Charlie McVeigh

Prospects for the UK Brewing Industry in 2012: "Consolidation Inevitable"

2012-01-23T00:23:00.000-08:00

From Inside Track in M&C Report by John Harrington

It's a strange paradox that while cask ale brewers have undergone a renaissance, the size of Britain's pub stock has been in freefall.

The Campaign for Real Ale's Good Beer Guide from last September reported that 99 breweries opened over the past year, up from 78 over the previous 12-month period; 840 real ale brewers were listed in total. Meanwhile, despite slowing to 25 from 52 per week in the first half of 2009, the rapid closure rate left Britain with 50,811 pubs as of July 2011. That's a decline of c.1,000 in one year - in 2006 the figure stood at 58,200 (figures: CGA).

Does something have to give? There's been little in the way of brewer consolidation or partnership in recent years, last February's £20m acquisition of Cornish brewer Sharp's by Molson's Coors' aside. But some well-known brewing industry figures are now saying that consolidation in the sector is not only likely in 2012, but almost inevitable.

Arguably, the process started last month with Manchester brewer Hydes' announcement that it's to sell its freetrade business to local rival Daniel Thwaites, and scale down its brewing operations by closing the Moss Side site and moving to a new facility.

David Grant, managing director of Lancashire brewer Moorhouse's, believes consolidation is on the cards this year. "We've got breweries opening quicker than we've got pubs opening. A lot of small brewers are opening because they see opportunities in the market and they only pay limited duty [due to Progressive Beer Duty, PBD].

"The market is becoming awash with brewers now, which is great for consumers because they have a huge choice, but it's going to get to a stage where there are too many brewers for the demand in the market place."

As well as the decline in pub numbers, there's an increasing feeling that medium-sized brewers are becoming, to borrow a popular phrase, the squeezed middle. Too big to gain major advantages of the tax breaks offered under PBD - these are applied on a sliding scale, so microbrewers benefit the most - and too small to benefit from true economies of scale like their national counterparts, they're finding it increasingly difficult to grow profits, despite the steady growth in cask ale sales in recent years.

Take Hydes, which recently reported a 9% fall in pre-tax profits to £1.2m despite achieving a 2.2% rise in turnover (£23.8m) in the year to 3 April 2011.

"The larger brewers that are paying full duty are now suffering more than they ever have done because of competition with brewers that are paying half the duty," said Grant, who revealed that his duty bill has risen by £300k this year by virtue of increased sales last year. Short-term factors could also add to the pressure; Grant points out that barley costs have gone "through the roof" this past year due to a bad harvest, with prices up 30%-50%.

James Arkell, chairman of Wiltshire brewer Arkell's, which saw profits decline for the fourth year running in its most recent results, is also acutely aware of the difficulties in translating sales to profits. "Making that extra money (or regaining our past profits) seems to elude us, however much effort we put in and it is harder now than ever before," he wrote in the company's most recent accounts.

"Higher utility costs and taxation combined with lower gross margins have stripped away profits. New legislation continues to add cost to the business. Tax rises in the form of VAT, duty and National Insurance have all happened since January - the list is never ending!"

It's little wonder, then, that last week the Independent Family Brewers of Britain pledged £240k towards the campaign to reduce VAT to 5% for pubs and restaurants on drink, food and accommodation.

But a more onerous burden is beer duty, which has risen by a mouth-watering 35% since March 2008 thanks to the duty escalator. To put the burden in context, Yorkshire-based Black Sheep - which is solely a brewer, with no pub estate - last year paid £7.5m in duty, or 41% of its entire annual turnover.

Even those brewers that are reporting rising profits emphasise the burden they are under. Charles Wells last week reported a 2.1% increase in pre-tax profit for the year to 1 October, but highlighted that its total tax bill was £70m - 38% of revenue.

Everyone in the industry, from drinks producers to pub operators and restaurant companies, has good reason to complain about rising costs, but perhaps brewers are experiencing it more than most; all the more likely, then, that consolidations could be imminent.

Stephen Gould, managing director of Leicestershire brewer Everards, is another trade figure predicting such an outcome. This could be via takeover or some kind of partnership, he suggests, mirroring the agreement between Charles Wells and Young's to combine their brewing operations back in 2006.

"If we look at any other industry that's effectively manufacturing where there's limited growth for what they manufacture, then I think inevitably they will get to saturation point in terms of the number of brewers. And in any industry when you get saturation point, you get some degree of consolidation. That usually comes through strategic alliances or outright acquisition."

Are there opportunities here, also, for well-funded and strong-performing pub and bar operators to add a brewery to their assets? As private equity eyes opportunities to invest in fast-growing multiples, it stands to reason that the number of desirable sites currently on the market will eventually dry up. Perhaps a move into brewery ownership could be the natural next stage.

Certainly, stranger things have happened. Who would have thought six months ago that a regional brewer/pub operator would buy a small coffee bar chain, as SA Brain managed with its takeover of Coffee#1 in October?

Gould certainly sees the logic in this. "I think vertical integration is still a very credible part of anybody's business plan. If one looks out of our sector at Morrisons, they would argue they have vertically integrated structure because they manufacture and retail. I could see pub operators of all sizes seeing brewing as the future of their business."

30th November: No Bourbon, Four Scotches, Four Beers

2011-11-15T07:25:00.000-08:00

At least that's how, in his signature minimalist style, John Lee Hooker might have described our St Andrew's Day Beer & Food Matching Spectacular at Draft House Tower Bridge with Innis & Gunn and Bowmore Whisky on 30th November.

I doubt John Lee would have had much time for the haggis, or indeed any solids (other than a persistent, dangling Lucky Strike) but there's plenty for the rest of us to appreciate.

Bookings can be made by clicking here.

Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer

Bowmore Whisky

present

A St Andrew's Night Beer, Whisky & Food Matching Spectacular

Welcome Drinks

Innis & Gunn Original Draught 6.6%

Bowmore Whisky Cocktails

Scottish smoked Salmon Mousse

Innis & Gunn Highland Cask 7.2%

Bowmore 12 Year Old

Haggis infused w Innis & Gunn Rum Cask

Served w neeps & tatties & curly kale

Innis & Gunn Rum Cask 7.4%

Bowmore 15 Year Old Darkest

Treacle TartServed w Vanilla-Infused Clotted Cream

Innis & Gunn Triple Matured 7.2%

Bowmore 18 Year Old

Artisan Cheeses

Innis & Gunn Winter Beer 2011

Bowmore Tempest Small Batch Release III

£25.00 per person

Oktoberfest: Jaw-Dropping Scale but with Awe-Inspiring Quality

2011-10-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

Nothing prepared me for the sheer grandness of the whole thing. And I don’t just mean the Fest itself. Everything about beer in Bavaria is, well, big. You can forget about Texas.

We started, as you do in these parts, with a breakfast beer. Well, breakfast Stein more like. That’s a massive, heavy, handled glass containing damn nearly two pints of beer. In my case, and to general macho mockery (even from the Brunhildegards), I chose a Dunkel Radler. That is a dark beer with lemonade – but pre-mixed in the brewery and sold on tap. It was delicious.

But the size of the glass is nothing in comparison to the size of the pub where we drank it before heading for the Fest itself. The Munich Hofbrauhaus is 11,000 square metres in size – or 100,000 square feet in old money. That is almost twenty times bigger than Le Café Anglais.

It is also a sensationally light and beautiful vaulted building dating back to 1519 (though substantially rebuilt in 1879). Us assembled pub types estimated annual takings at somewhere not a million miles shy of £50 million. Over 7,000 customers a day spending £20, in other words. It also proves that a government can run a piss-up in a brewery. The Bavarian State has owned the place since the monarchy departed power.

And the sheer joy of the menu. Eight mains, all pork or porcine. We didn’t eat but the kitchen (itself the size of Le Café Anglais with a wash-up area the size of Draft House Tower Bridge) was spotless and the food looked immaculately executed.

The Munich Hofbrauhaus is a game-changer and must-visit for any human.

An hour or so and a Dunkel Radler, a Weisse Helles, a Dunkelbier and a Dunkel Weiss later we headed off for the Oktoberfest.

Once again I was overwhelmed. The festival ferris wheel you see from the entrance must be a mile away and looks like a toy. In between are tents, more funfair rides, food stands and thousands, nay hundreds of thousands, of happy drunks.

We were fortunate enough to be in the Augustiner tent, one of the great family-owned breweries of Munich.

Their Oktoberfest Beer (at 9 Euros per Stein) was effectively an oak-aged cask lager, poured from giant 200L wooden barrels. The pressure of the beer emerging from the barrel is such that each litre-Stein takes less than two seconds to pour (a lesson from the middle ages for the cooking lager brewers?). The beer is fresh and frothy and belies its 7% ABV. It is also one of the finest drinks I have ever had the good fortune to drink. No wonder festival beer is also known as Wiesenbier, or beer of the meadows. (Footage of a similar cask being tapped is at the bottom of this post from a sister Augustiner bar in town)

And the tent itself held a mere 11,000 seated guests. Each table is bedecked in an array of German pork products, wafer-thin Kohlrabi, and huge platters of grilled chicken.

I confess to having found it all a tad over-whelming and after two hours and an Easter Island full of mysterious, once full but now empty Steins, we decamped for Munich Old Town and a small pub, Augustiner am Platz, also owned by Augustiner. Here the world was set to rights and – due to studiously avoiding any Schnapps – I found myself in bed at 22-hundred hours.

Here's a video of the barman tapping a 32L cask of Oktoberfestbier (the equivalent 200L casks were being tapped every few minutes or so at the Augustiner tent a few km away). Thanks to John McElhinney of Windmill Taverns for lending me the footage.

The next day, back to England, full of inspiration - and beer.

Many thanks to Brian, Mark and Earl from Thwaite's for their generosity in accommodating me on this extraordinary trip. I love Nutty Black more than ever, chaps.

Burgered but Happy

2011-09-02T04:45:00.000-07:00

It has been a summer of burgers. First there was the exhaustive 6-week preparation for Burger Monday with Daniel Young of www.youngandfoodish.com.

Charlie and Daniel

For those who don't know, Daniel's burger pop-ups have become legendary - he asks a well known chef to create a new burger in an unusual setting - usually a greasy spoon. They are limited events and tickets are like hen's teeth - for the Draft House Burger Monday all 80 tickets sold out in 15 minutes.

Because Daniel fell in love with the Tower Bridge Tasting Rooms at Draft House Tower Bridge, I persuaded him to break the format and do the event in-house. Then Simon Noumar and Patrick Taylor from the kitchen team there created not one but a three-course burger menu which we matched with cask ales from the Windsor & Eton Brewery. And those burgers (soon to go onto the menu at all Draft Houses) were:

The Yolk (4oz patty with a trimmed fried egg, glazed hollandaise)

The Smoke (4oz patty with house-cured bacon, house-smoked cheddar and harissa mayo)

The Foie (slab of Foie Gras and cherry Lambic jelly)

The Smoke

In all, 240 burgers were served over two sittings in just under three hours - a pretty extraordinary achievement by the Draft House kitchen - and the burgers were sensational. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Simon glazing the Hollandaise on the Yolk Burger

Now if this catches your fancy, or you missed out on tickets on the night, let us know (info@tastingrooms.co.uk) as we are recreating this Burger Feast at £14.75pp. As above, all the burgers will be going on the main menus at all three Draft Houses shortly, watch this space.

Innis & Gunn Beer & Food Matching Banquet

2011-07-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

Absolutely brilliant dinner at the Tower Bridge Tasting Rooms (at Draft House Tower bridge). Hosting was Dougal Clark, owner-brewer, and the Draft House's very own Simon Noumar was cooking upstairs. Yours truly was crashing around as usual, generating a fair amount of smoke and light.

Wasting no time, the menu was as follows:

We kicked off with a palate-cleansing third of Innis & Gunn Original Draught (6.6%) followed by....

Grilled Kent Asparagus, Scottish Cured Salmon

Innis & Gunn Canada Day 2011 8.3%

Venison Pie infused w Innis & Gunn Rum Cask

w/ Neeps, Tatties & Curly Cale

Innis & Gunn Rum Cask 7.4%

Adam’s Treacle Tart

w/ Vanilla-infused Clotted Cream

Innis & Gunn Triple Matured 7.2%

Selection of seasonal fruits

Melville’s Strawberry Beer & Melville’s Raspberry Beer 4.1%

Dougal Clark was fascinating on the story behind Innis & Gunn and he shared several drinks with each table.

All in all a good time was had by all.

Thanks to Dougal, Adam and all the guys from I&G.

Coffee: Should it be Freshly Ground?

2011-07-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

Having recently been for coffee training at Monmouth, who supply the Draft House, I was impressed by the utterly anal thoroughness of their approach. An article of faith there is that coffee must be freshly-ground. Even a few hours renders it undrinkable. After tweeting that I was on my way there, I then received this from my old wine buddy Saverio Grazioli-Venier (yeah, crazy name...):

Do not believe in the myth that freshly ground coffee is better. Not at all. Just like most wines it needs some time (roughly 10 days) to balance out the harsh green notes and mellow out the acidity. Again like wine, when it's too old (4 weeks plus in this case) it develops tertiary aromas - unlike wine these tertiary aromas are very unpleasant. Think burnt rubber. What is crucial is how it is packaged, where it is kept to rest after grounding (cool/dry place, no sunlight, limited exposure to oxygen), and that it be delivered to you at the right time (between 1-2 weeks after roasting for example).

