The Famous Grouse - Telegraph

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D8 �� | FAMOUS PUBS �� The Bear Oxford, Oxfordshire Standing at the corner of Oxford’s Alfred Street and Blue Boar Street, The Bear is one of the oldest pubs in Britain, dating back to 1242. The current building was constructed in the early 17th century, and is famous for an extensive collection of framed ties on the walls — given by visitors in exchange for a halfpint of beer. The historic surroundings attract students, locals and tourists alike, and the home-cooked food — which includes a wonderful venison pâté and superb fish and chips — is alone worth a visit. �6 Alfred Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 4EH; 01865 728164; www.fullers.co.uk The Berkeley Arms Wymondham, Leicestershire Ever since husband-and-wife team Neil and Louise Hitchen took over in early 2010, this pub’s reputation has soared. The Berkeley Arms has always been a pleasant place for a pint, but thanks to Neil’s culinary expertise it’s now one of the finest dining destinations in the region. The locally sourced menus — featuring duck breast with sweet potato fondant, and praline parfait with honeyroasted pear — have garnered plenty of awards. Book a table before it gets too popular. �59 Main Street, Wymondham, Leicestershire, LE14 2AG; 01572 787587; www.theberkeleyarms.co.uk The Boat Inn Ashleworth, Gloucestershire The Jelf family has run this riverside pub for more than 350 years, so they’ve had plenty of time to get the formula right. Legend has it that a Jelf family member helped Charles II escape from the parliamentarians after the Battle of Worcester, and was rewarded with ferrying rights across the river — thus guaranteeing a steady flow of customers. They’d probably have come anyway: the topnotch drinks selection pulls in modern-day punters in droves. �Ashleworth Quay, Gloucestershire, GL19 4HZ; 01452 700272; www.boat-inn.co.uk The Dolphin Inn Middleton Cheney, Oxfordshire Built in 1707 by the green in the village of Middleton Cheney, The Dolphin has a friendly atmosphere and welcoming landlord. A local and international favourite, people travel from all over the world to see the pub’s display of whisky memorabilia. The Dolphin sponsors 12 local sports teams, including one that plays the unusual Aunt Sally, a traditional Oxfordshire throwing game. �Middleton Cheney, Oxfordshire, OX17 2PW; 01295 713544; www.the-dolphin.co.uk The Dry Dock Leicester, Leicestershire The Dry Dock is famous for the fact that it’s modelled on a ship, albeit one that has run aground some 70 miles inland. From the outside it gives the impression that you’re about to be press-ganged into the Navy. But walk up the gangplank and into the boat’s interior and you’ll find all the pool tables, leather sofas and jukeboxes you’d expect in a student bar. Nautical but nice. �Putney Road East, Leicester, LE2 7TF; 0116 255 9596; www.screampubs.co.uk The Eagle and Child Oxford, Oxfordshire An inn with some serious literary heritage, The Eagle and Child began serving drinks back in the mid 17th century The Flying Childers has all the cosy bars, crackling open fires and home-cooking smells that weary walkers daydream about Clockwise from top left: The Snooty Fox at Evenley; Caernarfon’s cosy Black Boy Inn; fine dining on offer at The Berkeley Arms; The Eagle and Child has some serious literary credentials; Nottingham’s historic Olde Trip to Jerusalem and is now owned by St John’s College — though it’s a good deal more impressive than most student bars. The wonderful woodpanelled bar was the meeting place for the Inklings writers’ group, which included JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, and in recent times has been frequented by novelist Colin Dexter, creator of the irascible Inspector Morse. If you’re seeking inspiration for your own literary masterpiece, you could do far worse than hang out in this atmospheric pub for a while. �49 St Giles, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 3LU; 01865 302925; www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk The Farmers Boy Inn Longhope, Gloucestershire A traditional oak-beamed pub on the Gloucestershire- Herefordshire border, the 17th-century Farmers Boy Inn is famed locally for its gourmet steak-and-Guinness pies — and the word is starting to spread. The restaurant serves up a range of delicious home-made pies, and you can visit the neighbouring Mad About Pies shop and buy one to cook at home. The pub itself is friendly and welcoming – thanks in no small part to the excellent customer service provided by OCTOBER 16 2011 The Sunday Telegraph Distributed with The Sunday Telegraph the manager and his staff – and it also offers several cosy bedrooms for overnight guests. �Ross Road, Longhope, Gloucestershire, GL17 0LP; 01452 831300; www.farmersboyinn.co.uk The Flying Childers Inn Stanton in Peak, Derbyshire This is a quintessential Peak District pub, with all the cosy bars, crackling open fires and home-cooking smells that weary walkers dream about. The pub gets its name from an 18th-century racehorse owned by the Duke of Devonshire, and animals — those of the canine variety, anyway — are made as welcome as humans, with specialist snacks provided. Shelter is to be found in two comfortable snugs, and warming sustenance comes in the form of affordable soups and stews, including a delicious pheasant casserole with home-grown vegetables. �Stanton in Peak, Derbyshire, DE4 2LW; 01629 636333; www.flyingchilders.com The Red Lion Evenley, Northamptonshire Regarded by some as the friendliest pub in the Midlands, The Red Lion is ideal both for watching cricket in the summer (it’s set within windowsmashing distance of Evenley’s
