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CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE FREE FREE FREE CHEQUERS, LITTLE GRANSDEN and expand his other interests. This included catering, but not your run of the mill basket meals - Bob has become famous for whole pig roasts and Friday fish suppers. But let’s get back to important matters - beer - Issue 118 Bob’s passion. The house beer is Adnams Bit- HUNTINGDONSHIRE BRANCH NEWSLETTER Spring 2004 ter delivered direct to his pub from the Southwold Brewery, because Bob can tell the CHEQUERS, LITTLE GRANSDEN difference between fresh Adnams delivered CELEBRATES 10 YEARS IN GOOD BEER GUIDE direct and Adnams delivered via other means. On Friday 9th of January, the Huntingdonshire He takes other Adnams seasonal beers Branch of CAMRA (The Campaign for Real throughout the year. At the social we were Ale), held its annual Christmas Social at the treated to Adnams Old, and over Christmas a Chequers, Little Gransden. The CAMRA number of us had enjoyed the Tally Ho, which Branch took this opportunity to present to pub- he had laid down in his cellar from the previ- lican Bob Mitchell an award for 10 consecu- ous year. tive entries in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Bob takes beers from many of the local Cam- This feat has been achieved by just over a bridgeshire breweries, particularly from Milton, dozen pubs in the guide’s 30 year history from regulars at the Chequers. He also maintains 1974 - 2004. relationships with many other microbreweries When Bob and Wendy Mitchell took over the from across the country, and all the beers he stocks are delivered direct because he enjoys operation of the Chequers 12 years ago, the Visit CAMRA online: pub had already been in the hands of the the direct relationship with the brewer. Bob’s Mitchell family for several decades, and in passion for beer extends outside his pub - one CAMRA’s Home Page March 2001 Bob and Wendy celebrated 50 of Wendy’s extra curricular tasks is to act as http://www.camra.org.uk years in the pub for the Mitchell family. When taxi driver when Bob and a select group of regu- Huntingdonshire Branch Home Page Bob took over from his father, the Chequers the turnover from the pub was not sufficient to lars sally forth to visit numerous CAMRA beer http://www.huntscamra.org.uk provide the Mitchell family with a living income, festivals across East Anglia. was a “low key” operation with irregular open- For updates on our Diary check on-line at ing hours and limited beer choice, since Little so Bob had a full time job and Wendy ran the Read a report of our evening at the Chequers http://www.huntscamra.org.uk/diary Gransden is a small village with limited pass- pub during the day. What became immediately in Pints Sunk. ing trade. In the initial years after Bob took over, apparent however was that Bob was a beer enthusiast, and the quality and choice of the beers he was offering was soon rewarded with OPENING TIMES WHAT’S INSIDE a place in the Good Beer Guide. Page Over the years Bob has steadily made im- Opening Times is published by the Hunting- Advertising Rates 4-5 - Pints Sunk provements and enhancements to this unique donshire Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Full page - £75, ½ page - £50, ¼ page - £30 6-7 - 25/10 Years Ago village pub, most changes being made with Real Ale (Copyright 2002). Views or comments Special discounts are given to regular adver- his own hands, Bob being a competent crafts- expressed in this publication may not neces- 8 - George, Spaldwick tisers. These rates exclude cover ads which man, and DIYer. Over time, the Chequers be- sarily be those of the Editor or of CAMRA. 10 - Heritage Pubs Trip have special rates that are negotiable. Please came once again the heart and soul of Little 12 - Pub News Deadline for Spring 2004 issue (118) is note the deadline dates for each issue, as late Gransden. With the pub’s reputation spread- Tuesday 3rd February 2004. copy cannot be guaranteed inclusion. 