You are better off using a supplier that guarantees well stored "commercial coffee" than an artisan roaster that buys the best beans in the world but keeps them exposed to the elements after roasting. Early oxidisation is the result of the latter and is often the cause of bitterness in coffee. Illy for example, albeit boring I know, guarantees through it’s sophisticated packaging a product that is consistent and always at peak potential when opened. An artisan producer that understands storage is of course the best possible option but they are rare, particularly in the UK. I think Monmouth for example consistently under delivers given the excellent raw ingredients it starts out with.

Who's right? Please help.

Pubs, Deck Chairs & The Titanic

2011-05-26T02:39:00.000-07:00

Who are these people?

"The Independent Pub Confederation" says that it is "great news" that communication of PubCo codes of practice to tenants has improved. Surely this is not unlike a murderer better explaining to his victim how he will kill them. (article here)

Any "confederation" bearing that name should be on a permanent war footing against the gross eviltude which is the tie. In a market where even untied pubs are failing to compete with supermarkets on price how a tied tenant can pay double for beer and expect to survive is ludicrous.

I feel sick.

Launch of The Quality SE1 Pub Crawl

2011-05-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

Well, with all really profound experiences it takes time to process the emotions, the highs and the lows, the triumphs and calamities. And the Quality SE1 Pub Crawl is no different.

Actually, what a load of old bollix. The Crawl was an unadulterated success, a good time was had by all, even though I am sure the over-riding emotion felt by participants the following morning must have been, thank God it's only monthly.

We also got the damned thing trending on Twitter which was no mean feat.

Who were the ringleaders? The people's representatives on the QSE1PC presidium were Brother Max of the Dean Swift, Brothers Charlie and Neil of the Draft House and Sister Jo of Platform. Controlling, capitalist-fascist Web 1.0 tendencies were resisted and a free-form, fluffy, Web 3.0 TwitterBook benign dictatorship was very much the order of the day. Well, someone's gotta take charge, don't they? At least we didn't end up with Napoleon the Pig.

Charlie and Max looking, it has to be said, a little less

benign and perhaps a tad too dictatorial.

The route is here. We kicked off in The Market Porter (1) at 6pm with some free-form pint drinking. A personal commitment to 'just a half' in each stop immediately went by the wayside as two pints of frothing ale scarely touched the sides. Others were similarly ill-disciplined. But hey, it's web 3.0.

Sister Jo from Platform with yours truly

Next was Brew Wharf (2), then to the Rake (3). Then the walks got longer, but by this stage feet were only occasionally in contact with the ground.

Mid-way down Tooley Street we stopped into Platform (4), where Sister Jo had laid on some awesome food, thereby showing up the other hosts to such an extent that Brother Max was immediately on the blower rustling up some competing grub Dean Swift-side.

My personal beers of the night? Dark Star Hop Head in the Rake and Sleemans IPA in Draft House Tower Bridge (5).

Brother Neil, QSE1PC Ringleader

I think the group's highlight must have been the cloudy Kernel Citra which Max snaffled up to serve at the Dean Swift (6). But - hey - it was mighty late by then.

Next time (June 15th, route to follow) we will have a few more bells and whistles to add on (good as my use of Jo's polkadot umbrella was, something tells me we need a proper flag. And T-Shirts). Well, given that noone's in charge that last idea might be a stretch but you never know...

Sharp's Tasting. It's getting a little weird round here...

2011-04-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

This Saturday we are proud (if slightly trepidacious) to welcome Stuart Howe, brewing supremo at Sharp's (DoomBar etc).

Why trepidacious? Well just take a look at this sucker which arrived at Tower Bridge yesterday:

Also on offer Monsieur Rock, Atlantic IPA and much, much more.

We'll be sample-happy from 5 - 7pm this Saturday 30th April at Draft House Tower Bridge, 206-208 Tower Bridge Road SE1 2UP.

Easter/Royal Wedding Beers at Draft House

2011-04-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

God Save the Queen

And the fascist... [oh, it's so hard to get cynical at a moment like this]

Our little contribution to the Patriotic Room 101 which is the Royal Wedding is to express our abiding love and respect for them upstairs through beer. Over the next couple of weeks we will be filling the cellars with good British beer. And I’m talking a veritable Best of the Greatest Hits. We are going to prove that this country makes the best bleedin’ beer in the world and heaven help anyone who stands in our way. Certainly no-one can pun like a British Brewer (Windsor Knot, anyone?).

Oh and there's a few Colonial types which have slipped in as well. If we're still allowed to use that word. We mean well, and their beer is awesome.

You’ll have to take pot-luck as to what’s on where – follow us on Twitter where the Draft House beer boys and girls promise to keep the feed humming.

Anyway, there are moments when modesty must briefly be cast aside to reveal the true size of one's beerhood. Prompting the question: How much does this rock?

Keg:

All to be on the whole two weeks

Camden wheat all three sites

Camden Helles

Sleemans IPA

Zero Degrees Red Rye then fruit beer only at Tower Bridge

Harviestoun Schiehallion

Grand Ridge Moonlite or Brewers Pils

Chalky's Bark

Cask:

week 1 (Easter)

Redemption Trinity/Hopspur/Urban Dusk

Harviestoun Shenanigans

Brodies Special 6 Hop

Sambrooks celebration coming Thursday 21st to TB

Windsor & Eton Windsor Knot and black ipa coming Tuesday 19th

Darkstar hophead/hophead citra/ APA

week 2 (wedding)

Sharps atlantic ipa/ golden gate coming Tues 26th for the big finale on Saturday 30th.

Hurting. But Happy

2011-04-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Why Draft House is brave and the budget was stupid. Monumentally stupid.

I don't know about you but I am confused. And it’s not just the breakfast beers. Today I learn that 143,000 more people have jobs than did last month (hooray). But the day before brought news that average spending power is down 2% (oh). All I know is I am feeling skint and I suspect many of you are too. This austerity lark is catching and judging from conversations with customers is driven by a genuine sense that we are growing poorer.

This is a long way of saying that, despite the Chancellor putting up beer duty by 7.5% (yes, you read that correctly - and just after the VAT rise) we are holding prices where they are. And in some cases reducing them.

That’s really just so you know. And also perhaps to encourage you to buy more beer. In a healthy way.

Budvar Yeast - Real Lager - At Last

2011-03-01T03:08:00.000-08:00

Budvar is a beer that us Brits have grown a tad blasé about in the face of the dreaded "World Lager" phenomenon.

We forget that this ancient brewery was purchased by the Czech government to preserve its unique brewing heritage (after Pilsner Urquell and Staropramen fell into foreign hands) and is thus impervious to market pressure to dumb down.

We forget that Budvar is lagered (cold-conditioned) for ninety days - and this in an age when many so-called premium lagers get less than three weeks. I was reminded of all this when the Czech firm launched its new unpasteurised, unfiltered “Budvar Yeast” at Draft House Tower Bridge. Despite the awful, modish name this is an ancient class act – effectively a traditional cask lager version of the famed Budvar Original, but with a shelf-life of just 28 days.

This Holy Grail of lagers has long been sold in a tiny number of specially certified bars in Czech Republic. And now just five pubs in London have been given the nod from Southern Bohemia (including three Draft Houses I’m pleased to report). Seek it out – but beware – we are told that supply is extremely limited. New stocks expected shortly, watch our twitter feed for more info.

Ola Dubh 40 Special Reserve Ale

2011-02-22T04:54:00.000-08:00

This fortified, inky brew is an extreme example of the brewer's art. Created in Clackmannanshire, Scotland by Harviestoun it starts life as "Old Engine Oil", a lovely, dry 6% stout.

Seeking a richer and more complex drink, Harviestoun decant the stout into a Highland Park 40 Year Old Whisky barrell, where it is aged for a goodly long time. It emerges as Ola Dubh 40, an extraordinarily decadent, almost port-like beer which is a versatile enough to be a beguiling match for chocolate or cheese.

New Year's Eve T-Bone Fest at Draft House

2010-12-21T00:17:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you know what’s happening with us for New Year’s Eve. Well, no surprises. Great food, great beer, great music. Oh, and we'll have plenty of our legendary 28-day aged 600g Angus T-Bones on hand. Visit the website for how to contact us to book.

On the music point the usual ban on (cough) handbag house prevails, but we may up the funk level a few notches while maintaining a liberal sprinkling of Draft House classics (what would New Year’s Eve be without Jolene by Dolly Parton?). Dancing is not forbidden.

On the beer front, surely there could be no better moment to crack open one (several?) of our famous rare, large format bottles. Or, don’t forget, we absolutely condescend to a wide range of champagnes “to suit all budgets” as they say in the tour guides.

In all three Draft Houses chef will be laying on some awesome specials. So whether you’re just popping in for a pint or slipping into a 600g T-Bone we dearly hope to see you on the big night.

Also, we have one room free in the Battersea Party Rooms, complete with dancelfloor, DJ Booth and cocktail bar if any of you folk feel like throwing your own club event. See below for picture of the legendary Bridge Bar.

Likewise at Tower Bridge, one of the Tasting Rooms is available with all the same opportunities for merriment (picture below). Cocktail bar, kicking sound system, glitter ball. And as always NOTHING is too much trouble for our events teams.

If we don't act now, pubs will disappear

2010-10-14T04:02:00.000-07:00

(from The Times today, by yours truly)

The pub is broken. The trajectory of its long-term decline got steeper yesterday and there is no help at hand. Punch Taverns announced that 1,300 of its 6,700-strong estate have “no future” and will be closed or sold. We are used to hearing that 50-odd pubs a week are disappearing, but if the closures are accelerating soon whole areas of the UK may lose access to draught beer and a community gathering place.

What has gone so horribly wrong? Why are our pubs, once the mainstay of the urban street corner and heart of every village, no longer viable? The death of some is inevitable. Noone is going to suggest that we suspend the drink-driving laws which have killed off any inn unfortunate enough to be situated on an A Road roundabout (‘one for the road, anyone?’). But what of the rest? Why is the pub dying?

The pricing model is broken - supermarket booze is too cheap. The supermarkets routinely use beer as a “traffic driver”, selling it below cost price to draw in customers for their weekly shop. Asda was recently selling 20 tins of Stella Artois for £9 (hope your fridge is big enough). And a price war in 2007 saw own-branded beer for sale for as little as 22p a tin – David Cameron’s much-quoted “20 tins for a fiver”. Leaving aside the appalling social and health impact of unsupervised drinking at these prices, how can the hard-pressed pub-goer justify £2.50 or more per pint against this backdrop?

The regulatory environment is broken. The smoking ban has alienated many customers. Hard-pressed independent landlords (surely the future of the industry) are swamped by bureaucracy and box-ticking unmanageable for a small business without access to an HR department. Last week yet another set of new rules, passed by the last government, came into effect stipulating that all pubs must offer wine by the 125ml measure – by law. This means new menus and glassware for a measure that research shows nobody wants.

The pub ownership model is broken. Brimming with free market zeal the Tories forced the breweries to sell off their pubs in the 1980s. The dogma of the day said it was anti-competitive that pub tenants had to buy beer exclusively from their brewery owners. Fuelled by oceans of debt (Punch Taverns, for example, owes more than £3 billion, or £464,000 per pub) smart City types formed the ‘PubCos’ which acquired these estates. But the insanity is that the ‘tie’ which obliges the tenant to buy beer from its landlord, remained in place in the majority of instances. So now most pubs are not only paying large rents, but also have to buy their beer at grossly inflated prices from their landlord, prices which if charged by a supermarket would cause a customer to shop elsewhere.

Pubs themselves are broken. Challenges arising from supermarket pricing, regulation and punitive leases all have a cost. And that cost is a poor selection of the cheapest brands of beer, ‘ready’ meals, poorly trained staff and management, delayed refurbishment, increasingly desperate price promotions and so on. In other words, a disheartening experience for the customer creating a spiral of decline, leading sooner or later to yet another closure statistic.

Pub owners and staff up and down the country, if they have got this far, will be cursing me for the calumny I heaped upon the industry in the last paragraph. And of course there are many honourable exceptions. Prosperous metropolitan and suburban areas still support a thriving, well-run, increasingly food-led pub trade. Pubs are not closing in these areas. I know from bitter experience how difficult it is to buy licensed sites in Notting Hill, Mayfair or Islington.

But we are talking about pubs in non-thriving areas, i.e. much of the country outside the prosperous South East. What’s the recipe for revival? This is a crisis, and emergency measures must be taken.

Government has a big part to play, loath though I am to admit it. Nowhere is the bonfire of regulation more needed than in our trade. Tax on draught beer should be slashed and a minimum price for alcohol set – Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy asked for this himself this year. Business rates must be reduced (ours were up by as much as 25% this year).

The hardest nut to crack will be reform of pub ownership. But crack it we must and brighter minds than mine must help. The high rents and tied leases set by PubCos must be stopped. Currently the PubCos cannot change lease terms because of loan covenants. With heavy debts and fewer customers it is in their interests to find a better way to do business. The government may have to step in too, they own the banks after all. The goal must be to make pub ownership and attendance affordable for everyone, everywhere in Britain.

Charlie McVeigh, licensee at three Draft Houses in SW11 and SE1

www.drafthouse.co.uk

The Slider Cometh?

2010-10-12T01:37:00.000-07:00

Draft House Northcote is outgrowing its kitchen. It's just too darned busy. But rather than turning you good people away on a weekend, we are looking at our most popular dish - The Draft House Burger, famed the length and breadth of Northcote Road to see if we can reduce the cooking time.