The Sunday Telegraph OCTOBER 16 2011 D9 Distributed with The Sunday Telegraph village green) and for warming yourself in front of its roaring fire in the winter. And with the Mercedes Formula One Team headquarters located down the road in Brackley, there’s a chance you could find yourself standing next to Michael Schumacher at the bar. �39 The Green, Evenley, NN13 5SH; 01280 703469; Nottinghamshire, www.redlionevenley.com The Snooty Fox Lowick, Northamptonshire This 17th-century inn was originally called The White Horse — in honour of a steed that brought back a local soldier from the Battle of Naseby during the Civil War, then dropped dead outside the front door. The inside of the pub is as traditional as the exterior, though some of the furnishings betray a modern sense of style, and it’s a great place in which to sample its fine range of English ales. A separate restaurant serves an inspired British-meets-Italian menu. �16 Main Street, Lowick, Nottinghamshire, NN14 3BH; 01832 733434; www.thesnootyfoxlowick.com The Turf Tavern Oxford, Oxfordshire This hidden gem at the heart of Oxford was named Town Pub of the Year in the Good Pub Guide 2011. Accessed via a cobbled street, The Turf Tavern is famous in literary circles for being visited by Jude Fawley in Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure. In the winter, you can buy glasses of marshmallows to toast on the fire under the old beams, and in the summer the two large beer gardens are a delight. The pub has been featured in several episodes of Inspector Morse, and is renowned as the place where a younger Bill Clinton “did not inhale”. �4-5 Bath Place, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 3SU; 01865 243235; www.theturftavern.co.uk Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem Nottingham, Nottinghamshire So called because this is where the Crusaders reputedly stopped off for refreshment on their way to the Holy Land, the oldest inn in England is a Nottingham institution. Situated at the base of the cliffs beneath Nottingham Castle, the pub connects to a network of caves that housed the castle’s 12th-century brewhouse. However, an excellent range of real ales and a fine pub-grub menu demonstrate that this is far more than just a curiosity. �Brewhouse Yard, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG1 6AD; 0115 947 3171; www.triptojerusalem.com �� A distinctive member of The Famous Grouse family, The Black Grouse has a unique, aromatic smokiness, which it derives from its unique blend of peated malts. Try it any way you like: neat, over ice, or in a delicious ‘Black and Black’ — made by mixing The Black Grouse with cola, a squeeze of fresh orange juice and pouring over plenty of ice. �� FAMOUS PUBS | �� Black Boy Inn Caernarfon, Gwynedd Located within Caenarfon’s medieval walls, just a minute’s walk from the castle, the charming Black Boy Inn is as popular with Cofis (Caernarfondwellers) as it is with tourists. Nobody seems entirely sure how the 16th-century pub got its name: some say it’s a homage to a young black mariner who docked here; others claim it comes from a buoy that used to bob in the harbour; and some even think it’s a reference to Charles II’s childhood nickname. But the origins don’t really matter. What does is that the cosy pub still offers roaring fires, a delightful oak-beamed interior, and comfortable, hotel-style accommodation. An unfussy menu takes full advantage of fresh, local seafood and organic Welsh produce, matched by a wonderful selection of drinks. �Northgate Street, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1RW; 01286 673604; www.black-boy-inn.com The Golden Cross Cardiff, Glamorganshire Some pundits have said that The Golden Cross in the centre of Cardiff “has the most spectacular pub interior in the whole of Wales”. It also has a pretty spectacular exterior, too. It’s covered, both inside and out, in decorative tiles made by ceramics company Craven Dunnill for its opening in the 1800s. They even cover the long bar, making it a rare example of its kind. It’s worth visiting for more than just the décor, however: the beer comes straight from the Brains brewery just a froth’s blow away, and in the evenings, the place comes to life as one of the city’s main gay night spots. �282 Hayes Bridge Road, Cardiff, Glamorganshire, CF10 1GH; 02920 343129 The Neuadd Arms Hotel Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys This 19th-century pub/hotel is cosy, comfortable and quiet — indeed, it couldn’t really get quieter, as it’s located in Llanwrtyd Wells, a town known for being the smallest in Britain. The speciality here is home-made curry, matched with home-made beer. The on-site Heart of Wales Brewery was set up by the owners in 2004 and can produce more than 3,000 pints a week — so there’s plenty on tap with which to steel yourself for the manly pursuits held annually in the surrounding countryside, including the World Bog Snorkelling Championship and the Man versus Horse Marathon. (The horse is always favourite to win.) �The Square, Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys, LD5 4RB; 01591 610236; www.neuaddarmshotel.co.uk The Packet Hotel Cardiff Bay, Glamorganshire From deprivation to destination: Cardiff Bay, formerly known as Tiger Bay, has come a long way. Once home to workers from all over the world (as well as Shirley Bassey), the docks district has been transformed over the past decade with tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants and, of course, the Welsh Assembly building. The Packet, however, built in 1864, is one of the few reminders of the area’s past. Its name is taken from the packet ships that used to call here, and the fact that it offered rooms to sailors. It features a striking wooden gantry behind the bar, Brains beer on tap and plenty of regulars. �95 Bute Street, Cardiff, Glamorganshire, CF10 5AB, 02920 487167; www.sabrain.com/packet
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