St Neots Beer Festival Pub of the Year
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opening times Huntingdonshire Branch of CAMRA, Issue 130 the Campaign for Real Ale Spring 2007 St Neots Pub of the Beer Year Festival Also inside: Half Pints Local pub and brewery news A look back in time THE CHEQUERS 71 Main Road Little Gransden Tel: 01767 677348 Hunts CAMRA Pub of the Year 2005, 2006 & 2007 Bob and Wendy Mitchell invite you to try their uni que unspoilt village local with its own s pecial atmos phere Different Real Ale each THE SWAN THE GRANGE Main Street, Old Weston Tel: 01832 293400 REAL ALES and REAL FOOD * HOTEL*RESTAURANT*BAR* * AWARD WINNING FOOD * * FINE WINES & REAL ALES * * PRIVATE DINING ROOM * * EN_SUITE BEDROOMS * * CIVIL CEREMONY WEDDINGS * Adnams Southwold Bitter Adnams Broadside * MEETING FACILITIES * Greene King Abbot + Guests * CONVENIENT LOCATION * Hunts CAMRA Pub of the Year 2004 Fish & Chips Wednesday Evening 115 HIGH STREET, BRAMPTON, Restaurant open Friday & Saturday CAMBS evenings & Sunday lunchtimes TEL: 01480 459516 2 Support your local pub - don’t give them an excuse to close it! Pub of the Year Chequers, Little Gransden which he, numerous pub regulars and CAMRA visitors took part in The cosy public bar with its plain wooden seating and open fire is an unaltered gem and there is a choice of two other rooms. There is always a warm welcome at this f amily run pub, from Bob and Wendy and the village regulars. The Chequers truly is a community pub, and the heart and soul of this Cambridge- shire village. Many of the regulars are The Huntingdonshire Branch of CAMRA country people who work in agriculture. has this y ear selected the Chequers, Little Gransden to be awarded Pub of the Year The Chequers is also very much a family 2007. This means a hat trick for the Che- business. As well as Bob and Wendy, quers, having won the award three years their son’s Andy and David, and David’s in a row. partner Nicola are all involved in running the pub. Bob hopes that he will one day CAMRA gives this annual award to the pass this pub onto the next generation. pub that it judges to provide the widest appeal f or its combination of good beer, Bob plans to open a brewery at the Che- atmosphere, style, service and value. quers. This would be the first operating brewery within the branch area since Bob and Wendy Mitchell have owned and James Paine closed in the 1990’s. Much run the Chequers, Little Gransden for 13 of the infrastructure work has been com- y ears and the pub has been in the Mitchell pleted, and the next critical step is f or Bob f amily since 1950. to acquire the brewing equipment. He’s Bob has a passion for real ale. Check out not in any hurry—he knows what he’s all the beer festival glasses - a sign of a looking for and will bide his time until the true enthusiast. As well as the house beer right kit comes available, but given Bob’s Oakham JHB, at least one unusual guest commitment to quality real ale, it will un- beer is always available (on special occa- doubtedly be worth waiting for. sions as many as 6 real ales are avail- There was a presentation of a framed able). certificate to licensees Wendy and Bob Bob also has a passion for good food. Mitchell on the occasion of the branch’s Friday night is fish night at the Chequers, post Christmas party in January. Pictured and on a recent visit, Bob had organised a are Wendy and Nicola, with Branch Chair- home made Cornish pasty competition man Andy Shaw. OPENING TIMES 130 SPRING 2007 3 Most Improved Pub of the Year Lord John Russell, St Neots This y ear the Hunting- Since September the Lord John Russell donshire Branch of has gone from strength to strength. Chas CAMRA has introduced now off ers 4-5 real ales, 3 on handpump, a new annual award, and 2 direct from the cask in the cellar, ”Most Improved Pub of and because he carefully chooses the the Year”. The branch right cask size (and Batemans offer many had no hesitation in of their beers in 4.5 gallon “pins”), the s elec t ing the Lord J ohn beer is always superb. As well as Bate- Russell in St Neots. mans standards Mild, XB and Salem Por- ter, there is usually a Batemans seasonal The contrast between this pub now and beer, and a constantly changing guest f ive months ago is huge. Then the Lord beer. John Russell was being run by a tempo- rary manager put in place by the pub’s The pub games teams are all active owners Batemans. They were having diffi- again, and the pub positively hums with culty finding a permanent tenant and it