Mindful of other disastrous tamperings with a classic (New Coke anyone?) chef Sabrina Gidda and I are proceeding with care.

The inspiration for this blue sky burger research came from a conversation earlier this year at one of all-round NYC food expert Daniel Young's Burger Monday events. We were talking about the elements which give the humble burger its unique irresistibility. One of them, undoubtedly, is the char on the exterior of the patty. He posited that the ultimate burger is the double, with four sides of char.

Given that our chunky 9oz Draft House Burger takes 14 minutes to cook to medium thereby slowing service on a crazy Saturday, we wondered whether two might be better than one. See picture above.

The experimentation continues. Thoughts welcome, people.

Why only one Cask Ale at Tower Bridge?

2010-10-11T23:27:00.000-07:00

Well, we started with three and I wasn't happy with the quality. Nor were some of the punters. Among them was Hermano Primero ("The older and let's face it, cooler half of the Dos Hermanos blogging crew") who described his pint of Wandle at Tower Bridge as "flat as a pancake". This sparked some lively debate on-line with some coming vigorously to our defence. And certainly those - like myself - who think the Wandle at Northcote and Westrbidge is as close to transcendental as you are likely to get - were riled. But the bugger had a point. It was, well, flat.

What does flat mean for a cask ale? At its best a good pint of live cask ale has a bright clarity and a raciness in the mouth which never, and I mean never equates to fizziness. It is a glorious, fecund foaminess. Imagine the primordial soup controlled by superhuman genius for your pleasure. It's that lively.

The trouble with this unholy, beautiful stuff is that unlike pasteurised keg beer it is alive and if any of a number of factors are not absolutely perfect than it is, well, shite. Or flat. And one of the key things required is turnover. And at Tower Bridge, with twenty-four choices (21 of them in keg) we just weren't getting the turnover on the cask pumps. So following Hermano-Wandle-Gate we dropped down to one which we are rotating cask-to-cask. As turnover increases (and boy is it ever) we will of course be adding to the roster. Watch this space.

Currently on the hand pump is a cask lager - Schiehallion from Clackmannanshire. I indulged in a little quality control and can confirm that everything, and I mean everything, about it was just, well, right.

Next blogpost - re-engineering the Northcote Burger - the Slider cometh.

PHEW.

Draft House Tower Bridge: First Images

2010-09-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

Photos by Anthony Parkinson

View from Queen Elizabeth Street - still not finished but what a day...

Those controversial green banquettes (better get used to 'em).

The Bar

Blair Macann's magnificent Steak Tartare

Soused Herring and God Lager. Say no more.

Many's the long hour I have spent trying to photograph beer. It always ends up looking pants. Please take it from me. It's delicious, and looks good in real life. The teutonic fonts on the other hand, look - well - teutonic.

The Dining Room. The Copper sign (half cut off on right) was the pub's sign many years ago, found in the attic.

Entrance to Dining Room.

Chef Blair Macann

A Day at Fuller Smith & Turner

2010-07-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

A merrie band of Draft House types made its way to Chiswick on Wednesday for Cask Marque exams and a tour of Fuller's Griffin Brewery. Among those who hadn't yet taken the test (an exhaustive examination of one's cask beer management knowledge) was yours truly. We learn if we passed or failed next week. If it's the latter in my case I promise to close all Draft Houses down the next day and adjourn to a darkened room with a revolver and bottle of whisky (I won't deserve a beer, clearly).

Not especially being a London Pride fan I have always had a somewhat jaundiced view of Fuller's and their dominance of the West London market. But having seen Young's flee its splendid Victorian brewery in Wandsworth Town Centre for an anodyne facility in Hertfordshire (following a merger with Charles Wells) I have been wanting for some time to re-evaluate my opinion. Indeed, there is much to like, perhaps even love about Fuller's.

Despite being extremely cramped for space between the Thames and the Great West Road those stubborn Fuller's types have stuck it out on their historic patch.

The brewery is close, even claustrophobic. Ancient, disused coal-fired coppers sit cheek-by-jowl with modern, computerised kit. Narrow corridors are lined with wooden barrels of the Master Brewer's latest vintage offering - currently the 2007 (below).

Our guide was a 41-year Fuller's veteran, John. He regaled us, somewhat wistfully, with tales of the golden era of "wet" brewing - in effect the period until 1984 when brewery staff were permitted to drink while they worked.

There were some notoriously thirsty types, some drinking 15-plus pints a day. But, as John informed us sagely, these chaps were engaged in heavy manual work so they didn't really feel the booze. Workers were paid partly in tokens which they exchanged for pints, often starting off with a foaming mug before the morning shift at 4am. I'm thinking the chaps in the front row below might have had a couple. We especially liked the watering can.

It's hard not to like a place which has not only been at the heart of the revival of cask beer, but which also engenders such a fierce loyalty and - yes - pride in its staff.

And now there are follow some silly pictures of Draft House managers who should have been paying attention to more stories about drunken brewery staff but instead chose to eff about.

Here was the light canteen lunch which we were privileged to share with the Fullerites:

And finally, a richly deserved pint in the Mawson Arms next to the Griffin Brewery.

From left to right Michael (Westbridge), David (Westbridge), Juan (Northcote), Neil (Tower Bridge), Charlie (Owner), Adam (Operations). Regrettably, these were not the only pints drunk on this occasion (ouch). But I did learn to like Chiswick Ale and tolerate Discovery. I bought a bottle of the 2007 Vintage Ale which will go to the top-scorer in the Cask Marque exam.

PS a special apology to our Australian colleagues, David and Michael, who had to tolerate Fosters jokes throughout the day. I would like to correct the impression, if it was given, that Fosters is anything but the finest beer in the world.

PPS Thanks so much to the fabulous Annabel Smith of Cask Marque who managed to make a potentially dry subject interesting and useful.

PPPS Huge gratitude for Juan Christian's surprisingly good pictures (considering they were produced by a camera phone). Thanks Juey!

Bruges: The Perfect Draft House Mini-Break?

2010-07-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

Budget: Some Thoughts on Saving the Pub

2010-06-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

While glad that, for once, alcohol is exempted from duty increases I am disappointed that Cameron, Osborne and Clegg didn't use this moment of economic crisis to bring about positive change for the licensed trade and therefore for the country as a whole.

Most seem agreed that the pub is in crisis.

One of the key reasons for this is extreme promotional discounting by supermarkets - often to below the cost at which landlords can buy beer. Why not, therefore reduce tax on draft beer and cider sold into the licensed trade?

And set a minimum price for alcohol while you're at it.

If we want to save the community pub, and I think most are agreed that we do, these are crucial first steps.

(you can expect a book on this subject from yours truly in due course, but don't start holding your breath quite yet)

North vs South Pouring Battle: THE SPARKLER VERDICT

2010-06-19T06:42:00.000-07:00

The latest in our somewhat nerdy series of beer tasting events was less well attended than some. Clearly a couple of hours discussing different head consistencies is not everyone's bag. Still, Pete Brown (Beer Writer of the Year 2009) and Duncan Sambrook (Wandle brewer and all-round local hero) were there along with a small but focused crowd, all of whom were able to walk out unaided at the end.

So what was it all about?

In essence, cask ale in the North of England is often pulled though a sparkler, a small showerhead-type object affixed to the end of the nozzle. This forces the beer through microscopic holes, agitating the carbon dioxide in the ale and thereby delivering a more full-bodied pint with a thick, creamy head. A bit like (forgive me) tinned Boddington's, though that effect is created by releasing nitrogen so is, in fact, an entirely different process. Draft Stouts use a similar device with a similar outcome, though the creaminess seems more profound and long-lasting on the black stuff.

By contrast, in the South, the beer is poured straight out and - if well kept, pulled and served in a very clean glass - creates a foamy head which disappears after a few minutes.

Our goal on Wednesday, other than drinking a cellar-load of beer, was to play around with the sparkler a little and see what happened. Thus we selected an archetypal Southern brew (Sambrook's Wandle) and a quintessentially Geordie effort (Mordue's Workie Ticket) and sampled them both with and without the Sparkler.

Having discussed this at some length on Twitter (and - gasp! - in person) with Drapers Arms-owner Nick Gibson I was forewarned. But nothing prepared me for how dreadful Wandle would taste through the Sparkler. Duncan was appalled (see below). Pete refused to drink his. That's how bad it was. Wandle is a truly great beer which perfectly encapsulates the unique genius of traditional British brewing - namely to produce full-bodied, full-flavoured ale with a low alcohol content (in this case 3.7%). But put through a Sparkler it became sweet dishwater.

By contrast, Northerners, it would appear, swing both ways. Mordue's Workie Ticket worked well with and without the sparkler. But again they tasted entirely different.

There it is above, in all its creamy-headed glory. Still sweet but balanced by the extra-bitter hops included in the brew to balance the sweetening effect of the Sparkler.

Duncan Sambrook, a chemistry graduate, explained the sweetness. Apparently the agitation of the CO2 by the sparkler causes the bitterness molecules from the hops to attach themselves to the CO2 molecules. Thus most of the bittnerness is removed from the beer itself, and resides afterwards in the head. To prove this, Duncan encouraged us to take the teaspoon test. This involved spooning a small amount of the creamy head into one's gob - and sure enough it was astringently bitter. Fascinating.

Attendee James Diggle (above) enjoying a Workie Ticket without sparkler. This had a goodly amount of bitterness and kept its head well.

Having learned to drink cask ale in Edinburgh - my palate shaped on the forge of such great sparkler-led institutions as the Athletics Arms, the Windsor Buffet, Mathers, and the legendary Blue Blazer, I expected to like the sparkler more than I did.

In all honesty, I have been corrupted by weak Southern ways and I like my beer foamy and thin. Ho hum.

Thanks to Pete brown (of whom I neglected to get a picture) and especially to Duncan Sambrook for allowing us to roundly mock the Sparkler-Wandle (followed by much adulation of the straight-out version) and to all attendees. Watch this space for future chronic outbreaks of beer-geekiness.

New Site East-Side...

2010-06-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

Last week we exchanged on a new site - our third! - on the south side of Tower Bridge looking onto the mayor's office from the front and onto Shad Thames at the back. This is our first tentative step outside of SW11, the Draft House heartland, so we shall see if the Easterners like our blend of honest food and beers which aspire to greatness. We take possession of the site at the end of this month and, following a 6-week fit aim to open by end-August.

Time Out Says Draft House is Best Pub

2010-06-18T02:46:00.000-07:00

Last year they gave us 4 / 5 stars. Then in April they said we were the best "Pub with Great Beer". And this week, in Time Out's list of "London's Best Pubs & Bars" we came second, beaten by Mark's Bar at Hix Soho.

So I guess, in their eyes, that makes us the #1 pub in London.

It's kind of hard to take in.

And the winner of the DH Westbridge Quote Competition?

2010-06-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

We asked you, the customer/reader/boss which quote you wanted over the bar in the Westbridge. An astonishing 210 replies to our surveymonkey.com yielded only one winner:

"No soldier can fight unless he is properly fed on beef and beer." -John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough

And, in order, the runners up were:

2. "Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there will be no more cakes and ale?" -Sir Toby Belch from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

3. "Home of the Third" (me)

4. "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -Benjamin Franklin

5. "Make sure that the beer - four pints a week - goes to the troops under fire before any of the parties in the rear get a drop." -Winston Churchill to his Secretary of War

...with the wooden spoon going to Abe Lincoln: "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer."

USA CRAFT BEER WORLD CUP “FIRST ELEVEN”

2010-06-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

England vs USA 12/06/10

GK Anchor Porter

LB Left Hand Milk Stout

CB Brooklyn LAGER

CB Anchor Steam Lager

RB Brooklyn Brown Ale

LW Goose Island “Honkers”

MF JW Dundee Honey Brown

MF Samuel Adams Lager

RW Belgica

CF Titan IPA

CF Lone Star

RED CARD: Anheuser-Busch Budweiser

Arrogant Bastard - In-Coming This Weekend

2010-05-26T03:37:00.000-07:00

The Stone Brewing Co guys were obviously paying attention in Guerilla Marketing 101. Their epicly uncompromising website says it all:

"Arrogant Bastard is an aggressive beer. You probably won't like it. It's doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory - maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you that it's made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless, fizzy yellow beer will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think that multi-million dollar ad campaigns make beer taste better. Perhaps you are mouthing your words as you read this..."

I was fortunate enough to taste this, together with the extraordinary Levitation Ale, at our extreme US Craft Beer Tasting a week ago. And now we have secured a keg, due to go on sale at some stage this weekend at Draft House Northcote. It won't last long...call ahead (020 7924 1814) to see if it's on.

Extreme US Craft Beer Tasting - Report

2010-05-23T02:29:00.000-07:00

This was a cracker of an evening. Andreas Falt from Vertical Drinks did us proud, talking the group knowledgeably through the ten insane beers on offer. When, after beer # 5 or #6, the group grew restless and began indulging in that great crime of "talking amongst themselves" he would clap his hands briskly and efficiently together and order would miraculously be restored. The line-up, with tasting notes, is below.

Star attendees included beer blogger Mark Charlwood, Henrietta Lovell (The Rare Tea Lady), violinist Eos Chater of Bond and I at last was able to meet Nick Gibson, co-owner of Islington's Michelin-starred Drapers Arms. Also the charming Sam and Nigel from The Coastguard Arms in Kent - more here.

So thanks Andreas and to all who came. A top time was had by all.

Next event (blog-preview to follow) is on 16th June and is a demonstration of cask ale pouring techniques (go to http://sparkler.eventbrite.com/ for more info).

