the way home.⁣
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The warmest of welcomes from the girl behind the bar, a few old timers watching the racing, a dart board in the back and soothing tunes to calm frayed nerves is a pretty perfect pub experience as far as i'm concerned. Add all of this to a completely pie-focused menu and we're in dreamland territory. ⁣
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This is a lovely looking pub both inside and out, and as far as I can tell, it caters for all sorts of punter. Wherever you live, make your way to Borough for a visit. Just don't drive.⁣
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Ps. In a rare behind the scenes snap, the last frame is of me clambering on a commercial bin to get a better angle. Glamour.

A belter of a conversation with Kata Armitage, a girl who happily has a story for every occasion.

Recorded in Columbia Road's Royal Oak we talk about the importance of community in a changing Hackney.

Thanks for downloading, I love you all.

Music from

Link in comments

Great for: ☀️🤝
Nearest 🚇: Bermondsey

Well off the beaten track, this backstreet banger is a welcome change of pace from most modern day pubs you'll find in London.

Great to look at from the outside and with real Southern hospitality once you cross the threshold, this is about as proper pub as you could wish for. Head elsewhere if you are in the market for craft options, but if it's a proper South London boozer you are after, this is the one for you.

Foolishly we only left ourselves enough time for a solitary pint here before moving on. But we'll be back.

Great for: 🏝️💐⁣
Nearest 🚇: Hoxton⁣
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Fans of moderately successful 90s sitcoms will be interested to know that the Royal Oak was a filming location for Good Night Sweetheart, starring Nicholas Lyndhurst, who plays an intergenerational love rat named Gary.⁣
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Shockingly, only 25 babies became Garys in 2017. This marks another grim milestone a precipitous fall from Gary's 1964 heydey when it was the 16th most popular name for baby boys. ⁣
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What's next for Gary? Only time will tell, but I for one hope that a symbol of Britishness finds a way to reinvent itself to remain relevant in the decades to come. ⁣
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As for the pub, it offers an intensely cosy and secure feeling, an island bar, one of the best roasts in town and - as I somehow only discovered this week - a courtyard.⁣
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More detailed Royal Oak chat (but nothing additional on Gary) in the next episode of the pubcast out next weekend.

New episode of the pubcast is out now, with my pal Clem! This time, we're in the Albion in Islington, talking about her favourite gastropubs and stories of poor pub behaviour. Mostly my own.⁣
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Sorry her sound is a little quiet, but that's my amateurish podcasting skills for you.⁣ I'll do better next time.
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As always, thanks for the music and if you like the pubcast, please like and review it on iTunes. ⁣

Great for: 🥮⁣
Nearest 🚇: Chancery Lane⁣
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As we walked into the Cittie of Yorke last week, my wife remarked that it was the most incredible pub she'd ever been in. As the evening wore on, this was downgraded to 'one of the most incredible' and then finally, 'good'. I put much of this demotion down to spending an extended period of time in my company.⁣
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This is the kind of pub to which you should bring foreign visitors. Centrally located, with unfamiliar (and cheap) beers on tap and classic pub food. Even though it's only looked like this for a century, there has been a pub on the spot for nearly 600 years and this could easily pass as a tavern from Games of Thrones. The booths, the massive barrels above the bar and the wood beamed ceiling all make this place shine.
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Much of central London remains a ghost town for the moment, so most pubs in zone 1 offer a wildly different pub experience to the usual. It's quiet, it's relaxing and it let's you see pubs you've been visiting for years in a totally different light. I'd wager that central London will never be this quiet again, so my advice is to get down the pub while you can still get a seat. @ Cittie of Yorke

Great for: 💰⁣⁣
Nearest 🚇: Holborn⁣⁣
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These tiny juice dens hidden down narrow alleyways are amongst my favourite. Particularly at the moment, when the streets of central London are quieter than usual, it allows drinkers to spill out across the street without fear of being mowed down or sworn at by a cabbie.⁣⁣
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Just round the corner from the Old Curiosity Shop (disappointingly now a shoe shop with no curios available for sale), this pub has got a great summertime feel at the moment, ideal for a balmy evening, such as tonight...⁣
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And if you're really lucky, you might even be treated to half price drinks, like we were the other night. Sometimes these little adventures into zone 1 pay off. @ Ye Old White Horse