the conversation of the regulars most eve- was clear to the regulars that the pub nings. Tthe “Lord John” is first and fore- needed a landlord who would put the Lord most a community pub, used by local peo- John Russell back on track. There was no ple on a regular basis, where people feel f ood, availability of real ale was inconsis- as comfortable as they do in their own tent, interest in the darts and other pub living rooms. This all requires the right sort games teams had declined and most of of publicans - the sort who regard the pub the regulars had moved “down the road”. as their home as well. The Lord John Rus- sell is certainly home to Chas and Jane, Within weeks of the arrival of Chas and who recently got married in October. Jane Smith in late summer, major changes had taken place. Chas had a Pictured at the presentation of a framed regular range of Batemans Dark Mild and certificate are, from left, Chas, Jane and XB sorted out and the beer was in good Pete Godfrey, Branch Social Secretary. condition. Jane had worked out an inter- esting good value menu, with specials targeted at the residents of the retired peoples home next door. Neither Chas nor Jane has any previous experience in the pub trade. Jane was the manager of a clothing store and Chas had just retired after thirty years in the police f orce. But they both attended a Batemans training course, and are committed to pro- viding a quality service to customers. 4 Support your local pub - don’t give them an excuse to close it! Lord John Russell 25 Russell Street, St Neots 01480 406330 Hunts CAMRA Most Improved Pub 2007 5 Real Ales including Batemans Mild, XB and Salem Porter, plus 2 guest beers. Food served daily, weekly specials and Sunday Roast. THE OLIVER CROMWELL Wellington Street, St. Ives, Cambs. Tel: 01480 465601 Serving six real ales: Adnams Bitter plus regularly changing guest beers No smoking bar Enjoy a good pint of traditional ale in traditional surroundings. Reasonably priced lunchtime bar snacks available Mon to Sat OPENING TIMES 130 SPRING 2007 5 A LOOK BACK IN TIME 25 YEARS AGO CAMRA set up campaigns against the Mickles, named after the two partners who policies of a number of large UK brewers, had originally set up the venture, Mick most of which no longer brew in 2007. Birch (later to become a long standing Greenall Whitley were targeted for their stalwart of St Neots CAMRA, and still in- expansionist ambitions f ollowing their v olved at the Booze on the Ouse festi- takeover of the Shipstones brewery in v als), and Les Kent. Birch Bitter was its Nottingham. Whitbread were to be the main product. Another brewery, Coney subject of campaigns against their high Hall, had been set up in Luton by the sec- prices, brewery closures and pub clo- retary of the students’ union at Luton Col- sures, and Courage were criticised for lege, and supplied the union bar and two stopping real ale production at their Lon- other outlets in town with Coney Hall Bit- don and Reading plants. Meanwhile Man- ter. chester brewers Boddingtons were under In a report that CAMRA insisted was not f ire for their takeover of the neighbouring an April fool’s joke, in April 1982 the Milk Oldham Brewery. Marketing Board was said to be launching St Neots branch of CAMRA met at the draught milk in thirty pubs in the south Kings Head in St Neots and the Royal Midlands. Newly developed milk dispens- Oak in St Ives. There were socials at the ers were used to serve milk at 40p a pint, Black Bull, Godmanchester and the Axe then about double the price of cartons of and Com- milk in shops. pass in Hem- Wolverhampton and Dudley, the Banks’s ingf ord Ab- brewing company was building up a stake bots. The in Birmingham brewers Davenports. But branch An- f inance director Robert Houle attempted to nual General reassure CAMRA that this was ‘purely Meeting was Axe and Compass def ensive’, adding ‘We would not like them held in April to be taken over by someone else’. The 1982 at the move did not save Davenports, but Cannon in St Neots. Greenall Whitley of Warrington were the Trumans, part of the Watney, Mann and ev entual successf ul predators and closed Truman brewing empire, launched two the brewery. more real ales alongside Truman Bitter, Another eventual victim of Greenall’s take- which had already replaced their first re- ov er ambitions was Simpkiss in the Black entry into the real ale scene, Tap Bitter. Country. In 1982 CAMRA reported that The new beers were Truman Prize Mild Simpkiss was determined to remain and Best Bitter.