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – 5.6%
American favourite Pale Ale! A delightful interpretation of a classic style. It has a deep amber colour
and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character. Generous quantities of premium Cascade hops
give the Pale Ale its fragrant bouquet and spicy flavour

Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA – 7.2%
An American double IPA. Full bodied and lots of hop character. Good balance between malt, hops and
alcohol.

Victory HopDevil IPA – 6.7%
Menacingly delicious, with the powerful, aromatic punch of whole flower American hops backed up by
rich, German malts. HopDevil Ale offers a roller coaster ride of flavour, coasting to a smooth finish
that satisfies fully.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA – 6.0%
60 Minute IPA is continuously hopped - more than 60 hop additions over a 60 minute boil 60 Minute is
a session India Pale Ale brewed with a slew of great NorthWest hops. A powerful, but balanced East
Coast I.P.A. with a lot of citrus hop character. The session beer for hardcore beer enthusiasts!

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA – 9.0%
An Imperial I.P.A. A big beer with a great malt backbone that stands up to the extreme hopping rate.

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis - 4.8%
A great example of a Bavarian-style cloudy Wheat beer. Lots of banana and cloves on the nose and
refreshing full bodied palate.

Victory Saison – 6.8%
Their version of a Belgian style saison. On the nose the wheat malt and spices come through. On the
palate comes a balanced mixture of malt and spices. A beer that leaves you wanting more of it.

Stone Levitation Ale – 4.4% (my personal pick of the bunch)
Stone Levitation Ale might be the lowest ABV (4.4%) beer that they produce but there is no lack of
aroma or flavour in this one. It has a fantastic fresh hop aroma mixed with a malty background. In the
mouth it has a lot of flavours from the roasted malts and from the hops in the bitter finish.

Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale – 7.2% (we will shortly be the only people in the country to have this on draft)
Arrogant Bastard Ale is an American style strong ale with a hoppy finish. On the palate it is round,
velvet and with a slight sweetness. This is then finished with a warm and bitter finish. Not a beer for
the faint hearted.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron – 12.0%
An unfiltered, unfettered, unprecedented brown ale aged in handmade wooden brewing vessels. The
caramel and vanilla complexity unique to this beer comes from the exotic Paraguayan Palo Santo wood
from which these tanks were crafted. Palo Santo means "holy tree" and it's wood has been used in
South American wine-making communities.

Line-Up For Extreme American Craft Beer Tasting (19th May)

2010-05-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

I now have the line-up for the tasting of ultra-extreme US Craft beers on 19th May (7.30pm at DH Westbridge).

Myself and Andreas from Vertical Drinks will be hosting. We are still finalising the line-up but the lead act will be a selection of wacko bottles from Dogfish Head, a gang of stoner-brewers from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (marginally easier to pronounce than a certain Icelandic volcano). Star of the show may be the legendary 120-Minute IPA, which clocks in at an immodest 18% ABV. I say "may" because this stuff is as rare as hens' teeth. Follow us on Twitter for more updates. In the meantime, we can confirm the following monsters:

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 5.6%

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen 4.8%

Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA 7.2%

Victory HopDevil IPA 6.7%

Victory Saison (large format) 7.5%

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA 6.0%

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA 9.0%

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron 12.0%

Stone Leviation Ale 4.0%

Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale 10.0%

Aficionados will have noticed the presence of Arrogant Bastard, a stupidly rare beer in the UK.

For £10 you will get the opportunity to attend a chaotic but ultimately satisfactory tasting.

I f you can't make this one, our next humdinger of this type will be on 16th June.

Third Wednesday: US Craft Beer Tasting at DH Westbridge on 19 May

2010-05-01T03:24:00.000-07:00

Continuing our series of beer events on the THIRD WEDNESDAY of the month we are pleased and proud to announce a tasting of ultra-extreme US Craft beers on 19th May (7.30pm at DH Westbridge).

Myself and Andreas from Vertical Drinks will be hosting. We are still finalising the line-up but the lead act will be a selection of wacko bottles from Dogfish Head, a gang of stoner-brewers from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (marginally easier to pronounce than a certain Icelandic volcano). Star of the show may be the legendary 120-Minute IPA, which clocks in at an immodest 18% ABV. I say "may" because this stuff is as rare as hens' teeth. Follow us on Twitter for more updates.

For £10 you will get the opportunity to attend a chaotic but ultimately satisfactory tasting. To book, click here.

I f you can't make this one, our next humdinger of this type will be on 16th June.

Writing A Book (help)

2010-04-28T06:59:00.000-07:00

I am writing a book about beer and saving the pub. Well, more of a Swift-style Modest Proposal (although there is no current plan to feed children to anyone).

Do let me know if you have any thoughtful or hilarious beer quotes (and, yes, I have the Benjamin Franklin one) or any other thoughts/ideas.

I am obliged to you all.

Thanks for these Terrific Pictures and Review

2010-04-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

So many thanks to @aforkful for her generous review of Draft House Northcote - here are two pics I have stolen from her blog, featuring the all-new Eggs Florentine and that old stager (for us, anyway) Squid & Chorizo.

Now this is really good...THIRD WEDNESDAY at Sambrook's

2010-03-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

Every third Wednesday of the month we will be hosting a thrilling tasting event at Draft House Westbridge.

We kick off 21st April at 6.45pm with a FREE brewery tour of Sambrook's Brewery to see how the wonderful Wandle is actually made. Then *STOP PRESS* it's all back to Westbridge to be the first to taste Junction Ale - the stronger and darker of the two beers brewed by Sambrook's.

But this is not just any old Junction - this is a special batch which has been Oak-Barrel Aged and Dry-Hopped giving great richness and complexity.

Attendees will be the first members of the public to taste this unique and extreme interpretation of one of Draft House's best selling beers (which most likely will never go on general sale). And there'll be plenty of Wandle too. Duncan Sambrook, who is not as excitable as I am, says: "Junction Ale will be conditioned in a traditional oak cask for a week and dry hopped with Bramling X hops. We are hoping that this process will help to enhance the maturation of the beer during the secondary fermentation to produce a uniquely flavoured take on our award winning Junction Ale."

Just to be clear - the tour is free, but the beer won't be when we get back to Westbridge - but Junction will be charged at the usual price of £1.15 per third pint so it'll be a steal, really. Places are limited for the Tour so let us know asap at westbridge@drafthouse.co.uk. Or visit our website.

Loving this Picture from Twitter...

2010-03-24T01:49:00.000-07:00

A darling customer posted this on Twitter last Sunday (having come all the way from London Fields via a recommendation from the good chaps at The Drapers Arms in Islington - thanks, chaps!). It just sums up to me what lunch should be all about (assuming the company was bearable). Thanks, Sally.

Draft House Westbridge - what does it all mean?

2010-03-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

This month we marked officially the transformation of The Westbridge into Draft House Westbridge. Some of you remarked, not a lot has changed. Well, like those guys in the Jack Daniels ad, that's kinda how we like it round here.

That said, there's a new, sleak oak back-bar. There's beautiful new signage in the Draft House idiom. OK, we redecorated and chose a slightly different wall colour (Carnforth White by Farrow & Ball (ouch!) since you asked).

Here's the team gathering for battle before the launch last Thursday (um, that's me in the green jumper).

The menu now clearly shows the huge range of draft and bottled beers. The food is sensational. That's largely thanks to Anton Gonsalves, our new Head Chef (left) and the King of the Draft House Kitchens, Simon Noumar (right). To encourage you to try the new menu and in celebration of all this Draft House transformation business we are offering 50% off ALL FOOD, ANYTIME until end-March. Now that's a deal.

And the service is by the same informal but cheerfully efficient guys and girls who have been at Westbridge since Day One - led by Alex Mole (left) and Adam Simmons (below right)

The bottom line is, The Westbridge is where the Draft House idea germinated. So all we've really done is bring it home. We hope you enjoy it - do let us know all about your experiences with us. Our Facebook page is sort of fun - please do join and you'll be kept up to date with beer tastings, new brews etc. Also, in case you didn't know, I have been known to pronounce on various matters on Twitter - click here to follow me.

And finally, do visit the Battersea Party Rooms website - they are the best private rooms in South West London IMHO - and all at pub prices.

St Patrick's Day and World Domination

2010-03-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

What better day to reveal our capacity for world beer domination (world meaning SW11, I should perhaps clarify). And a fine line in Irish Stew and Soda bread.

While others sell draft Guinness (and in some but not all instances a very fine pint thereof) we offer Guinness original in bottle at Northcote. Too obtuse for you? OK, you can get the finest pint of draft Guinness in London at Westbridge just now. And compare it (via a handy Patrick's Pint of Thirds) with Porterhouse Oyster Stout and Murphy's.

While back over at Northcote Patrick's Pint of Thirds means Murphy's (Cork's pride) , Harviestoun Old Engine Oil (on cask) and Meantime London Porter (on keg).

And this is not to mention the cornucopia of dark beers in bottle at both venues.

Among others we are currently proud to serve Anchor Porter, Yeti Imperial Stout (from Great Divide) and Left Hand Milk Stout. And for pudding, why not dip into an Ola Dubh (Harviestoun Old Engine Oil aged in a 40 year old Highland Park whisky barrel). As decadent as beer gets.

Falling off the wagon, and all that...

2010-02-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I have now completed my second week on the wagon and the parade of extraordinary beers before my eyes at Westbridge and Northcote is beginning to take its toll on morale. Yes, it's getting e'er more difficult to stay on the damned thing and that irksome little Beer-Putti-sod is shooting me full of arrows.

My Wagon. With trusty man minding it

We have taken delivery of Meantime IPA on Keg at Northcote (this is a rarity, normally only available in bottle). Serious, Empire-Building beer at 7.5%. I imagine it's good for fighting. And lying around in the heat being brought tiffin. Or whatever. I gamely nosed a thimbleful this morning and can confirm that it is a hop-monster.

Other new beers in today include two from deadhead brewer Dark Star of West Sussex. These guys have won all kinds of awards from the Campaign for Real Ale, but we don't necessarily hold that against them.

The legendary 3.7% Hophead (a James Ellroy era word for a heroin addict) is a rich yellow in colour and, as the name suggests when read literally, chockful of hops (not heroin). We also have their citrussy 4.7% American Pale Ale today. It's not as bad as it sounds.

In any event I am certain that the thirsty swine of SW11 will have finished this lot off before I make it down to B&Q to:

1) buy axe
2) chop up of the above-pictured wagon with said axe (being mindful of how close trusty man is standing to it)
3) build large bonfire with the chopped-up wagon
4) commence the satisfactory, if unnecessarily cruel, process of barbecuing of the horses
5) order pint at bar

I am told that the appointed day for this event, Feb 18th (don't ask), will co-incide with the arrival of Schiehallion, a cask lager from Harviestoun (last time I was on the wagon I missed it altogether). Not a bad way to fall off...

The Beat My Heart Skipped

2010-02-09T23:51:00.000-08:00

Just thrilled to have discovered Audiard. Having been bowled over by Un Prophete on the weekend I felt compelled to rent his previous film (he only makes them at five-year intervals). While lacking the ambition of Prophete The Beat My Heart Skipped is still fabulous.

The Elusive Samuel Adams 27% "Utopias"

2010-02-04T06:31:00.000-08:00

Braumeister Ben McFarland confirms that this is as 'rare as rocking-horse dung'. The search goes on. Have also just been corrected: Utopias is correctly expressed as a plural. Explanations on a postcard, please.

The bottle is beer-bling in object form, no?

Anti-Prohibition March 1929

2010-02-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

By 1929, the Prohibition Bureau estimated the illicit production of homebrew at 22 million barrels (31 gallons per barrel) annually, nearly the same amount of legal beer sold in 1919. In some cities, so much homebrew was being made that sewer systems were choked beyond function by the onslaught of spent hops.

At Last...a photo which does Draft House Man justice

2010-02-01T03:28:00.000-08:00

Museum of Everything

2010-01-31T01:04:00.000-08:00

Went to a party here last night, discretion prevents me from saying more on that topic (unusual, I know). Suffice to say that it is touching, moving (same thing? - somehow not on this occasion), disturbing and beautiful in equal measure. A must visit.

http://www.museumofeverything.com/frame.html

Draft House Man By Night (Northcote Road)

2010-01-29T23:44:00.000-08:00

And, for those who haven't seen it, the Super Mario wallpaper in the bogs

Draft House Man Arrives (courtesy of Ponyboy)

2010-01-28T11:13:00.000-08:00

The heroic Wayne Barrell (above) hanging Draft House Man (not literally, a painting of him) in front of The Draft House Northcote. See very poor picture below of the finished article. I hope to have more about who is DHM and a better picture (of the painting) in due course. I am not sure whether we will ever get an actual photograph of Draft House Man since he perhaps exists only in the imagination of Ponyboy, aka the talented artist Justin Anderson. Or do you know who Draft House Man is? Best answer wins a free pint of Bitter & Twisted (because we're not).

An older man passing by pointed out that 'his hand is the wrong way around'. I started off on an explanation involving a potted history of surrealism, but he didn't hang around.

Lovely Time Out Review of The Draft House Northcote, our new pub in SW11

2009-11-26T23:57:00.001-08:00

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Lovely review in Time Out today of Draft House:

http://www.timeout.com/london/bars/reviews/22395.html

Our website is pretty basic at the moment (full site up next week) but the review gives a good flavour of what we're all about.

Our official launch is in January but we are taking preview bookings until then.

Let us know if you want to pop in northcote@drafthouse.co.uk.

