CAMRA - the winds of change

So at last the day is here and members of CAMRA are being asked to vote on the biggest fundamental change to their objectives since their inception in the early 1970's. CAMRA has done a fantastic job over the years to help preserve cask ale, breweries and pubs but the market is changing so its only right that CAMRA itself considers change.

I am a member of CAMRA and have been so for many years in full agreement of their beliefs, but my view now is that CAMRA needs to move with the times, looking to the future to be around as an effective body supporting the beer industry for many years ahead. Therefore, I for one will be voting for change and I'd urge other CAMRA members to have their say and cast a vote likewise.

The biggest change for me is the move away from being totally committed to preserve and promote cask ale to a body that now speaks for all beer, cider and perry drinkers. This includes beers that are in keg or can format served with a sediment or cloudy. I applaud this move but would challenge and ask why they do not extend this to all keg, can and bottled beer, whether its a sediment or clear beer? The consumer wants to enjoy good quality beer and are they really worried how the CO2 is delivered in their beer or how its dispensed?

I also think the old adage, keep your friends close and your enemies even closer is a good one - its easier to influence something if you are part of it rather than trying to do it from the outside, so to promote all good quality beer, including all formats of keg, can or bottle would seem right to me. If CAMRA want to preserve cask, then they really need to fully embrace the keg format as well. The danger of ignoring the craft world is that it will happen without them and the rise of craft beer festivals, where beers are seen as exciting and innovative will have more appeal than the traditional CAMRA run events.

There are other changes. To promote and protect pubs and clubs as social centres and part of the UK's cultural heritage is admirable. Last week we saw the "Beast from the East" overpower the UK's normal weather patterns and snow fell across most of the country. Where did everyone head too? Strangely, many pubs were full as communities came together, to share the experience of the unusual conditions together. Without pubs and clubs this would not have been possible. Its a small example, but relevant to the time of year.

Another change is to increase the recognition of responsible and moderate social drinking which makes perfect sense. There is quite a threat here to the future of beer and cider. Everyday we hear of the health issues, both positive and negative of drinking beer. The danger is that beer becomes like cigarettes and we see a rise in taxes and other restrictions on the market. This may drive prices higher and make it harder for brewers to promote their brands. It is good that CAMRA have recognised this concern and are promoting the benefits of moderate drinking and representing those people who enjoy alcohol at this level.

So, my thoughts are that CAMRA members must vote for change, without them the movement risks becoming stale and no longer relevant. Of course the enjoyment of cask ale will always be foremost in many members thoughts and there is nothing wrong that, its great that cask ale still has many champions to preserve it. Finally, I don't expect the changes to be welcomed by everyone if they do get voted through, but please all do try to make them work, CAMRA is too good to lose and that could be what's at risk.



 

Profit before pleasure?

Disappearing from bars?

A lifetime spent working for within marketing for regional brewers has given me a unique insight into world of pubs and beer. I appreciate the different objectives of the business from brewing and wholesaling to pub retailing. A common goal is to brew, sell and serve excellent cask beer creating wealth for the business. However has the drive for profit in extracting every last pint from a cask begun to challenge these goals resulting is less cask beer being available in pubs?



Cask filter pan

The drive for profit from cask beer is nothing new, its been going on for years. I recall in the early 1980's as a young lad working behind the bar in a managed house. On my first day at the end of the night all the slops for a cask were collected and put in a bucket in the cellar and left overnight with a used tea towel covering the top. The following morning this was then filtered back in the cask via a filter pan, (known as filtering back) - no wonder the pub in question had a poor beer reputation and sadly this appalling practice only contributed to the demise of cask beer.

Not that I see this unhygienic method going on at the moment. No, its more mathematical than that. Now the drive is all about "yield" driven by how many pints you can get out of a cask or keg as measured by the till system. An extra pint each week per cask equals 52 pints a year, at retail its worth £200 per year. Multiply that by the number of casks a pub might do per annum and you can see the attraction. So how is this achieved?

In my view, how it should be done is through proper cellar practices and well trained bar staff. A cask should be vented, allowing it to rest and condition properly so the beer is perfect and not over conditioned or green. The cask should be stillaged on its belly (as the cask was designed to do) allowing any sediment to remain in the belly and not be pulled through the lines. Each pint should be served to hold at least 95% beer and 5% froth. That's the legal minimum acceptable!