A new episode of the pubcast has today hit the airwaves!⁣ You'll find it in the bio.
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This episode was recorded in the beer garden of the wonderful Clapton Hart with the equally special John Haynes.⁣
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Well over an hour of chat about pub toilets, rave pubs and the evolution of boozers edited down to a neat 38 minute package. Let me tell you, the cutting room floor is in a right old state. ⁣
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I hope you enjoy. If you do, tell a friend and hit subscribe.⁣
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Much love. 😘

Great for: 🍺🇹🇭⁣
Nearest 🚇: Archway⁣
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A quirk of fate meant I had never visited this fine juicery before, so it was something of a roll of the dice to choose the night the pubs reopened as the time to break my Shaftesbury cherry. Happily, the old adage that the first time is the best was once again proven true.⁣
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There have been a few times that I have felt electricity in the air in London: The night of the Olympics opening ceremony, the royal wedding and the time everyone thought we were going to to name but a few.⁣
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But this experience was right up there.⁣
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Excited chatter filled every corner, pints sunk just that little bit quicker than before and joy literally dripping down the walls. ⁣
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I'll come back for a more sober visit soon, but from piecing together the facts from memory and a phone filled with largely unusable photos, it's a very easy on the eye boozer, filled with light from a beaut of a lightwell, a powerful selection of draft options and friendly staff. ⁣
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I'm sure the next visit will be great too, but I'll never forget my first.⁣
@ The Shaftesbury Tavern

Great for: 🍺🌳⁣
Nearest 🚇: Dalston Junction⁣
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I used to drink in the Scolt Head pretty regularly.⁣
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That was until the summer of 2011, when I deemed that I was unfairly made to wait at the bar, while several others were served ahead of me. A minor inconvenience? Perhaps. But a grudge has been held ever since and I have refused to enjoy its ivy-covered courtyard or what I recall to be a wide range of options at the bar. I understood that they had a pretty strong food game in here as well, but I was very much focused on making merry, and a meal was only going to get in the way of that. ⁣
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To be honest, I have made a rod for my own back here and the boycott has been far more trouble than it's worth, missing out on several good sessions with pals as a result. ⁣
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So, the question is whether a 9 year boycott is punishment enough for what was a minor infraction at the absolute worst?⁣
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I'm keen to hear what it's like now and whether this sorry episode can be laid to rest. ⁣

The pubcast is BACK! ⁣
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It's been a long 4 months, but it was great to be back in the pub having a chat with my man in the hotseat. This time recorded at the wonderful Prince in Wood Green.
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In this episode there's some great insight on the state of the live entertainment industry post-lockdown, harrowing tales of trying to get in to the pub as a babyfaced teenager and much more besides.⁣
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It's a banger! Make sure you subscribe to get new episode alerts... There's some great content coming in the coming weeks.⁣ Link in the bio ☝️
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Music, as ever from the masterful

Enjoy!

The pubcast is BACK! ⁣
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It's been a long 4 months, but it was great to be back in the pub having a chat with my man in the hotseat. This time recorded at the wonderful Prince in Wood Green.
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In this episode there's some great insight on the state of the live entertainment industry post-lockdown, harrowing tales of trying to get in to the pub as a babyfaced teenager and much more besides.⁣
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It's a banger! Make sure you subscribe to get new episode alerts... There's some great content coming in the coming weeks.⁣
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Music, as ever from the masterful

Enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/GTTL/episodes/Ep-6---The-Prince--Wood-Green-ehikt4

Great for: 🌳🍺🍕🎱⁣
Nearest 🚇: Walthamstow Central⁣
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Refurbished a few years ago, the Dog and Duck is happily no longer a pub where hope goes to die. ⁣
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Gone are the long faces and an overwhelming sense of slowly circling the plughole of life. In its place has arrived a new breed of patron, with ironic facial expressions and hairstyles to match. It's very much the new Walthamstow.⁣
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This is a really nicely put together pub, with all the craft beers and sour dough pizzas you'd expect in this neck of the woods and a friendly atmosphere. Apparently, a double-height ceiling was discovered during renovations and the outside isolation booths seem perfect for the new world in which we live. ⁣
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But the real jewel in the crown is in the right hand corner as you enter: a beautiful red felt pool table. Be still my beating heart. ❤️⁣
@ The Dog & Duck