All the best,
Charlie

PS - WE STILL HAVE A FEW SLOTS LEFT FOR LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS PARTIES AT THE WESTBRIDGE PARTY ROOMS

There are three fantastic spaces to celebrate in - we can do anything from a table for two to a seated dinner for 50 (not to mention a full-on rave for 100 people). And all at pub prices.

Contact alex@drafthouse.co.uk

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Westbridge Bar Ltd | 74-76 Battersea Bridge Road | London | SW11 3AG | United Kingdom

The Draft House - Open for Business. Some thanks...

2009-10-30T00:07:00.000-07:00

So, after a collossal amount of thought, stress, dust, money, great ideas, dreadful ideas (all of which might better be summarised as Sturm und Drang or in reality just so much Smoke and Light), The Draft House Northcote Road is open.

I hope the end result matches our ambition at the beginning. I think it does. That ambition was to make a place that did for draft beer (our national drink after all - in spite of the horrors visited upon it) what our culture has done for food and wine over the past twenty years. Namely to take the quality, provenance and serving of it seriously - and to celebrate choice. With 17 beers on tap and more than fifty in bottle I think we have certainly achieved the latter. No less important we wanted to provide good, honest food and warm service with heart. This last is the hardest to achieve but I think we will get there, no doubt with a few stumbles along the way. We hope you will come and take a look, try a pint of thirds and an ox-tongue fritter and (PLEASE) let us know what you think.

As we won't be having an opening party until January I wanted to get some thank-yous in.

We have a lot of people to thank, none more than those who haven't shown up yet - our beloved customers, or guests as we must now call you. Well, actually, you have shown up - in spite of the lack of signage, in spite of the pile of builder's rubble outside (yes, only the inside is finished - we hope that by tonight the rest will be more or less done) and we love you for it.

But I must also thank:

Our stalwart architect, Richard Blandy - an island of calm in an uncertain, floating world
Wayne Barrell - our builder. Yes, we still are on speaking terms (but then, I haven't had the final bill yet). Wayne has been very tolerant and cheerful of a project wherein the specification has been pretty much made up as we went along.
the stupendously cool and stylish Frith Kerr of Studio Frith for her relentlessness in preventing me from being naff
Justin Anderson for the work of art which will adorn the currently blank sign on the exterior. And for being my early sounding board ref the Draft House - he was surprisingly tolerant for a teetotaller. Noone I have met is more creative.
our chef, Simon Noumar for riding to the rescue after Chef #1 walked out after a week (legals prevent me from fully expressing myself on that subject). Simon, what a top man you are.
Matt Jacomb, for introducing me to Simon.
Greig Middleton, for stewarding us so calmly and gracefully through the brand development process.
To the blaggers and bloggers who agreed to be Guinea Pigs - you know who you are
To Mathilde for letting me use her photos from this week.
Leigh Milner, for giving up all conjugal rights over her fiance Adam Simmons during this process
Le Cafe Anglais for tolerating my complete lack of focus over the past two weeks (actually, I imagine you were thrilled)
The whole team at The Westbridge (see Le Cafe Anglais) but also for tolerating being a dumping ground for endless Draft House detritus
To the new team at Northcote Road - good luck!
Theo Fordham of Twenty Retail for finding the site (and looking at 100 others we didn't take)
Alex Mole (now GM at Westbridge). Again, ports in storms and all that.
Juan (pronounced Jewan) Christian - our Manx man who we knew was a star from the first moment he walked in the door at Westbridge three years ago and who will now be running The Draft House
Charlie Moul for fixing everything (and for his gasp of pleasure when he first sipped a Draft House Light Lager yesterday)
To Sof (the lovely Mrs McVeigh) for tolerating an almost terminal state of distraction and general work-related solipsism (thanks babe)
Adam Simmons (the main man at Westbridge and Draft House) for quite simply keeping the whole goddamn show on the road. Only yesterday did he finally lose it, and sent himself home for a rest. An hour later he was back smiling. Adam, your determination to get the job done and the general leadership shown has been extraordinary. Thanks, pal.

There is of course a lot more to say but I'll save that for a future post. Onwards and upwards...

The Draft House Northcote Road

94 Northcote Road

London SW11 6QW

020 7924 1814

northcote@drafthouse.co.uk

So, what did my sister's show look like?

2009-10-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

This is how it looked. Without the celebrities. The demi-monde. The critics. I am told she almost sold it out the night before anyway. I wonder if she can lend me a dime?

Two Thrilling Wine Dinners at Le Cafe Anglais Up-Coming

2009-10-01T09:31:00.001-07:00

We are very pleased to announce – at rather short notice, I know – the return of Paolo de Marchi to Le Cafe Anglais. Maker of sublime Chianti (Gordon Brown won’t be coming then), the legendary Cepparello and now forging ahead with wines from his family estate in Piedmont, Paolo is an old friend whose wines are very dear to our hearts. After last year’s brilliant dinner, it would have been criminal not to get him back. Expect an evening of wonderful wine, some gutsy autumnal food and an opportunity to meet one of the wine world’s most modest but engaging personalities. Priced at £70.00 (plus service), this is a date not to be missed. Please check your diaries for Tuesday October 13^th and book without delay.

DINNER I

DINNER II

Our next dinner promises to be a rare treat. Giles MacDonogh is a man of many talents. A great expert on German and Austrian food and wine, he has written extensively on the subject (especially in that great paper of record, The Financial Times) and was chairman of the German and Austrian panels of this year’s Decanter Wine Awards Giles may be better known as a historian, specialising in twentieth century German history. His most recent book, 1938: Hitler’s Gamble was extremely well reviewed on its publication in June. Giles has a third string to his bow, being a painter of striking architectural images(go to www.macdonogh.co.uk to learn more). Ostensibly an evening of Austrian food and wine (think Tafelsptitz, Kracher and Brundlmayer), this should be a highly stimulating and enjoyable dinner on Monday October 19^th. Priced at £70.00 plus service.

To book call 020 7221 1415 or e-mail us at info@lecafeanglais.co.uk.

Noted Critic JJ Charlesworth on my Sister's Work

2009-09-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ahead of Whitney's new show, which opens 9th October at the A Foundation, here is an essay by JJ Charlesworth. It is extraordinary to see reference points such as Jackson Pollock, Max Ernst and Yves Klein. For more information go here.

Whitney McVeigh: Between Bodies and Images

Looking at Whitney McVeigh’s new work, the big monochromes and the fragile collages and monoprints on aging paper, provokes some surprising questions about what makes art contemporary, and how contemporary art deals with its own history. Because McVeigh ploughs a very different furrow from a great many artists working today. She doesn’t work with video, and she doesn’t make ‘conceptual’ art or installation art or performance. She doesn’t make ironic work about how weird it is to be an artist, or art that is to do with pop culture or fashion or politics. Her work is not high-tech, or obsessed with mimicking the high finish of design objects or luxury goods. She works with paint and ink and paper and brushes – traditional, basic materials and techniques – and her constant theme has a classical dimension to it, as if returning to first principles – making a mark in which the human figure often appears to emerge, from little more than the visible shift from black to white.

This isn’t what you tend to expect from artists working today, and McVeigh’s work seems to ask of us that we should stop to consider what it is we have grown used to in contemporary art, and how her work differs from this. Mostly, what it asks is for us to wonder whether some important ideas, that once focused the energies and arguments of artists, have been forgotten or put aside in much of the art of the moment. But given that McVeigh’s works are not a simple return to past attitudes and ideas, but cut across different ways of thinking about and making art, what might these questions be?

McVeigh’s monoprint works combine an openness to the spontaneity of fluid materials with an acute sense of attention to what they might yield, producing surfaces on which physical matter becomes image. She might say that she is not making images so much as trying to discover them, and when she talks about working with the materials she uses, she suggests that they might have a ‘life of their own’. Unlike a more conventional painter, whose mark-making is defined by the intermediary of brushes she uses, McVeigh works with a more unstable and unpredictable set of procedures, in which paint is poured onto or applied to paper, and in which a process of folding over of the paper, and the transferring of the paint between sheets, allows it to be configured in multiple layers. While McVeigh’s way of working is highly tactile, it is also distanced by the layers of paper she uses to impress the paint – she’s often pressing through the paper to the paint, rather than applying paint onto the paper with a brush. It’s a way of working that stops us from being too preoccupied with the ‘touch’ of the artist - of the sense that what one is looking at is a form of ‘writing’, in which the movement of the brush is the equivalent of the gesture of the artist’s hand; and, by implication, a sort of extension and expression of their emotional state or their personality.

Most famously, it was Jackson Pollock who did away with the touch of the brush in painting, allowing drips and pours into painting’s range of technical possibilities. Other artists come to mind: the Surrealist Max Ernst developed ways of pressing oil paint under glass to produce unpredictable, organic patterns and forms; and Yves Klein notoriously used the direct impression of naked human models onto canvas in his series of Anthropometries. Such a range of examples points to an important development in western art in the latter half of the last century – the shift of interest from painting as a carrier of images or representations, towards the painted mark as a material presence in its own right, or as the direct index of another physical presence or object.

What these earlier examples share is a fascination for how a material such as paint might be released from the codes, habits and traditions that tend to dictate how it has been used by artists in the past. They explore the potential of chance and accident in the making of a painted surface, and they partially relinquish the painter’s authority over his or her materials. In so doing, they tend to foreground the matter of the medium – the physical substance of the paint itself – emphasising its own identity and particular qualities. With artists like Klein, painting was rolled back to its most basic conditions - that of the recorded imprint of a physical body onto a surface, in which the paint acts as both image of, and one-to-one impression of, the original subject.

All of these examples reflect some aspects of what goes on in McVeigh’s monochromes, even though they are only partial affinities and handy approximations. Nevertheless, thinking about artists like Pollock and Klein allows us to think about the nature of a body and its relationship to a painting, and to us. Jackson Pollock’s body might not be ‘represented’ in his drip paintings, but they are full of the implied movement of his body. At the opposite extreme, when Klein pressed living bodies against canvas, these were not paintings of bodies, but paintings made by bodies. In the former, the need for an image has been replaced by an interest in the paint’s material presence. In the latter the image is the direct record of the object, not translated via the eye and the hand of the artists.

McVeigh’s work, by contrast, is still interested in the possibility of the painted image. Her monochromes are full of bodies; bodies made of heads, necks, torsos. They’re not ‘studies’, however. McVeigh hasn’t looked at someone and made an image of them. Instead, the bodies in her paintings ‘emerge’ in and among the formations of paint that are shaped and organised.

But perhaps the bodies in McVeigh’s works should really be called ‘figures’. What, then, is the difference between an image of a body and an image of a ‘figure’? If nothing else, this has something to do with what we understand a human being to be, as distinct from a human body. With McVeigh’s work, I’m preoccupied with the distinction between a body and somebody; between the mass of flesh and bones that makes up each of us, and the presence of thinking, living, communicating beings that are this thing we call human, which can’t simply be reduced to just a heap of dumb matter. In her monochrome works, it’s as if this distinction is the only thing that matters in the world.

Out of the formless matter of the paint emerge forms which remind us of human beings, forms which suggest the gestures of bodies that are alive with feeling and consciousness. They’re not painted as if they were at a distance – seen within the space of some visual surrounding, an image of a subject in a setting. Instead, they seem up close, almost as imprints of bodies, but still just far enough away to appear as images. This slight shift, between the bare, physical presence of the paint and the intuition of a human figure, could be seen as analogous to that slight shift that exists between the human body and the human being. McVeigh’s studio is full of portrait photographs culled from magazines. they are always of people whose faces are full of shape and incident, which are undeniably solid, flesh and bone, and yet looking at the camera with the intensity of attention one accords another human being. The question at stake in McVeigh’s images is presence; the possibility that we might recognise a presence that corresponds to our own in the matter that is in front of us.

This is undeniably a way of thinking about images of people that finds its roots in the modern art of the last century – it is this period that most vividly produced images of human beings caught between the materiality of existence and the experience of being. In more recent decades, the philosophical tendency has been to reject such metaphysics, and reduce human beings to mere matter, biological machines that have neither soul (if you are what used to be called ‘religious’) nor free will (if you are what used to be called a ‘Humanist’). But maybe what it means to be human might still add up to more than the sum of its material parts, in the way that McVeigh’s minimal, reduced forms of paint still add up to more than just paint smeared on paper. In McVeigh’s small drawings, made on the pages of second hand technical books, there is little more than a kind of black smudge – a vertical body or a whorl of knotted black energy - which nevertheless manages to say something like ‘I am here’, beyond the mechanical and lifeless information that is printed on the page beneath. One particular drawing stands out, when thinking of McVeigh’s attitude towards presence. On one side is a reproduction of a Portrait of a Young Woman, by the sixteenth-century German painter Jorg Breu. But over her face has been traced another face, of an old crone. It makes little sense, until one discovers that the origin of the tracing is to be found on the reverse of the page, in another reproduction, of a portrait of an old woman. The face of one woman is traced into the face of the other, as ‘lines in her face’. What was an image of the human body has become physical, once again, inscribed not as a reproduction or re-presentation, but as a physical inscription of a body, inscribed into another body. More than an image of a thing, it is the mark of human presence, and of the artist who makes it.