How its done now could be as follows:

• Stock craft keg or lager instead of cask - the growth of craft keg and lager brands offer 100%+ yield from its keg. There is no sediment so no beer left behind to throw away. A cask holds 72 pints but you would expect up to two pints here to be sediment/spoiled beer. An 11 gallon keg holds 88 pints, you would expect to get at least 88 pints plus from this. So craft keg and lager is attractive not only to the consumer, but also the retailer and pub operator, it generates more profit!
• Serve under measure pints - a practice that's been going on for years sometimes contributed to by the beer sparkler as fitted on swan neck beer engines, its a relic of the 1990's and no longer relevant for todays drinker. CAMRA are quite right in their views on this, consumers have a right to expect a full pint.
• Stock unbreakable beers - what might this be? A good example is Doombar where much of the sediment is removed before putting into cask. It makes for a very user friendly beer and no issues for the licensee. Hats off to them, its not a very interesting beer but tastes ok and for the licensee it generates the required profit.
• Use the float dispense system - a relatively new method of extracting cask beer from a cask, it draws from the top of the cask rather than the bottom. In theory it draws only pristine beer with no wastage and can be used from when the beer is first delivered, no need to vent and rest, an attraction for licensees for events or who have cash flow concerns and need to use the beer on the day of delivery. It should also not draw sediment especially if used with an unbreakable beer as above. 
• Pub operator pressure - the expectation for the retailer is to get more than 100% from the cask, so that's more than the 72 pints it contains. The pressure is for the pub manager to achieve this and some are commercially pressured into using a combination of the above.

My question would be, is cask beer is being squeezed off the bar by the pressure of commercial business?

There are various reasons why a cask beer line may be removed from a bar, but in my view the clamour to get every last drop out of a cask has begun to outweigh the desire to serve consistently top quality beer.  So yes, I do believe the issue of yield is a contributor to why cask beer is disappearing off bars. Perhaps its time for pub groups and retailers to recognise and accept that cask beer comes with a sediment that is essential for serving the beer in top quality condition. Cask without this is not the real deal!

Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen

War Pigs beer list

A recent three-day break in Copenhagen is barely enough time to form a strong view of the cities beer scene, but it certainly left an impression on me for a number of reasons.

As one would expect, Carlsberg is the dominant brewer and very high profile. The main brewery is no longer on the outskirts of the city but there is still a very well run visitor centre where the brewery once produced thousands of barrels of beer and a micro brewery that specialises in the excellent Jacobson beers. The main production plant is now in Fredericia on the Jutland peninsular, but more of Carlsberg later.

In Copenhagen we visited Vesterbro, the old meat packing district. This has become the fashionable and vibrant place for new restaurants, nightclubs and art galleries to establish themselves. Its also a great place for a craft brewery and WarPigs is a brilliant buzzing brew pub. Targeting the younger drinker with a thirst for zany beers that challenge both the palate and traditional beer styles, they brew some interesting beers both in name and flavour. We only visited the once and tried a couple of beers, First Resort IPA and Iron Dice Weiss bier, both were very good. They have upwards of twenty taps and all beers are unfiltered and if the other beers match up to the two I tried then no wonder this place is so popular.



War Pigs Brew Pub

The food offer here was all around large chunks of meat, potato salad, beans and slaw. Kept very simple it was satisfying and tasty and fitted like a glove when paired with the strong robust beers on offer. The décor suited as well, it reminded me of a canteen from a British Leyland car factory of the late 1970's from where I began my working life - uniform, simple, unpretentious but functional. However, the surroundings were the picture frame that allowed the artist to shine with the beer and food offering.

So if WarPigs is a good example of the craft beer scene then it certainly looks like that is well catered for. Another interesting visit was to Charlie's Bar. This is a well known haunt that specialises in cask ales from the UK. I was delighted to find some fine beers on show including two St Austell Brewery small batch beers. The beer was in good condition and served at the correct temperature. The bar is small, narrow but cosy and has a certain charm about it harmonises with the beer. There were some English voices to be heard but also Danish and it was clear the bar is not just an outpost for Brit's missing their favourite beers.

