COLCHESTER PUB WINS ANOTHER CAMRA AWARD If someone were to ask you what is the best beer, over 100 different ales have been served pub in East Anglia what would you answer? in the last year. Oh, and cider too, with up to 9 The Square and Compasses usually available. I’m saying this as The Victoria Inn in Colchester has been given this CAMRA accolade for 2014. When they first opened they decided to By the time you read this the pub may have start with just a single handpull. As trade and been judged as being the best pub in the eastern their reputation for good beer built up they quarter of the UK. Whether this happens or increased this and now have five. They are not this is a remarkable pub and a “must visit” also proud to feature a keg Craft beer on if you ever pass close to Colchester. Located draught which can be sourced from any of the a short walk from the busy town centre and increasing number of breweries now available. even closer to the station, in North Station Beers usually come direct, fresh from breweries Road, you will find this 3 storey Grade II listed rather than agencies and come from all over building, dating from the 17th century but with a the country through good brewery relations. In Victorian frontage. an interesting experiment recently customers were encouraged to compare draught and 5 years ago the pub was closed and the building keg versions of the same beer (with prices was facing what seemed the inevitable demise equalised). There is also a good selection of of so many buildings in a similar position. bottled beers from breweries large and small Luckily for the beer-drinking, and pub-going, around the globe. population of Colchester and the rest of Essex enter Sheena and Andy, both originally from The pub has 3 distinct areas, a quiet area with Yorkshire. They bought the unloved pub in sofas, a traditional pub area with low tables and September 2010, their key reason for going for a real fire in winter and a lively rear bar with AWARD WINNING FREEHOUSE NESTLING IN THE TER VALLEY The Victoria rather than so many other closed high tables and stools, but all are connected pubs available was that it was completely free around a central bar. Outside is a sheltered PICTURESQUE CYCLE ROUTES of tie and they were in control of their own courtyard with seating leading to an open LOCAL WALKS INCLUDING THE ESSEX WAY LONG DISTANCE FOOTPATH destiny. The pub had no real history of selling “barn” with comfy conservatory style seating. decent beer. Although their initial budget was There is live music on Sundays from 5.30pm, HOME-COOKED HEARTY PUB FOOD MADE WITH FRESH, LOCAL, small, all spare income was, and is still, directed usually folky/blues/acoustic based and often SEASONAL PRODUCE back into improving the pub. Both Andy & featuring touring artists. GRAVITY CASK CONDITIONED REAL ALES, CIDERS AND FINE WINES Sheena have backgrounds in the trade and have Fuller Street a lot of experience and positive views on how Upstairs is a function room and the pub is the OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Nr. Fairstead to run a pub. home of the Colchester Cheese Appreciation Essex SUNDAY LUNCH SERVED FROM 12 NOON TO 6PM Society, The Victoria Wine Club and the Mile CM3 2BB The key component of their strategy is focusing End Coffee Club. A beer festival in the summer PRIVATE DINING ROOM on good beer. Apart from the odd pickled egg features 30 award-winning beers. they do not sell food. They are surrounded by 01245 361477 GARDEN AND TERRACE a plethora of fast food outlets and there are a Yes, folks, it’s a “proper pub” and it’s on our huge number of quality restaurants nearby, so doorstep. Go and have a beer. www.thesquareandcompasses.co.uk A warm welcome awaits you why compete. The raison d’être here is quality 2 Thirsty Times Winter 2014 3 PUB NEWS PUB NEWS The usual mixture of good and bad news – I’ll landlords are the Beehive, Great Waltham Alongside the real ales there will be craft beer, leave you to judge! and the Royal Steamer. on draft as well as in bottles, and a new feature area for real cider. Look out for a better quality Greene King have acquired Spirit Group’s 1,227 food menu too and a wider range of wines. pubs bringing their total estate to around 3,127. There were, I believe, 6 Spirit pubs in our area, When the Fleece reopens (most likely on Tues- trading under 4 different “brands” – Globe, day 27th January) local CAMRA members are Chelmsford (John Barras), Grange, Bore- invited along to sample the new menu and see ham & Horse & Groom, Writtle (Chef & the improvements made. Brewer), Queen B, Chelmsford (Flaming Grill), Great Baddow Barn (Fayre & Square) After the recent autumn/winter beer festival and the Royal