Chateau Batailley Dinner at Le Cafe Anglais

2009-09-14T05:26:00.000-07:00

Dinner with Chateau Batailley

Monday 14^th September

Aperitif

Saint-Péray Brut NV Thiers

Tasting

Chateau Batailley 2001, 2004, 2006

Ceps on Brioche

Chateau Batailley 1996, 1990

Roast Sirloin of Beef with Bone Marrow, Shallots and Red Wine

Chateau Batailley 1986, 1982

Kirkham’s Lancashire, Montgomery Cheddar and Reblochon

Chateau Batailley 1975, 1966

Tarte Tatin

Chateau du Levant 2005

Nick Cave For Dummies (but Dummies with taste)

2009-09-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

If, like me, you increasingly find modern novels an effort but you have a mostly non-gay crush on Nick Cave then please check out my dear friend Peter Collingridge's multi-media audiobook of The Death of Bunny Munro.

It can be downloaded from the I-Tunes Store for your IPhone and features Nick Cave reading the book, a specially written soundtrack, video of Nick Cave reading the book and, as they say, much much more. Preview here.

I suspect we are glimpsing the future of publishing, light-years ahead of the ghastly Kindle.

[My other friend Sarah Churchwell was preparing herself to slate the book on Newsnight Late Review when I saw her last week (apparently it made her feel physically sick, the first ever book to do so). What greater recommendation could there be?]

Bar Snacks Pas Deux: This Time It's Facebook

2009-08-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

I am, frankly, a Facebook whore. I log on every few days and if it's late and - ho hum - I have been 'out', I tend to push the Friend Suggestions button repeatedly until I fall asleep. This, people, is how I have reached 1,212 Friends. That said, it adds a Twitter-like frisson to the Facebook experience not knowing at least half of the people who read one's ramblings. It also leads to embarrassing moments in restaurants when some lovely, gregarious soul interrupts a dinner with your wife to announce loudly: "I AM YOUR FACEBOOK FRIEND". To say that Mrs McVeigh, who is not on Facebook, assumes a look of irritated bemusement at this juncture would be to underplay the drama of the moment.

Anyway, enough pre-amble - who gives a Tuscan Fried Bat (of which, more later) about social networking anyway.

So when I enquired politely for Bar Snacks suggestions (see post below for more deep background), I was really gratified by the response:

Nick Kearns

Calamari

Yesterday at 11:58 · Delete

Lizzie Mabbott

Scotch eggs, sausage rolls, pork scratchings (home-made are delicious)... so basically any pork product.

Yesterday at 12:26 · Delete

Ossian Shine

Yes, scratchings... Ooh, and pickled eggs...

Yesterday at 12:28 · Delete

Giovanna Cantone

bite size cod parcels with a sweet chillie dip. yummm.

lobster bits, with a butter lemon dip..to die for....

Yesterday at 12:54 · Delete

Julian Lloyd

a small pot of hot crabmeat with parmesan and breadcrumb crust. There was a pub on Galway Bay that used to do this.

Yesterday at 13:03 · Delete

Jay Rayner

Use rind on bacon in the kitchen and then serve bowls of fried off rinds.

Yesterday at 13:04 · Delete

Giovanna Cantone

parmesan and crab meat! I would never put parmesan with any fish...yuk

Yesterday at 13:05 · Delete

Annabel Haldane Nash

sticky cocktail sausages with wholegrain mustard

Yesterday at 13:06 · Delete

Silvy Weatherall

Deep fried crispy pigs ears

Yesterday at 13:08 · Delete

Giovanna Cantone

deep fried pancheta served on a stick with parmesan and cherry tomatoes, warm chillie olive oil dip.

Yesterday at 13:13 · Delete

Giovanna Cantone

or serve with sweet onion.

Yesterday at 13:20 · Delete

Annabel Haldane Nash

Larks' tongues. Wrens' livers....& some Tuscany fried bats.

Yesterday at 13:38 · Delete

Matthew Doull

Pigs in a blanket, sliders, short ribs, onion rings

Yesterday at 14:01 · Delete

Laura Campbell

Grilled halloumi; mini prawn cocktails; antipasti platters for 2/4/6; homemade tarmasalata or hummous on hot pitta; chips & dips...

Yesterday at 14:23 · Delete

Toby Duckett

mini yorkshire pud with beef and horseradish/mini toad in the holes w spicy sausage, chargrilled veg kebabs, mixed satay, bbq lamb cutlet, rabbitburger in bun, crispy fries, summer fruit eggedosis.

Yesterday at 18:19 · Delete

Christina Macmillan

Chanterelles on toasted bread or something with black truffles

7 hours ago · Delete

So: thanks Friends, Acquaintances and particularly those whose private world I have invaded uninvited. And you're all cordially invited to a tasting at The Draft House when we eventually get the place open in October.

Watch this Space.

Bar Snacks and the Power of Twitter

2009-08-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Today, after a quiet spell (the post-Ibiza mood is not really conducive to open source communication), I asked the Twitter community for their thoughts on bar snacks. You see, we are preparing to launch our new place, The Draft House, on Northcote Road (sexy logo above) and I have been stuck in a bar food black hole. The very phrase bar food for me conjures up awful images of deep-fried frozen spring rolls with an over-sweet chilli dip. And yet we all know that at its best it can make your entire evening.

So thank you to (in no particular order and without your @s) exromana, aforkful, eatlikeagirl, stefanchomka, tiffanymurray, circeplum, shar13, antimega, smokeynlentils, msquaredcomms, mathildecuisine, piebot, luce28, jamesbackhouse, summerlp and last but not least lulupho. Some of your suggestions were downright odd (stewed cheese? I mean STEWED CHEESE?? - ok, ok you know who you are...are we talking fondue here?) but most were inspirational and I look forward to inviting all of you to a pre-opening tasting of these with thirds of fine ales, lagers, stouts, wheats etc etc.

So here we have the complete list which preserves anonymity and - sic - I give the spelling as I received it:

chargrilled chorizo with olives and lemon
Crab/chilli/lime in filo or Moroccan brique pastry. Or spicy, minced lamb w/ mint on mini flatbreads
something fishy like posh fish fingers or whitebait. Mini sized meatballs with a little spicy kick
pakoras (partclrly good w ale), bite-size samosas, coxinha de galinha w spicy sauce. good ol' chips w paprika&chili pwdr
husband: liver and onions, venison/wild boar sausage and mash. Are these snacks? Pakora. Prawns+Garlic. Off for lunch now
Good fishcakes -Thai or otherwise- not rubbery ones or ones made with too much potato at 17 quid. Squid, baby or grown.
anything that involves decent, hot chorizo. So you can get drunk and ruin perfectly good clothes with bright red grease
triple-cooked chips with romesco. Just invented it and WANT SOME! (Fee to usual address)
am I right in thinking draft house is a new venture in northcote road? sardines;duck egg;anchovies on toast, welsh rarebit.
hello! chorizo croquetas, scotch quail eggs, really good crackling, plates of jamon or similar
Mussels, Scotch Eggs, Fish Sandwich (bajan flying fish sandwich style), good chips
Croque monsieur, any kind of 'Quiches' and savoury tarts
A good lentils soup in winter
Deep fried artichoke hearts are classic American bar food.
chorizo, whitebait, boquorones (hot?), little cheesy things of any variety
Chilli and salt crusted calamari
a decent bowl of salty chips, pork pie. Rarebit and scotch eggs a must i reckon
Scotch eggs, rarebit, fresh sratchings, sausage rolls: just your basic cuisine minceur, really...
Buffalo wings. I'm addicted to the spicy little buggers.

Oh dear, I can't find the STEWED CHEESE post. Maybe it was just a dream...

See you at the Draft House in October.

Charlie

ps If you're on Twitter I heartily recommend that you follow the above-mentioned contributors...

A "Funeral Repast"

2009-08-16T02:21:00.001-07:00

...he acquired the reputation of an eccentric, which he enhanced by wearing costumes of white velvet, and gold-embroidered waistcoats, by inserting, in place of a cravat, a Parma bouquet in the opening of his shirt, by giving famous dinners to men of letters, one of which, a revival of the eighteenth century, celebrating the most futile of his misadventures, was a funeral repast.

In the dining room, hung in black and opening on the transformed garden with its ash-powdered walks, its little pool now bordered with basalt and filled with ink, its clumps of cypresses and pines, the dinner had been served on a table draped in black, adorned with baskets of violets and scabiouses, lit by candelabra from which green flames blazed, and by chandeliers from which wax tapers flared.

To the sound of funeral marches played by a concealed orchestra, nude negresses, wearing slippers and stockings of silver cloth with patterns of tears, served the guests.

Out of black-edged plates they had drunk turtle soup and eaten Russian rye bread, ripe Turkish olives, caviar, smoked Frankfort black pudding, game with sauces that were the color of licorice and blacking, truffle gravy, chocolate cream, puddings, nectarines, grape preserves, mulberries and black-heart cherries; they had sipped, out of dark glasses, wines fromLimagne, Roussillon, Tenedos, Val de Penas and Porto, and after the coffee and walnut brandy had partaken of kvas and porter and stout.

The farewell dinner to a temporarily dead virility—this was what he had written on invitation cards designed like bereavement notices.

from Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans

A Fortnight in South East Sicily

2009-07-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

Six times thirty days of sun sheer down upon our heads; this summer of ours which is as long and glum as a Russian winter and which we struggle against with less success. If a Sicilian worked hard in any of those months he would expend energy enough for three. Then water is either lacking altogether or has to be carried from so far that every drop is paid for by a drop of sweat… This violence of landscape, this cruelty of climate, this continual tension is everything...

Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Life, said Hobbes, is "poor, nasty, brutish, and short". It has remained so in Sicily. In 1951 a survey revealed that 15 out 31 cities had no running water. Visitors then could have an authentic medieval experience, complete with residual feudalism and open sewers. For the visitor now, there is little evidence of abject poverty, but this has been replaced by evidence of what appears a determination to defile both town and countryside.

Guidebooks make little reference to the extreme ugliness of the outskirts of the great Sicilian cities. We were based for the past two weeks just outside Modica, one of many towns in the South East of the island to have been completely rebuilt following a devastating earthquake in 1693 in a late flowering of the Baroque style.

Thus, this (San Pietro in Modica):

...contrasts with this (one of many dispiriting views as you struggle into the Modica city centre):

Not to mention this:

In short, one of the most beautiful, flamboyant, confident periods of architecture was applied to the design of entire cities. And then they were - more or less - left to rot. And rot beautifully. The aristocrats who built them refused to visit their estates, preferring the high life in Palermo and Monte Carlo before a confluence of regrettable circumstances sparked the great defilement.

The arrival of democracy in Italy co-incided post-war with the growth of anti-Communist black ops by the Americans. The CIA-backed Christian Democrat party formed an unholy alliance with the Mafia to ensure that the Southern Italian vote kept out the Communists, who by rights should probably have governed Italy for significant periods after the war.

The result was that Sicily became a mafia playground where anything went. The Italian state's so-called Mezzogiorno fund - ostensibly designed to bring Southern Italy up to the levels of prosperity in the North - was spent by Mafia politicians, Mafia planners and Mafia builders on often unfinished construction projects which now blight the island - with money sticking to the sides at each stage of the process.

The battle for control of this and the international narcotics business claimed the lives of hundreds of mafiosi not to mention the brave new generation of Sicilian prosecutors who returned to the island in the 1980s to bring order to the chaos.

Thus brutal heat, brutalist architecture and a reputation for ultra-violence appears to have kept the tourist at bay, more or less. Yes the tour buses visit Palermo, Etna and Syracusa (and rightly so) but we only saw a handful of foreigners in Modica over two weeks. One Sunday morning, to my bourgeois horror, a tour bus drew up as I was subsuming a favoured breakfast - Caffe Granita.

Fifty or so overweight Italians were decanted into the main square and spent no more than 10 minutes being lectured on il stilo barocco modicano before being rushed off to the next treasure-trove. Then what passes for peace in Modica returned (namely loud arguments in dialect, crockery being smashed and the occasional car crash).

Everything here is light and shade against a backdrop of seedy grandeur. The shuttered palazzo above stands next to the Modica Cathedral (below)

It is derelict, with weeds growing out of its steps, doubtless owned by a latter day Lampedusa living in one room of another palazzo in Palermo, embroiled in arguments over a will dating back to perhaps 1890. I stayed in such a place in Naples twenty years ago having driven there to look around after a wedding in Rome. Our accommodation - a B&B managed by the ancient principe - was one of three new rooms jerry-built with plasterboard out of a single grand camera. The other occupants of the rest of what was still a beautiful and impressive edifice were a nursery, a brothel and a driving school. I have rarely been anywhere more romantic.

Religion appears to follow the pattern. The heady frivolity of the barocco is underpinned by a literal and gloomy Catholicism. Churches are chock-full of saints' body parts, tattered theatrical red curtains, Madonnas in the Snow and heart-rending statues of the Christ, as below. Those knees make me weep.

We did not make it on this trip to the Capuccin Catacombs in Palermo. Here the intersection of intense social rivalry and religious superstition made it fashionable to be interned publicly in the vaulted cellars of the Oratorio di San Lorenzo. But you had to pay an annual rent - if your family stopped paying, your body was turfed out.

Then there is the food (my supposed topic). Firstly the produce, extraordinary vegetables some of which I hadn't seen before: Zucchini leaves? Wild celery? Aubergines and tomatoes which bear no resemblance to their sub-standard English equivalents. The fish, especially the gambero rosso (pink raw prawns) were quite simply revelatory. We decided that we couldn't afford the creature below (that's the stunted pre-historic looking lobster known locally as a Zocallo and in Australia as a Moreton Bay Bug).