So, back to Carlsberg, from where my latest rambling began. A much respected multi-national company they brew and own some very big brands. As a Brit, one tends to think of the UK Carlsberg Green that's brewed to 3.8% abv, a standard lager, it performs a role but is still a big powerful brand. However the Carlsberg beers in Denmark are different, they are not dull, they are not insipid, they are polished, crisp and very drinkable stunning beers. I enjoyed Carlsberg and Tuborg lagers and all were excellent. Carlsberg is clearly a brand the Danish are very proud of and rightly so, it was great to see their branding in Copenhagen is confidently visible and part of the fabric of the city. They may not be cutting edge fashionable craft beers, but they are beers people enjoy drinking and of reputable quality.

So if you do visit Copenhagen and I would recommend it, especially at Christmas time, do visit Tivoli, its for tourists but a night time visit is quite charming. If you are into your beers search out the local craft offerings and if you have time, Charlie's Bar is well worth a visit. However I would finish by saying, do try the beers from the Carlsberg stable, just because they are the large dominant brewer does not mean they are characterless, it means they are fine beers and people have enjoyed drinking them for generations. Skal!

Reflections on Swindon Beer Festival 2017

The Steam Museum

Another year passes at Swindon Beer Festival set in the fabulous Steam venue, the railway museum in Swindon. For me, the venue is part of the attraction. Compared to its near neighbours Oxford and Bath, Swindon has a limited heritage, but the railway museum and the great workshop buildings that surround it, would once of harboured a momentous industry supplying railroad stock and engines to the railways in the South West. So at Steam, you are within touching distance of the towns industrial past.

As for the festival, well done to Swindon CAMRA for putting on yet another great event. Most CAMRA run beer festivals are well oiled machines and everyone knows what they are doing and this was no different. I was also delighted to meet many old friends from the branch who all made me feel most welcome. Swindon seems to have a solid core of enthusiastic volunteers all of whom are intent on making sure both they and their festival goers have a good time.

The beer festival itself is an event for showcasing the best beers, with some music featuring in a supporting role rather than one of the main protagonists. There are over 100 beers plus ciders on show attracting in excess of 2,000 visitors across the three-day event. What Swindon do well is to limit the glass size to the half pint (lined at a third). This promotes trial of lots of different beers rather than pint glasses which can lead to problems associated with over indulgence!

The festival has changed little over the years, bar an extended food area. Yes, it would be great if they could showcase keg/craft beers as well, but I am realistic enough to know the latter bring a technical services challenge that the volunteers wont have the necessary skills or equipment to overcome. I think for many regional beer festivals, showcasing craft keg is a step too far without the support of CAMRA head office.

I attended with my day job as St Austell Brewery and we are always popular guests. Our beers for the event included well known brands like Tribute and Proper Job, along with the perennial favourite at this event, Bucket of Blood - it is Halloween of course! We always try to feature a couple of new beers and were delighted to have a wonderful beer called Dear Boy, brewed to commemorate St Austell's BLO from Cornwall, Gerry Bazin, who sadly passed away earlier this year. Dear Boy, as Gerry would refer to people, sold very well indeed and there were many requests for St Austell to bottle this or make it a permanent part of the portfolio.

Swindon CAMRA logo

We also had Mocha Choca Lotta, a 6% milk stout. This split the room, some loved it, others less sure. Not a beer for me, the coffee flavour was a little dominant. However there is always a place for beers that challenge the conventional at beer festivals, it should be an environment where customers can taste beers that they would just not see in their local pub.

I'd say to anyone thinking of attending a beer festival, please go along and give it a try. By there very nature, a lot of small brewers benefit as there are fewer well known brands on show so you are supporting grass roots brewing and business. Swindon CAMRA and Steam set a high bench mark with their organisation so if other regional events can match that you would be in for an enjoyable visit.

More than just a new suit!

