Greetings! 'Tis time for another fixture as we pit four pubs in rural Notts against four I did in Deal & Walmer at the weekend. There will also be a 'friendly' between two Deal pubs to finish.
In the previous two fixtures, the Kentish outfit have come out BRAPPY and victorious on each occasion. Not an outcome I'd expected. Can they make it three in a row, or is Notts going to do what I know it is capable of and pull one back? Let's see.
Everyone's nicely limbered up, a bit of liniment and ESB rubbed into the joints, both sets of fans are in good voice, time for kick off.
Old Green Dragon, Oxton v Freed Man, Walmer
I never like wasting money on a taxi, but with the final bus of the day out of secluded Oxton as early as 13:30, I thought at least I could speed my day up after an earlier cancelled train, and I'm glad I did. The Old Green Dragon looked promising, I liked the pub sign, and a whole host of 'pub of the year' banners were emblazoned across the front. You could see why. Once the homely landlady got rid of some elderly defensive ditherers , I grabbed this delicious 5% Black Iris IPA, and she noticed my hesitation as I struggle to sit down, despite the place being vast and empty. "I don't really like high seats ..... but I'd like to be in the sun!" I tell her, like the fussiest customer ever, and she helps me find a solution, although the seat is a bit too low. Oh, and the sun goes behind a cloud - can't believe she allowed that to happen! Negative points on Trip Advisor I think. I was taking advantage of recently increased opening hours, rare as rocking horse shit in the world of pub, they'd previously been 4pm on a Thursday, now noon. Assuming the villagers hadn't got the memo, it was me for the duration, only the sounds of Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Del Shannon for company. But despite the lack of incident, I had the overall sense I was in an above average GBG pub.
My introduction to Walmer, here at the excellent Freed Man, was the equivalent of being slapped around the face with a extremely sociable and friendly wet kipper. Slap! Only four people in, landlady, a bloke posing as a customer at the bar who was probably actually the guv'nor, sort of actually mystery shopping himself! And this delightful older couple. Walmer goes straight to the top of my 'friendliest place in Kent' leaderboard which doesn't really exist. Kent does good micros doesn't it? Like how the best Wetherspoons are often found in North London, where they originate, the same is true of Kent and micropubs. Rib of a whale. Lancaster plane. Jugs on the ceiling. Decor'd and bric-a-brac'd to the max. But most importantly, good people, and a fine pint of Goachers Stout - it slipped down in well under the allotted 25 minutes, and this was despite Daddy BRAPA telling me to stop chatting and start drinking! Conversation took a morbid turn when the subject of a dead local real ale regular cropped up (although irritatingly, they preferred the term 'he passed on' - like death is taboo or a dirty word or some bollocks) but whatever, it didn't detract from a jolly high octane experience. And our decision not to wait for the bus and instead shin down the road to the Green Berry was a good one (we'd lost an hour earlier due a cancelled train at Ramsgate, and we reached the corner before the bus showed).
Notts Elect 1-1 Deal & Walmer F.C.
Great start to the match, chances for both sides, taken. Can't separate them 22 minutes in. Deal & Walmer certainly more 'high press' and a quicker tempo, and went in front, but Notts settled into the game, more experience and quality meant a bit more control, and started to dictate possession.
Can someone go in front before half time?
Woodlark Inn, Lambley v Green Berry, Walmer
A lengthy undulating walk from a bus stop at Woodborough brings me to the lovely Woodlark Inn, rural but not too far from Nottingham. A bit of a hard one to make my mind up on, in that it had all the ingredients in place to be a BRAPA classic, and yet something I couldn't quite put my finger on means it falls slightly short. Smell is the most underrated pub sense, and the ancient wood smoky smell in the delicious left hand bar certainly evoked something rather errrm, evocative! 'National Inventory Eau de Parfume' I said at the time. The guv'nor is a top no nonsense sort of chap, and apart from my arrival, he's breathing a sigh of relief that the 'lunchtime rush' is over. I'd never have known. Just me and one other bloke, who's wearing a strange combo of trackie bottoms and woollen shirt. He's bald and he says hi across the room. Guv'nor tells him he's delighted he can now relax with a nice bit of lemon sole and think about Spanish resorts. Or something. Barmaid who takes over has the same woollen shirt on as our bald friend. Lambley fashion? My ale is a step down on the Oxton one, not the pub's fault, just something pale and morose from Sheffield with an occasional sparkle. A bit like Jarvis Cocker. Should've put that on Untappd. I'm finding the atmosphere a bit awkward as barmaid cleans tables around me. 'Say something, anything!' I'm silently willing our bald friend, feeling quite incapacitated myself! When he does, I wished he hadn't. "Great cleaning skills .... you'll make a fantastic wife for some lucky gentleman .... OR gentlewoman" is what comes out of his mouth. I've never cringed harder. Luckily, she takes it with the clumsy innocence it was surely intended. I find the loo, almost outdoors, but not quite, say a hasty goodbye, and stand at the bus stop early.
If the Freed Man had been a 'vigorous' start to my Walmer/Deal adventure, then the (Green) Berry was just an absolute explosion of colour, vibrancy, one of the best ale line ups you are likely to see, and some more utterly 'top-hole' people. "Like a sweetie shop for adults this place!" roars the guv'nor with glee as we try to decide which beer. I end up with something from Newcastle, but I didn't know that at the time! What a guy, he's got links to York and Yorkshire, runs a Facebook group, has worked in lots of York pubs cos that's where he met Mrs Green Berry (strangely, I didn't recognise ANY of them!) and then he tries to flog us a Korean burger or two, even waving his one under our noses. Equally impressive is the young man propping up the bar - he used to work at Breakwater Brewery in Dover which I'm visiting one day in 2023. Such a switched on, lovely lad to chat to. It was only the bit where he tried to explain Key Keg to me (a theme of March - I must have a face which says 'please explain key keg at me') where I drifted off a bit "CO2 .... CAMRA .... breathable casks ... blah blah". But the fact was, here we were, two pubs in, and the GBG, highlighter and Colin hadn't once emerged from the bag yet, we'd not sat down once, and now the lad was telling me our next pub, The Farrier, contained the BEST chattiest loveliest landlord in the whole Deal/Walmer area. Would there be respite, a happy medium? Why can't Walmer be more Norwich? See I'm never satisfied. But I must conclude that on a day of great pubs, this was right up there.
Notts Elect 1-2 Deal & Walmer F.C. HALF TIME
G.Berry strikes in the 38th minute with a curling effort that went in off the post, leaving the bald goalkeeper, his trackie bottoms and strange comment floundering. Tough on Woodlark who'd been defending well, but at half time, those Kentish table-toppers are on course to make it three wins out of three.
Join me on Wednesday, Notts are bringing on star striker Southwell at half time, so the question is can Deal keep up the same quality that Walmer has shown?
Thanks for reading, Si