The pictures above was taken in my new all-time favourite restaurant, Antica Marina in Catania, pipping Murmeli in Lech and whisper it Zum See in Zermatt. "Can we see the menu?" I asked as we sat down. "Menu?" came the just slightly scornful response, "this is the menu," pointing at the display above. The sheer diversity and freshness of the seafood, the generosity and informality, the glamour of the setting in the black-lava courtyard of the fishmarket behind the Duomo. And the clincher: no choice for pudding - only Lemon Sorbetto with Wild Srawberries. I very nearly wept.

It's worth a trip to Catania on its own, a city which felt like Buenos Aires (not that I've been), hot and dusty with long belle epoque boulevards, pickpockets and heroin addicts, buildings made of Etna's black lava (below). It had what my fellow-traveller Johnny calls "an atomosphere" - a genuine, beautiful Sicilian darkness.

Irish Dinner at Le Cafe Anglais

2009-07-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

Salmon, Cabbage and Bacon
Riesling Réserve 2005 Cave de Hunawihr, Alsace

~

Boiled Beef and Champ with
Pickled Summer Vegetables
Côtes-du-Rhône 2004 Domaine Charvin

~

Montgomery Cheddar
Gubbeen’s
Gigondas 'Valbelle' 2004 Château de Saint Cosme

~
Mango and Strawberry Pavlova
Jurançon Clos Thou 2005 Henri Lapouble-Laplace

Lambic: The Oldest Alcoholic Tradition?

2009-06-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

I suppose most people with an interest in beer are aware that Belgian brewing has an ancient history. Personally, until today, I was bored by Belgian beer - probably something to do with Belgo. I was therefore less than thrilled when Adam told me we were adding a Belgian Strawberry beer to the burgeoning roster at The Westbridge. (Oh, and did I mention that I am also predisposed against fruit beers?)

"But" - he protested with finality - "It's a draft Lambic Beer". I nodded sagely and scuttled off to the office to look it up on Wikipedia.

It emerges that Lambic beer is indeed interesting, with a properly precise, ancient history. Without wishing to bore on (and after all - you could look it up on Wiki) the key to it is the beer is fermented by being pumped into a large room (see picture above) where it picks up the wild yeast in the air through the slatted window openings. They have been doing this since the mid 11th Century and it may only be called lambic if it is produced in Pajottenland, a small area around Brussels.

A key characteristic of beer brewed in this style is sourness. This, historically, has been counter-acted by adding fruitjuice to sweeten the brew. Rather like the ancient West Country biker tradition known as Cider & Black.

Timmerman's Strawberry Lambic Beer is now available at The Westbridge.

Breton Cider, Normandy Perry at The Westbridge

2009-06-18T23:50:00.000-07:00

After a diligent, some would say slavish, week thus far I practically fell into the arms of Tom Fox last night. Tom is the patron of Meriadoc - purveyor of the finest artisan ciders and perries from Northern France. With a Breton mother, he has form, not to mention a deep and abiding knowledge of his chosen subject. And he was here for a tasting - what ho!

Pick of the bunch was a Perry by Fernand (Normandy). This had a terrific balance of sweetness and acidity with great fruit (blah blah). I forced it on a few innocent bystanders at the Westbridge and their guess on the ABV ranged from 4.5% - 5.2%. It is in fact 3%. What a boon for the summer driver. We're thinking of doing this by the bottle for £12/£13 (bottles are 75cl, i.e. full wine bottle size).

Of the ciders the least attractive, with a sulphurous nose, was the Breton Gourmand (the Greedy Breton), which sadly had the most entertaining label (damn).
Of the rest, the Cellier de Boals was the pick of the ciders: really a very light, elegant aperitif (5%) which we perhaps ambitiously feel we may sell to parties on a budget in lieu of champagne or prosecco. As we can do it for £13.50 / 75cl bottle this may work, given how expensive prosecco has become.

We aim to have the Perry and the Boals in stock for July and August so do seek them out.

Tom can be reached here.

Merenda in Nice

2009-06-08T23:56:00.000-07:00

Lunch with Rowley yesterday reminds me that I neglected to mention my failure to get to Merenda while in Nice last month. He reports that on being seated, the customer is presented with a blackboard which is then hung on a peg by your table. On one side this says: "Pas de telephone. Pas de Cartes de Credit." Merenda is also closed Saturdays and Sundays.

The image above is stolen from the internet, for which - apologies. That's because I had the temerity to visit Nice on the weekend.

All of this is regrettable because Rowley confirms that Merenda's offering is the purest and best expression of Nicoise cooking that there is. Henry Harris says the same. And that's good enough for me.

Chenin and Cabernet Franc: The Next Generation

2009-06-08T03:33:00.000-07:00

Monday 8th June 7.30
This month we take a look at a renaissance of great wine making in Anjou and Touraine with the expert guidance of Bristol wine merchant Nick Brookes of Vine Trail. Alongside these exciting wines we are serving a menu featuring the classic, temperate bourgeoise cuisine of that region.

This dinner is tremendously good value at an all-in price of £70.00. Bookings at reception or with events manager Nicky Lynskey (nicky@lecafeanglais.co.uk).

Menu

Aperitif

Vouvray Brut Vincent Raimbault

Escalope of Salmon with Sorrel
Montlouis sur Loire 07 Premier Rendez-Vous, Bertrand & Lise Jousset
Anjou 06 Clos des Rouliers, Richard Leroy

Braised Breast of Veal with Broad Beans and Bacon
Chinon 06 Clos du Noyer, Famille Grosbois
Saumur Champigny 06 Amateus Bobi, Sebastien Bobinet

Livarot & Saint Maure, Walnut Bread
Montlouis sur Loire Singulier 07 Bertrand & Lise Jousset
Les Noels de Montbenault 06 Richard Leroy

Cherry Custard Tart
Vouvray 02 Reserve Vincent Raimbault

The New Loire
If there were awards for wine regions that had improved the most over the last 10 years, the Loire would be run away winners. Cast you mind back to the late nineties and Muscadet was overcropping, making a light wine even thinner; Vouvray and the Chenin appellations were doing the same but because their wines were ageworthy, made sure by overdosing on the sulphur; Chinon and Saumur Champigny and all the cabernet franc appellations were made from a grape that very rarely ripened properly, giving fruit with green tannins and a vegetal quality.
Ten years on and the Loire has turned itself inside out. What were the spurs for this change? Firstly, an influx of extremely determined new vignerons bringing in skills learned in other trades, who saw the untapped potential of the region. In Montlouis, for instance, there are now more organic domaines than any other appellation in France. The wines are attracting international acclaim yet ten years ago Montlouis was on its knees. .Secondly, a commitment to hands-on, more determined work in the vineyards leading to better quality grapes has been vital in the region's progress. Working the soils, leaving grass to grow to compete against the vines, a move toward organic viticulture and so less herbicides, pesticides etc. have all played their part in producing riper grapes from lower yields. Thirdly, small is beautiful. It is impossible to put in all the hard graft in the vineyard necessary to produce great wine if there are too many vines to tend. And so many of the top wines are from small vineyards - Sebastien Bobinet in Saumur Champigny has the smallest full-time vineyard in the Loire with just two hectares, Richard Leroy in Anjou has two and a half, Bertrand and Lise Jousset in Montlouis have eight and a half and Nicolas Grosbois in Chinon has nine. Finally a warmer climate as a result of global warming has also enormously helped the late ripening chenin and cabernet franc vines to attain levels of ripeness rarely seen prior to 2000.
There is now a determination evident amongst the best Loire growers to show that their wines are not just good examples of the local wines, but also have enough quality and complexity to challenge the finest wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux. For instance, the brilliant wines of Richard Leroy in Anjou and Jousset in Montlouis are made from yields of 25 hectos per hectare - 20 hectos less than grand crus in Puligny. Not only are these great chenins more versatile food wines, but they are also not suffocating under high percentages of new oak, so can be enjoyed in their youth but will have a life three to four times longer than Burgundy's grand crus. And they are less than a quarter of the price!

Nick Brookes

Cours Selaya, Nice: By Day and By Night

2009-05-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

On a recent weekend in Nice I was taken aback by the Cours Selaya. This broad street is market by day and frenzy of restaurants by night, with the central stalls becoming outside seating. In fact, I am not sure I have ever seen so many restaurants on one street. The large, beautiful ochre-coloured building pictured right sits up high at one end and dominates the street. I was warned that it was a tourist haven, but although there were plenty - it also seemed to me to have the entirety of the population of Nice shopping, eating, sauntering and drinking.
I was impressed by the intense regionality of the food offering. They really only sell Nicoise dishes and in the market you can have any type of olive you like, so long as it's black (see the extraordinary selection on stall below left).

By day the restaurants are pumping out Pissaladiere (a pastry-based Pizza with confit onions, anchovies and olive) and Socca (chickpea pancakes). Then by night, out come the aioli (poached cod, hard-boiled egg and raw vegetables served with an eye-wateringly astringent aioli - below) and the seafood platters. With so many restaurants the competition is intense and an element of showmanship is evident - not to mention hard-selling from the restaurateur's prettiest daughter as you pass. Although not a purist's gastronomic destination, and just a tad on the tacky side, there is enough of beauty to make it worth a detour when in the neighbourhood.

Catavino Bloggers Meet-Up - Cheese List

2009-05-14T04:34:00.000-07:00

An evening of merriment and good humour was organised by Catavino and Eats Like A Girl. Around 40 wine and food bloggers struggled from Excel in docklands (where the London International Wine Fair is currently taking place) to The Westbridge. A veritable wine-lake of eclectic offerings was swilled, swirled and mostly not spat, accompanied by my selection of cheeses, as below:

HARD
Tête de Moines Swiss alpine, rich and sweet from the Bernese Jura. Served on the Girole (above - the only cheese I know which has its own slicer, specific to it).

Tomette Agour Brebis du Pays delicate hard sheep from the Pays Basque

CREAM
Camembert Artisan Gillot Noir AOC raw, strong Camembert from Normandy

Brillat-Savarin triple-crème Brie from Normandy

STINKING
Livarot Graindorge a soft, pungent, washed rind cheese from Normandy

Banon Tradition wrapped in Chestnut Leaves, goat's cheese from Provence (the bounders from Cheese Cellar failed to deliver this so was replaced at the last moment by a large quantity of organic Parmesan)

GOAT
Cloche Artisan Chevrechard piquant Touraine Goat

Rosary Ash Log light, fresh and our only British entry

The tasting was interspersed with shots of weird and wonderful teas from Henrietta Lovell (Rare Tea Lady). Perhaps she will comment on this and let us know what they were and their specific palate cleansing properties.

I will let others list the wines and comment on them.

When Two Seasons Clash*: Butternut Squash & Sorrel Curry

2009-05-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

Tired looking butternut squash in the cupboard. Googled. Found my dear friend, Niamh (Eat Like A Girl)'s squash, chickpeas and spinach curry recipe.

No spinach.

Then. A moment of what passes for inspiration in our house:

Feral sorrel from our abandoned vegetable patch (don't ask) growing outside the backdoor. It worked. No need for lemon juice - the acidity of the Sorrel balanced the appalling non-seasonality of the squash.

Thanks Niamh.

In case anyone thought otherwise, this is not a Tintern Abbey-style blog ("the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings from emotions recollected in tranquility."). It's real-time, and that Cotes-du-Rhone is 14.5%.

*For those of you who behaved at university in the early 80s the heading of this article might be a mystery. Or at least you may not get the full benefit of the play on words (this is really a stretch but stay with me).

The conscious reggae act, Culture, enjoyed their greatest moment with "Two Sevens Clash", which dealt with the appalling 1976-77 electoral violence in Jamaica between supporters of Michael Manley and Edward Seaga. Bob Marley famously forced the protagonists to shake hands on stage at Smile Jamaica (just a few days after being wounded himself at a rally). I once went to see Culture in Glasgow. There were twelve people in the audience. It was terrific.

Consider yourself educated.

Twelve Reasons to Eat at Le Cafe Anglais in May

2009-05-01T03:42:00.000-07:00

Jersey Royals. Or Cornish earlies. Since we can’t decide, we’re going to have both since a good new potato is worth every effort. With butter and mint. No frills, no caviar.
Asparagus. English green and French white. We will serve them in a variety of ways, including as soldiers with a soft boiled egg, plain with melted butter, grilled with olive oil and Parmesan or in a fricassee with.........
.......morels. just on toast or with asparagus, chicken or fish, these incomparable mushrooms will feature big time.
Peas. In our lovely new salad, with Romaine & Parmesan, in risotto and soup, with duck, pigeon and lamb, let me count the ways.....
Sea trout and wild salmon. Coracle caught in Wales or netted off the Pentland Firth or by rod and line, raw with ginger dressing, half cooked or ‘confit’: just occasionally, one cannot resist.
Sorrel in soup, in omelettes, with fish, lamb and rabbit. Its sharp tang lets you know that spring is in the air.
Spring lamb. Sometimes salt marsh, sometimes just sweet lowland meadow lamb, incredibly tender and usually simply roast. Look out for the Tuesday blanquette.
Gariguette strawberries. I know English are supposed to be the best but the bright fresh acidity of these beauties, coupled with gorgeous sweet fruit flavour, they give them a real run for their money. Incomparable when coupled with rhubarb: look out for the Rosé Jelly with Rhubarb, Gariguettes and Pannacotta, a properly sophisticated pudding.
Broad beans. Podded, peeled and coarsely chopped, stewed in butter and tossed in spaghetti with Pecorino cheese: a great hit from last year brought back by popular demand. Also with burrata, fish, lamb (again) and most other things.
Mousserons, or fairy ring mushrooms. Tiny little mushrooms. Not much in the way of texture but a wonderful fragrance, perfect in omelettes or with fish and chicken.
Gull’s Eggs. The perfect hors d’oeuvre, served absolutely plain with the option of a dab of mayonnaise and a pinch of rather good celery salt.
Mackerel with gooseberries. Towards the end of the month the perfect marriage: rich oily fish seared on the griddle and a nice, tart compote of the fruit the French call ‘groseilles à maquereau’. Sublime.