 

Classic view of Salisbury from the racecourse

We recently spent a few days in the lovely cathedral city of Salisbury, primarily to visit the races for my part and for my wife, a trip to the shops with new outfits to be perused and purchased. The days racing was as good as ever and I can thoroughly recommend a visit to Salisbury racetrack, a small regional course but with bags of character and good quality flat racing. The day at the shops promised less interest for me but this is where my next blog begins.....

After an arduous morning of my wife trying on various outfits only relieved by a short Costa stop, lunchtime was fast approaching so I felt being in the heart of Badger Ales country, it was time to search out a decent pint of Tanglefoot. This is a classic beer and those that know their regional brewers will appreciate finding a perfectly served Tanglefoot is quite a treat. I was in luck, the New Inn was just around the corner and the beer was very good. Once refreshed we ventured out and that's where we discovered Regent Tailoring and the subject of my blog.

Regent Tailoring shop window

An exquisite gentleman's and ladies tailors with its focus on classic British clothing, this was a shop for me. We met the owner, Jason Regent whose grandfather was butler to Ian Fleming, writer of the iconic James Bond novels. Jason clearly has a passion for the 1960's, and quality tailoring, but he is also wise enough to realise his business will do better by looking outside of clothing sales alone, so he is branching out and has launched the Regent Liquor Club.

The shop itself is on three floors and made up of numerous small rooms with many terrific tailoring treasures to be unearthed as well as some gems of other items you would not expect to find in a normal clothes retailer. The business targets an affluent customer with style and taste, but also a customer that is ready made for the craft gin, rum and beer market, as well as some exclusive wines. It struck me what a good idea this was because although his customers are not huge in number, they do spend time in the shop, so up-selling into areas of interest that are not just focused on clothing makes sense. He does not need to carry a huge range, just enough to make it interesting with brands that are either exclusive, local or not available in the major retailers in the city.

The cost is just a premises license, the marketing of the club and the stock, so potentially a low risk venture assuming he does not over order with stock. I'm sure it will take time to get the liquor offer up and running but in terms of thinking out of the box and trying to grow his business in other ways, it seems a good idea.

As for the beers on offer, these were limited to the one brewer at my time of the visit, Downton Brewery, a local brewer. Jason gave me a bottle of the New Forest Ale to try, which was a robust 4% bitter and easy to drink. Showcasing local beers that are not easily available is a solid starting offer, so long as the beers are good and consistent. In time, as his reputation for craft and distinctive liquor builds he might be able to grow into offering some of the more eclectic craft beers from further afield.

Good luck to him, both for the main business of clothing and the liquor venture. As for me, I did make a few purchases on the day, a classic waistcoat made from material that Jason had discovered from the 1960's and a couple of cigars to enjoy as a treat. As we tend to go racing at Salisbury each year, I will at least have one shop to look forward to visiting as well.

For anyone interested in Regent Tailoring or the racecourse the links are below:

http://www.regenttailoring.co.uk/
http://www.salisburyracecourse.co.uk/salisburyracecourse.html

Reflections on GBBF 2017, past, present and the future?

Festival goers Nick Sturley & Shane Gilchrist

Another year of the amazing Great British Beer Festival and well done to all the volunteer CAMRA members and brewery bars who work so hard to make this such an enjoyable celebration of cask beer.

The organisation of GBBF is a well oiled machine and everyone knows what they are doing to produce great beers served in pristine condition ready to serve for the first day. Great credit is deserving for all of those who work so hard to make this happen, but below the surface, just like an iceberg, is all well with GBBF?

I have attended the last five consecutive GBBF's so what has changed in that time. The UK beer market has certainly changed dramatically with the influx of craft ales and pressure from other sectors such as gin and cider, but has GBBF, the showcase for cask ale moved on to address this?

CAMRA bar

To an outsider the answer has to be no. Yes there has been some welcome additions with the American and Foreign beer bars and more street food stalls, but the place still looks the same as it always has and there seems a dearth of fresh, younger active members amongst the volunteers. Everyone, including the event has just got a little older and it seems as less inviting now to younger drinkers as it was five years ago. That's not to criticise its appeal to more mature drinkers, it certainly fulfils that need, but in my view it needs to move on and appeal to younger drinkers.

