Happy Christmas everyone! I know I said I wouldn't be blogging again this year, but with all the photos building up I figured there was no way I would have time to blog once back at work. I've just made the massive mistake of opening my work emails a week earlier than I originally planned.... so what with lesson planning, my massive pile of marking and exams coming up I thought I would take the time to do this now!
So, this first week of the holidays has absolutely flown by. We came down to Hampton, where my parents live, this time last week with Levi's dad, Brian. He stayed at the Roebuck Pub, Hampton Hill (http://www.roebuck-hamptonhill.co.uk/) which is one of my all time favourite pubs of all time and my local when I'm back in town. Run by Terry Himpfen, this is a small traditional pub with a strong selection of ales including Sambrookes Junction which is one of my favourites. They also have had on recently Black Stallion Mild, Young's Bitter, Royal Windsor and St Austell's Tribute. Another thing which is lovely about this pub is the decorations. Every piece of available wall or ceiling has something on it, whether it be pictures, mugs, vintage shoes, fishing rods etc. Even the tables have vintage newspapers under the glass so you can sit and read about VE Day whilst supping a good pint. The last cool thing about it has to be the traffic light at the back of the pub. It is usually green, but goes amber for last orders and red for time at the bar. Very useful if you are popping in - you don't even need to ask Linda, the bar lady, if they're still serving.
The weather, for those of you reading outside the UK, has been rather disgusting this week, with gale force winds, train cancellations and weather warnings, so I have been hibernating at home with a book and a beer most days. Christmas itself was very pleasant. My grandfathers both came to stay for the first time which was really nice. The one on the right is Peter of hawthorn and sloe renown and on the left is Laurence. He was very interested in the blog and the pictures and was telling me all about how my late Granny and he used to have home brew under the bed including a bottle of whiskey they tried to distill until the bottle exploded into tiny pieces under the pressure. Sounds a bit like my poor cherry liqueur which reminds me, I still need to write to Kilner about that jar... My parents also have a new kitten, called Loki, the mischievous Norse god and she is quite a trouble maker. She may be tiny and beautiful but she's darn good at beating up the two old cats and the dog. We had lovely Christmas and Boxing Day dinners cooked by my Mum and indeed we were joined by my Uncle David, from Leicester who was telling me about Blue Leg mushrooms and the sloe gin he's making which made for a very pleasant dinner conversation.
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After several days of hibernation I thought it time to face the real world again and so yesterday, Levi and I took Roxy (the black lab) for a nice long walk in Bushy Park. Bushy Park is 445 ha of grassland and was traditionally a royal hunting ground (it backs onto Hampton Court Palace of Henry VIII fame) and is still owned by the crown (http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/bushy-park). Its filled with trees and deer. In fact, the deer in the park are direct descendants of the deer that lived in the park in Tudor times, which is why, when foot and mouth disease, broke out in the UK a decade or so ago they closed off the park to protect the deer. Whilst on our travels, we managed to pick a small collection of haws for jam (I forgot to bring mine down to my parents and wanted to show them what it was like) and there are a surprising number of haws about. I made the jam up last night and it is all set now in the fridge ready to be eaten with cheese later this evening. There were a lot of rowan trees and a surprising amount of mistletoe in the park as well as some luminous orange sludge on one of the trees which I am pretty sure is some kind of fungi but if you have any alternative ideas please let me know.
In the evening we went to the Jolly Coopers Pub in Hampton. Levi and I are trying out as many local pubs as possible for a change and to see if there are any hidden gems. As well as the Roebuck, which we've been to several times, we've also been to:
- The Railway Bell in Hampton (http://www.therailwaybell.ph/) known locally as the 'Dip' due to its position in the nook at the bottom of the hill near the Station. Small, often busy, and dog friendly it had a number of good offerings ale-wise including Betty Stogges, Ringwood Best and Pendle Witches Brew.
- The Windmill off Hampton Hill High Street (http://www.thewindy.co.uk/) known as the 'Windy' which superseded my expectations with its traditional pub interior and very warm and friendly staff and customers. Though Doombar and Young's Best are not necessarily the most exciting beers in the world, the warm fire and an offering of roast potatoes (it was Christmas Eve) won me over.
- The World's End in Hampton Village, not really our kind of place (a little bit back street boozerish for our liking) but had a reasonable but not amazingly kept selection of ales with Rudolph's Revenge and an offering from Hopback Brewery.
- And lastly, The Jolly Coopers in Hampton (http://www.squiffysrestaurant.co.uk/). We were initially a bit concerned when we saw the Tapas sign at the front (does Tapas even go with beer?) but once you're through the front door you realise there is a separate restaurant area out the back of the main pub. The beer selection is good (several Christmas guest ales, Doombar and Courage Best), the regulars friendly, the atmosphere bustling, and Billy, the publican's son, doing a very good job behind the bar. They also have a bar billiards table, which is very rare these day, which is a massive plus in my books! For those of you interested in this old fashioned, traditional pub game, please see here: http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Bar-Billiards.htm
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