Rowley's 10 things to do with the kids this weekend

2009-04-16T03:14:00.000-07:00

1. Take them to Le Café Anglais for the fantastic £7.50 kid’s menu. They paint, draw, wander round Whiteleys, you eat and drink.
2. Take them to Kensington Gardens & then take them back to Le Café Anglais for a whole roast chicken with chips.
3. Take them to the movies and then have an early supper in the bar at Le Café Anglais.
4. Take them to the movies. Leave them there whilst you retire to Le Café Anglais and have a well earned lunch and read the papers.
5. Have an early supper in the bar at Le Café Anglais and then take them to the movies.
6. Take them to brunch on Saturday at Le Café Anglais (they especially like the buttermilk pancakes with bacon and maple syrup) and then take them bowling.
7. Take them skating. They’ll be hungry afterwards.
8. Take them to the Science Museum. Or the Natural History Museum. Or the V & A. A five minute taxi ride (maybe ten) through the park from Le Café Anglais.
9. Bring them to le Café Anglais for Sunday lunch. Let them meet Nick Crown, our resident magician. Watch their jaws drop as he bends cutlery and performs astounding card tricks.
10. Nothing. Get a babysitter & come and have dinner at Le Café Anglais.

Down the River Styx to Hades (a night at the O2 with AC/DC)

2009-04-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

As this blog evolves, you will get to know - inevitably - a little bit more about me. This will not always be an improving process for you, dear reader.

Last night is one of those, I fear. At around 6pm I received a late invitation to accompany a very kind American trader friend to witness an antipodean heavy rock happening in Docklands.

Being traders, this involved a large chauffeur-driven Merc from the Oak on Westbourne Park Road to South Bank where we picked up a water taxi (or so I heard it called - see grimy picture above). This seemed a good idea and - when we discovered the bar on board - it became an even better one. Forty-five minutes and several libations later the Dome hove into view.

With post-Orwellian ease (I have seen the future and it is totalitarian, but nevertheless works) we walked straight into the tent of broken political dreams. The gig was sold out, yet at no point did we have to wait or experience any other of the serried inconveniences I associate with mass events. It all WORKS. To mix my authorial references, I felt as if I'd been main-lining Soma.
We were shown to our box. Yes, a box - not very rock 'n' roll. It was full of more friendly, excitable men, a charming butleress - Nadia (left) - who had not heard of AC/DC but likes R&B, some posh modular furniture and - a fully stocked infinity-bar. That means it never runs out. Even the beer. Despite all efforts - ahem.

Also present was a flat-screen TV with Liverpool beating Chelsea on it. Sadly this situation did not endure, but we remained blissfully unaware as the TV went black when the main attraction arrived on stage.

As this is notionally a food blog - though we are, I confess, way off piste just now - I present you with an image (and it is not a pleasant one) of O2 spicy chicken wings in their stylish warming pan.

But to the band. Ever since I saw Pink Floyd from the owner's box at Islander Stadium in New York aged 16 and the view was mostly blocked by an inflatable pig I have been luke-warm about mixing corporate hospitality and rock 'n' roll. There was no pig on this occasion - just a small bell to accompany Hell's - yes - Bells. The last time I had seen AC/DC - twenty years previously - at the Birmingham NEC, they went large on props, including showering the crowd with "Dirty Money" during Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.

But now that the main source of cash in music is touring, Angus has obviously decided to get back to basics. But what basics they are...even with the sound muffled by our position in the Gods you couldn't fail to be moved - nay thrashed - by one of Metal's great live acts. Although Back in Black and Hell's Bells perhaps underwhelmed slightly there was no arguing with Shoot to Thrill and You Shook Me All Night Long was non pareil. Likewise, Brian may now look like an embarrassing Geordie uncle in a pub karaoke contest but the sheer weirdness of Angus (like Smeagle transforming into Gollum before our very eyes) transports.

Half way through I received a text message from my old friend The Dog, gloating: he was front right, being sweated on by Brian. I was jealous.

Fresh Horseradish and Speck - an Austrian Culinary Moment

2009-04-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

I like Austrian mountain food. It's expensive undoubtedly, but is very much itself. Some things are uniquely good in Vorarlberg, the alpine region encompassing St Anton, St Christof, Zurs and Lech.

Such as the pride each mountain refuge takes in its Speckteller. This is generally a large plate of tissue-thin Speck with assorted pates and pickles and topped with what to the unsuspecting closely resembles grated hard cheese. But have a care, dear reader, for this is an artful pile of raw, grated horseradish. On first taste the heat and astringency can over-power but it soon becomes apparent that it is the perfect fresh foil for cured meat. Suffice to say: the Campaign for Fresh Horseradish starts here.

[Speck is a distinctively juniper-flavored ham originally from Tyrol, a historical region that since 1918 partially lies in Austria and partially in Italy. Speck's origins at the intersection of two culinary worlds is reflected in its synthesis of salt-curing and smoking. It translates on menus as Bacon - but bears no resemblance to that word's English meaning, being closer to a smokier Pancetta.]

Unrelated to Speck but no less delicious (and because I have a photograph of it) is the best Strudel of the trip, made from Apple and Rhubarb, from the Mermeli Restaurant in Oberlech.

Above is a buzzard carrying what I suppose is nest material in Vorarlberg while flying over a skilift cable. Tragically I managed to delete my images of Specktellers. Some blogger, eh?

Time permitting, this brief thought will be followed by a blog-tome on Tafelspitz.

Westbridge & Sambrook's - A Love Affair

2009-04-06T08:49:00.001-07:00

This very young blog (the flow of which has already been interrupted by the world's most expensive ski holiday in Austria - of which more in next installment) will from time to time contain a commercial break. I promise that said break will be due to news of great momentousness. This is - ahem - one of those moments.

A few months back Sambrook's, a new brewery, opened in SW11 around ten minutes' walk from the Westbridge (not five mins - I have already been done for false advertising on this topic, pace superior blogger Kristainlondon). For those not in the know, The Westbridge is my pub in Battersea and home to fifteen immaculately-sourced and kept draft beers as well as untold numbers of bottled beers and wines. There are also excellent oysters and a more than passable Steak Frites. It's a nice local, some claim. The Standard's Charles Campion said - with, I hope, a dash of deliberate understatement: "This is an agreeable place with good fundamentals...and price tags which do not frighten." Anyway, we at The Westbridge have quickly become firm friends with brewery owner Duncan Sambrook (pictured below pulling at Sambrook's).

We sell a lot of his beer Wandle Ale which we love for the integrity and passion with which he brews it but also for its light, hoppy taste.

Such is our burgeoning love affair that we have formed a partnership whereby The Westbridge is now able to offer special events combining a brewery tour at Sambrook's with beer tastings at The Westbridge. Dinner, oyster-tastings etc are optional extras. The perfect night out, unless you don't like beer. Presumptuously we feel this is an ideal opportunity for credit-crunched companies or individuals to have an amusing night out, learn something and taste some of the world's finest beers:

Option 1 £16.50pp
• Tour of Sambrook’s Brewery
• Sample a Pint of Sambrook’s Wandle Ale at Brewery
• Tasting of 6 x 1/3* Pints of Ale at The Westbridge

Option II £28.50pp
• Tour of Sambrook’s Brewery
• Sample a Pint of Sambrook’s Wandle Ale at Brewery
• Tasting of 6 x 1/3* Pints of Ale at The Westbridge
• ½ Pint Prawns
• Steak and Wandle Ale Pie & Mash

Option III £43.50pp
• Tour of Sambrook’s brewery
• Sample a Pint of Sambrook’s Wandle Ale at Brewery
• Tasting of 6 x 1/3* Pints at The Westbridge
• ½ Pint Prawns
• 4 x Irish Rock Oysters
• 2 x Colchester Native Oysters
• Steak and Wandle Ale Pie & Mash

Minimum group Size - 10

Book through The Westbridge on book@thewestbridge.co.uk or by calling 020 7228 6482

*A Word About The Third
By way of explanation of the above, at The Westbridge we celebrate the 1/3 pint. It is a little known fact that there are only three legal measure s in which beer can be sold in pubs: the pint, 1/2 and 1/3. An observation from previous tastings is that the 1/3 is the ideal vehicle for beer tasting and learning as (in case you haven't already worked it out) for one pint you get to try three beers.

Le (La?) Gothique Beer Festival

2009-03-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

Since writing the title you will be relieved to know that I have established that the venue is masculine (whether this is correct French I don't know). The (male) Gothique is an odd place, tucked away in the inner courtyard of a massive Victorian high gothic monsterpiece beached on a dual carriageway somewhere in Cla'ham. Our cabbie's older brother had gone to school there and apparently bears the scars to prove it. The slipper was the progressive teaching aid of choice in 1970s SW London , I gather.

Host Mark Justin had laid on 40 or so beers made by a number of obscure regional brewers plus Kent megapower Shepherd Neame. I pitched up with Adam (GM of the Westbridge) and Duncan Sambrooke (proud owner of Sambrooke's Brewery, of which more later). We arrived possibly a little early (5ish) and the crowd was predominantly gloomy men. There's a certain look: Millets coat, greying ponytail (Option B: long hair, side parting - if James Hunt was still alive...). Later it livened up.

The beer was very mixed IMHO. Among the worst things I have drunk this year (a big statement) were the Midhurst Mild (tasteless) and the Chocolate and Orange Delight (sewage nose). But there were some stars: Wandle - brewed by charming Dunc (see above), Downton IPA (a fearsome 6.8% but massive depths) and just about anything from Shepherd Neame but especially their lightest offering Canterbury Jack - a pure expression of English Hops (or so I told myself knowingly).

I have long avoided the pickled egg. I once bumped into Richard, landlord of the Cock & Bottle (Artesian Road, W11) at Belfast City Airport at around 8pm on a Sunday. "Don't come near me", he said, "I've had 16 pickled eggs".

Tonight, however, was the night. And I enjoyed my 50p Parson's "Buffet Range" egg. A good accompaniment to large amounts of variable quality beer.

One thought - the half even is too large a measure for these events. Bring on the THIRD.

Set Menus

2009-03-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

Set Menus - last night at dinner a hot topic (i.e. an opportunity for a rant from moi meme) was paltry, desultory resturant offerings under this heading. For the avoidance of doubt, the set menu at Le Cafe Anglais last night was...

Set Dinner
Tuesday 24th March

£20.00/25.00 for two or three courses
£30.00/35.00 for two or three courses with half a bottle of wine

Cream of Fennel and Celeriac Soup, Tapenade Toasts

Octopus Salad with Fennel, Lemon and Chilli

Assiette de Porc with Toast and Pumpkin Chutney

~~~

Swiss Chard, Beets and Potatoes with Salsa Verde

Roast Hake with Leeks, Herbs and White Wine

Breast of Duck with Chicory and Orange

~~~

Poached Rhubarb with Yoghourt Cake

Toasted Brioche with Blood Orange Curd

Duckett’s Caerphilly with Endives and Pears

Wines

Inzolia 2008 Villa Tonino, Sicily

Rully 1er Cru Preaux 2002 Eric de Suremain

The lunch menu (Table d’Hôte) is similar but at £16.50/£19.50 for two/three courses.

Also worth mentioning is the Plat du Jour, fully garished at £10. Today it's Rabbit Stew with Cider and Onions, Creamed Potatoes.

OK, that's enough Anglais puffing...

Bloggers Dinner at Le Cafe Anglais

2009-03-25T04:15:00.000-07:00

Was pleased and proud to host hollowlegs, eatlikeagirl and londonelicious at Le Cafe Anglais last night. I promised the team I would post the bill of fare:

Hors d'Oeuvres
Anjou le Clos des Rouliers 2006 Richard Leroy

Parmesan Custard and Anchovy Toasts
Oyster Fritters, Thai Dipping Sauce
Mackerel Teriyaki, Cucumber Salad
Salsify Fritters

First Courses
Anjou le Clos des Rouliers 2006 Richard Leroy (2nd bottle)

Vitello Tonnato
Pike Boudin, Beurre Blanc
Warm Salad of Smoked Eel and Bacon
Spaghetti with Wild Garlic, Chilli and Parmesan

Spinach Mousse with Salsify and Morels

Fish Course
Steamed White Asparagus with Blood Orange Beurre Blanc
Steamed Halibut with Salsa Verde

Roasts
Dolcetto d'Alba 2006 GD Vajra (first bottle corked)

Chicken (Breast) with Garlic and Rosemary
Middle White Pork and Apple Sauce

Confit of Duck with Swiss Chard ‘Agro Dolce’

Creamed Spinach
Curly Endive

Cheese Plate
Bourgogne Rouge 2004 Caillot

Brie de Meaux ~ Chèvre St Maure ~ Duckett’s Caerphilly ~ Fourme d’Ambert ~ Lancashire ~ Montgomery Cheddar ~ Parmigiano-Reggiano ~ St Marcellin

Desserts
Vouvray Moelleux Cuvee 1990 Didier Champalou

Chocolate Soufflé, Pistachio Ice Cream
Custard Tart with Prunes