It is time for CAMRA to grasp the nettle and start to showcase craft keg beers and lagers from UK brewers, whether they are brewery conditioned or naturally conditioned. That probably means enticing these brewers themselves to showcase their beers as its as much about badge style, design and meeting the brewers as the beers themselves. Cans should also be welcomed with open arms, quite why these are frowned upon is beyond me as often these mimic a beers draught version better than a bottle.

Tiny Rebel brewers bar

The number of brewery bars increased this year from eight to eleven, but it was noticeable that the bigger regional brewer players have ceased to support the event i.e. Greene King, Marston's, Charles Wells (now part of Marston's). These bars were once the life blood of GBBF offering not just a taste of their fabulous beer but also a brand experience. Without a strong selection of brewers GBBF is a poorer event.

So for the future, imagine a different GBBF, an event to be proud of that truly showcases all that is best in the world in UK beers. It would feature the best of cask beers, keg and lagers from the UK. Bottled beers whether they are bottle conditioned or not and of course cans. Brewers would be welcome, the bigger regional brewers set the standards and their big brands help to keep the market robust against other sectors,  but its important the event is also accessible to the smaller craft brewers as well.

St Austell Brewery Proper Job Ambassadors on trade day

Some areas would have to compromise to make space. Perhaps fewer CAMRA bars, less street food, less book stalls etc and the biggest compromise of all might be divorcing the event from the core beliefs of CAMRA to avoid the constraints of preserving cask beers only. I think for cask to survive and prosper in the future you have to make it attractive to craft drinkers and to promote it alongside these beers at the same event would seem a good start.

In conclusion, I am still a great fan of GBBF but I think there is a wonderful opportunity to make this it a quiet brilliant event if changes are made now. If it carries on in the current format for the next five years I fear numbers will have declined further and someone will invent another event that will take its place. Please don't let that happen, its too good to lose CAMRA.

Favourite Cornish beer and Cornish cheese pairings

 

A lover of beer and cheese, I decided to indulge myself by choosing some of my favourite Cornish bottled beers to match equally favourite Cornish cheeses. In my view the beer and cheese food match is one of the very best so its been great fun and equally satisfying to define this further.

I will make no excuses that my favourite Cornish beers are all from St Austell Brewery. An established major player in the South West, their beer range is so diverse in terms of style and flavours that its hard to beat when looking for an interesting, varied and quality beer selection.

For the cheeses I've tried to select the major Cornish cheeses, ones that you just might find in a local supermarket or delicatessen, so if you want to try these yourself there is every chance of finding them. There are certainly other wonderful cheeses produced in Cornwall by smaller cheese makers so my apologies to those for not making my selection.

So here we go, here are my selections.

Proper Job IPA and Cornish Blue

 

Proper Job is quite possibly my favourite bottled beer and one that always forms part of my weekly beer festival. A modern 5.5% abv IPA, it has plenty of resinous pineapple and citrus on the palate with a bitter back bone that does not hide away to keep your taste buds in check. The mouth feel is fresh and not overly big, so its quite capable of contrasting a full creamy cheese.

Cornish Blue has been crafted on the edge of Bodmin moor by Philip and Carol Stansfield on their farm using milk from their Friesian herd since 2001. The cheese is mild, creamy and sweeter than other blue cheeses and not one to rival a more robust Stilton in flavour, being more delicate and subtle but no less enjoyable. A past winner of the Tesco Cheese Challenge, Cornish Blue's most prestigious award came in 2010 when it was judged World Champion cheese and in the same year it was Champion cheese at the Bath and West Show. It can be found at many food Festivals across the region and likewise some of the larger supermarkets will have it on sale in their specialist cheese section.

This is not a strong blue cheese, its sweetness and butter overtones offer a fine contrast to the bold forward resins and bitterness of Proper Job. The latter can also make a fine match to a sweet dessert and in Cornish Blue its certainly found a similar partner on the cheese board.

Eureka American Pale Ale and Cornish Gouda

 

Eureka APA is a relatively new 4.9% abv beer from St Austell. Its brewed using the single hop variety in up and coming American Eureka hop and its most definitely in the craft beer style as befits the label design. Eureka has a hint of wild garlic on the nose, and this follows through onto the palate which can be described as caramel with and hints of onions combined in one. Craft beers  are meant to challenge the taste buds, and Eureka is certainly no back number in the craft beer stakes but its still a lovely beer with bold hop flavours to the fore.