Steamer, Chelmsford. Most, •••••••••••••••••••••••••• (their 4th) another 2 festivals are planned for but not all, of these pubs are “food-led”, which The Woolpack, Witham is up for sale (as a 2015. is the area GK are concentrating on. I wonder if pub) for £325,000 but the pub, and brewery, •••••••••••••••••••••••••• the 10% discount to CAMRA members on real continue to operate as normal at present. ale, offered by most Spirit pubs, will continue! What is a community pub? Well, here are two •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Congratulations to Rosemary Cotton, land- which certainly qualify. •••••••••••••••••••••••••• The Boutique Café Bar in Chelmsford has lady of the Three Compasses, West Han- The appeal against the refusal of planning ap- closed. ningfield, who has been serving real ale there Mike and Jacqui at The Endeavour, Chelms- plications for the Bull at Blackmore has since 1971, the year CAMRA was founded! The ford held a Macmillan Coffee Morning in Sep- been rejected. Good news as many villagers felt •••••••••••••••••••••••••• branch intends to mark this achievement with tember and raised a brilliant £191. They hold these applications could jeopardise its future as The planning application to convert the Cock, a presentation in the New Year. their weekly meat raffle every Sunday with a pub, although the present owner denied this. Boreham into 3 dwellings has been approved, •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Farleigh Hospice and the RNLI sharing the so we must say a final goodbye to another his- funds raised. The pub has teams in several •••••••••••••••••••••••••• toric pub. The Golden Fleece, Chelmsford, will be leagues, poker (Monday), darts (Wednesday) At last some movement at St Anne’s Castle, closed from 4th-23rd (approx) January for a and crib (Thursday). They’re always looking •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Great Leighs which Punch plan to develop as refurbishment which will give increased seating for new talent! Their pop up restaurants with a food-destination. A planning application has It’s also goodbye to Neil and Theresa who have capacity by extending the raised area to run the monthly themed food nights continue and are been submitted which would provide a larger run the Flitch of Bacon, Little Dunmow for whole length of the pub. There will be a new almost always full, the latest being a Beaujolais kitchen, new toilets, an external raised seating the last 10 years. In that time the pub has been floor, a refurbished bar, “intelligent” (improved) Evening. Saturday 20th December is the Land- area and a much larger car parking area. in the Good Beer Guide 6 times and featured lighting and a new seating area where the pool lord’s birthday party with the Midnight Ram- in every one of our Recommended Pubs leaf- table is currently located. blers making a welcome return, and New Year’s •••••••••••••••••••••••••• lets. So, well done to them. The good news is it Eve will have a ticket only Black and White The new Spread Eagle, Witham opened has been bought by a group of 7 local residents theme and a great disco. on Saturday, 8th November. It is a one bar pub who want to keep their village pub open and attached to a cafe/restaurant. Adnams South- we wish them well. Put it on your list to visit. You can like their Facebook page or join wold Bitter and two guest beers are served on The Leather Bottle, Pleshey has been sold, their mailing list, [email protected], gravity from casks behind the bar. The pub also we hear, to Keith Flint of the Prodigy. to be kept up to date on the latest events. has a large selection of bottled beers from Eu- rope and North America. •••••••••••••••••••••••••• News from another community pub, the Lit- The Two Brewers, Chelmsford was closed tle Elms, Witham. Landlord Kieran reports for a couple of weeks but should be open again that at the end of August they hosted a charity now with a new landlord. Other pubs with new event in aid of Cancer Research UK with live ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 4 Thirsty Times Winter 2014 5 PUB NEWS served with a new menu coming in January. The Swan Inn On the 11th December they host a Christ- mas Carol Service by the local church and school choirs around their real fire with home-made mulled wine. I’d choose some- thing from their range of 3/4 real ales though, 2 regulars and changing guests. The Little Elms was due a small refurbishment music and a raffle, attracting a large crowd and in November; new front doors, carpet and raising over £600. There is a substantial playing wooden flooring to the saloon bar area and field and park area next to the pub and families some decoration behind the bar.