A ploughman's lunch

 As always when you revisit blogs they toss up moments of memory, especially the photos.  Happy memories I might add.  Beer, cheese and bread is the traditonail meal of the old ploughmen.

Clear beautiful amber beer.  You can only get this colour with homemade quince jelly.

"We would go for a walk by the river Ter and then come back for Paul's favourite beer, clear amber in the sun, don't ask why British men love their beer, just look at its clarity.  Anne would do a delicious 'ploughman's lunch' for about £4, half a pound of cheese with crisp baguette and salad, and enticing little packets of butter and Branston pickle.  If it was winter you would find Wally grumbling in front of  the log fire as he fed its ever hungry flames.

It was one of my favourite walks and lunch at the pub crowned it all.  Essex in its backwaters can be very beautiful and verdant you just have to seek these places out.  Wally in his retirement bought himself a tiny house turned into an occasional pub, and filled the large barn by the side with two enormous steam engines (his other passion). "

Wally

Beer is a whole book in itself.  But the glass in front probably held my 'milk' stout.  Not sure why it was called milk, but it is a 'lady's' drink because it is good for you;)

British men make such a fuss about drinking beer that it is a subculture in itself. That though we might have the big companies with their beers, a lot of little breweries have started up vying for recognition.

It was a very welcoming pub though Wally always looked cross and dogs were definitely not admitted to a cat's pub, there was one live cat I think.

Funnily finding the photos for this blog reminded me of how pubs have grown up over the last 30 years maybe?

  

The above pub, no dogs, no children, would probably invoke a certain rage in some people's chests.  The class written structure would see the local visitors to the Cats as fairly wealthy middle class retirees, turning up in their sports cars, or fancy done up old fashioned car.  

It brings to mind a pub we visited here in Caldervale, I can't remember which town, but let us say Halifax.  We had a room booked at a Travel Lodge.  We arrived at the TL in the early evening but the room was as dismal as all these places often are, so we went for a walk and maybe to seek out fish and chips.  There was an old fashioned pub so we went in.  There was about a dozen  people in the room.  A deathly silence rolled over the room as everyone turned in our direction. Maybe we were aliens?  We sat in perfect silence and drank our drinks quickly.  And yes they are friendly 'Up North' but not all the time.