13 - Shaws Stroll ing ever- wider, the income from the pub fi- 19 - Branch Diary nally allowed Bob to give up his fulltime job, Contact Andy Shaw, on (01480) 355893, or [email protected]. OPENING TIMES 118 SPRING 2004 PAGE 1 OPENING TIMES 118 SPRING 2004 PAGE 2 PINTS SUNK Here we are again -another newsletter, another ordinary bitters in the region. Tonight was no series of tales of pubs explored and beers exception – it was superb. A short car ride took supped. us next to the White Horse. It’s an impressive November found us sampling the delights of looking pub and has several cosy drinking ar- Huntingdon on a Friday night. Our first port of eas. We squeezed ourselves into a secluded call was the Market Inn, a characterful pub corner and tried the beer. The beer range is where we sampled both the Ruddles Best Bit- unfortunately not very exciting with Wadworths ter and Fullers London Pride – a pretty good 6X, Tetleys Bitter and Greene King’s Old start to the evening. From there we sauntered Speckled Hen. I tried the Tetleys and found it down to Cromwells, the new ‘bar’ in the cen- to be a little tired. Mind you, Tetleys is not the tre of town. I have to say that I hadn’t actually beer it used to be and anyway, Leeds is the been looking forward to the experience and best place to drink it! From there we strolled to unfortunately my reticence was well founded. the Millers Arms, a small friendly Greene King Loud, noisy and with very cold and, in one in- pub tucked away down a side street. The stance, pretty cloudy beer. Both the Ridley’s Greene King IPA was quite flavoursome and IPA and Shepherd Neame Spitfire were quite refreshing. Our final stop that night was the disappointing. Maybe I’m too old for that type Rivermill, where the Woodforde’s Wherry of bar but all I really want is good beer and slipped down a treat and the entertainment was somewhere to have a good time and talk with extremely good. A good place to finish what some friends. Sorry, Cromwells, but you just had been a very sociable evening. don’t fit the bill for me. And finally folks, in time honoured tradition, the We carried on down the High Street to the branch enjoyed its ‘Christmas social’ in Janu- Samuel Pepys. This too was lively but had a ary. Well we’re all so busy that December just much better atmosphere and we were actu- doesn’t seem to have enough days in which to ally able to talk to one another. On the whole fit all of our combined commitments on the run th the beer was better too. We tried Eccleshall up to Christmas. So January 9 saw us meet- Slaters, a West Midlands bitter, which was ex- ing at the Chequers in Little Gransden to en- cellent. We also sampled Adnams Bitter and Elgoods Barleymead. From there we made it to our final port of call, the Old Bridge Hotel. It may seem a little posh but the staff are friendly and the beer is gener- ally pretty good, although sometimes a little cold. However, on this occasion the Adnams Bitter was wonderful. What better way to en- joy the last beer of the evening than cocooned in a large armchair in such splendid surround- ings. Nice! Our next social event took us on a tour of pubs in Eaton Socon. We assembled at the Bell joy an evening of good beer, good food and where we began our evening with Charles pleasant company. As usual Bob had done us Wells Eagle. This is an under-rated beer but proud and had seen to it that the beer range when on form, it’s one of the most flavoursome was brilliant. As befits the occasion, I started OPENING TIMES 118 SPRING 2004 PAGE 3 OPENING TIMES 118 SPRING 2004 PAGE 4 PINTS SUNK A LOOK BACK IN TIME with the lowest strength and worked my way I should have tried it with a fresh palate. It was up! So first, Adnams Bitter, always a favourite good anyway. Bob, as always the perfect host, 25 YEARS AGO and a good palate cleanser/apéritif. To follow, then brought out an amazing supper of fish, · In the spring of 1979 James Callaghan’s a possible slow down in the growth of la- Adnams Old, which is something of a rarity chips and mushy peas, with homemade labour government was planning a prices ger as a retail market survey predicted that, these days. A dark, high gravity mild in style, humous and pitta bread for our vegetarian freeze for beer, along with food, petrol, gas by 1980, lager would not reach the 33% of its smooth roast malt and subtle fruit flavours members. We had a great evening, with much and electricity, to stem rising prices. Need- the UK beer market predicted by the big were enough to send me off into raptures. ‘putting of the world to rights’ as the beer flowed less to say, the national brewers opposed brewers. Oops, there I go more freely and the night wore on. The regu- the move, and were attacked by CAMRA · In his address to CAMRA’s 1979 Annual again. Being a lars were friendly as usual; I can’t think of a for requesting permission for increases of General Meeting chairman Joe Goodwin bit of a wimp better pub to visit on your own.

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