Great for: 🍺🍔🏞️⁣
Nearest 🚇: Barnes Bridge⁣
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Like most people, I usually belong to the 'each to their own' school. But not when it comes to riverside pubs. If you don't rank a summer's afternoon spent outside a riverside alehouse in your top 10 things to do (in the world) then you are, quite simply, wrong. ⁣
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The good news is this his riverside pub doesn't rely on its location alone. It has some incredible options from the cask or the keg, unbeatable views over the Thames from the upstairs balcony and a surprisingly pleasant chicken burger. Alas, it loses some credit for being served on a roofing tile; a trend which I think we all pray must be on its way out soon.⁣
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But wait, there's more good news. Until recently, this building was operating as a branch of Strada, the vapid Italian eatery. Not any more! Big Smoke Brew Co took it back to its 19th century roots as a pub last year, one in the eye for the evil bastards who seek to take our pubs away. ⁣
@ The Waterman’s Arms - Barnes

Great for: 🗡️🛡️⁣
Nearest 🚇: Chancery Lane⁣
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This part of town still has a 28 Days Later kind of vibe, so if you fancy a roam around deserted backstreets and then a quiet pint, the Knights Templar is a fine choice.⁣
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This is actually one of the most spectacular Wetherspoons pubs you'll ever lay eyes on. It's the old Union Bank building; a cavernous place packed with ornate features and named after the 12th Century military order who owned land in the area. Head upstairs for one of the tables overlooking the main hall for the full effect. It's really quite impressive.⁣
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Yes, 'spoons pubs split opinion, but you know what you are getting: Solid, if unspectacular food, a workmanlike drinks menu (with a few decent ales) and rock bottom prices.⁣
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I put Wetherspoons in a similar bracket to Ryan Air and Amazon. Despite obvious size differences, they are all successful businesses in their own right, all are household names, all have divisive characters at the helm, all are as cheap as chips, but all offer a slightly joyless experience.⁣
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Some of them have sour atmospheres and are totally charm-free, but then there are others which are genuinely impressive buildings which have been thoughtfully refurbished - there are several in central London alone.⁣
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While independent pubs need your custom more than these guys, choice is never a bad thing for the customer. This pub is definitely worth a visit.⁣

@ The Knight's Templar

Great for: 🗡️🛡️
Nearest 🚇: Chancery Lane

This part of town is still quite 28 Days Later, so if you fancy a quiet pint in an old banking hall, the Knights Templar is a decent choice.

I'm never quite sure about Wetherspoons. You know what you're getting: Unspectacular food, a workmanlike drinks line-up, music-free atmosphere. Some of their pubs seem to have a sour atmosphere and noncharm, but then others are genuinely impressive buildings.

@ The Knight's Templar

Great for: 🍔⚽🌳⁣
Nearest 🚇: Leyton⁣
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There was once a time that I would scoff at those waiting in line for the new iPhone at the Apple store. But now that pubs have capacity restrictions and many only take bookings, I scoff no more. Arriving before the Leyton Star had even opened last Sunday wasn't strictly necessary, but there were half a dozen others behind our group by the time we gained entry. I allowed myself a small Tim Henman-esque fist pump in celebration. It is great to be back.⁣
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Clearly pubs with outside space are going to fare better in the near future, and with climate change making for increasingly hotter temperatures, any spot in the beer garden is going to be highly sought after. There's a very nice courtyard here (well advertised from the street) with booths that are ideal to protect yourself from the coughing, spluttering masses.⁣
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I recommend coming here on an empty stomach as well. The La Beefed residency in the kitchen produced one of the best burger, chips and supplementary portion of chips i've enjoyed in ages. Bookended with a couple of pints, this was the perfect way to return to Sundays in the pub. @ The Leyton Star

Great for: 🍺🐟🍟
Nearest 🚇: Bethnal Green

It was always going to be special after the interminable lockdown, but Saturday afternoon at the Approach Tavern was one for the scrapbook. From 3 o'clock on the dot until 6pm, I literally felt like I could fly.

And that first sip was out of this world. A draft pint! In a pint glass! In a pub! It just doesn't get better. It doesn't. It can't. I've listened to descriptions of sportsmen and women being 'in the zone', where nothing else matters other than the task at hand and a sense of clarity and simplicity comes over them. This is what Saturday afternoon felt like. I call on the IOC to add drinking to the Olympic program. On Saturday's evidence, i'm definitely medalling.

And a moment to praise the staff. They've really thought through how to reopen in the safest way possible and they provided a faultless experience in pretty difficult and uncertain circumstances. It didn't feel weird at all and that's in large part because of all of them. Thankyou.

So, there we have it. The long wait is over and we can go to the local once more. But the hard work for our pubs is just beginning. The government won't help, so it's down to us all to support them as best we can, as often as we can. If we don't, well, it doesn't bear thinking about. @ The Approach