The cheese partner needs to be big and whole hearted to keep pace with Eureka and Mature Cornish Gouda is right up there. Made by Giel Spierings from a Dutch family that moved to a farm near Looe in 1998, they found milk production was not longer commercially viable so son Giel set about offering an alternative income and founded the Cornish Gouda Cheese company using traditional cheese making skills leaned in Holland. Cornish Gouda is matured for 10 to 12 months to allow for crystals to form for a crunch on the palate.

The Mature Cornish Gouda is a past winner of the Best Hard Cheese at the Great British Cheese Awards so its build up a sound pedigree. Rather like Eureka, caramel is part of the flavour make up and its a bit nutty and of course above all there is creaminess. it works well with the hints of hop garlic flavours in Eureka, rather like cheese and pickle. Both of these offerings are a little unusual in their own way but none the less very tasty, perhaps that's why they make such good bedfellows.

Cornish Gouda can be found at Food Festivals and at some delicatessens. If you still struggle to find it then visit the website www.cornishgouda.co.uk to find your nearest stockist.

Bad Habit and Cornish Brie

 

Bad Habit is a wonderful deep golden Belgian style Tripel, sweet, spicy and orange zesty with plenty of condition and a bit of yeastiness, plus at 8.2% it will solve all your problems, at least for an evening! However here is a lovely beer, similar to something like Tripel Karmeliet but not as sweet. St Austell brew this as part of their small batch programme of specialist beers and is available in 330ml bottles direct from the brewery. It can be a harder to track down in shops so contact the brewery direct and buy on their online shop.

For its cheese partner the zestyness of this beer will cut through a thick creamy adversary so I choose a ripe Cornish Brie match up to this beer. Cornish Brie tends to be milder so make sure you find a more robust one like St Endellion luxury Brie. This uses double cream so not ideal if you are watching your weight but it is a real treat with a dreamily rich flavour. This cheese comes from the Arla Group who make cheese at their Trevarrian Creamery on the North Cornwall coast between Newquay and Padstow. This cheese is available through specialist delicatessens and some supermarkets.

Cardinal Syn and Davidstow Vintage Cheddar

 

Another Belgian style beer from St Austell, this time its Bad Habits deeper more sinister bother in the Belgian style Dubbel Cardinal Syn. Not quite as strong at 7.8% abv, its a much heavier beer on the mouth feel and the palate. Alluringly deep ruby in colour, the taste is spiced molasses black treacle combined fruity dark berry flavours and hints of medicinal, it will leave you with a warming after-glow and satisfied smile.

Cardinal Syn is another St Austell Small Batch Beer and best obtained from the brewery packaged in 330ml bottles. Mind you, that will be enough, a lovely beer to finish an evening on.

This beer needs an equally big partner. There are many cheddars in Cornwall but one of the most consistent and best comes from perhaps the largest cheese maker in the county in Davidstow. Tempted as I was to pair Cardinal Syn with an equally hidden gem of a cheese, why not use the big brand if its a fine cheese, so I recommend Davidstow Extra Mature or for a special night the Davidstow Vintage Mature. Both are fine cheeses and Davidstow are based on the North Cornwall coast so make the cheese in the county and use milk from over 300 farms in Cornwall and Devon. It can be found in most supermarkets with other premium strong cheddars.

Davidstow Cheddar is rich, strong with sharp bite in the finish, so Cardinal Syn with its warming glow and sweet treacle overtones works very well as a loyal and trusted partner. The cheese should always be the hero here but the beer gives it a good run for its money. Both are best savoured in small measures and a fabulous way to end a meal.

Mena Dhu Cornish Stout & Cornish Yarg

 

Mena Dhu Cornish stout is famously brewed using a blend of six different malts. At 4.5% abv this stout has the full six pack of complex flavours you would hope for. The aroma has a certain smokiness and bacon about it whilst the palate is Camp coffee, dark chocolate with an underlying liquorice that offers a sweetness complemented by slight burnt bitter finish. The unusual name comes from the Cornish word for black hill, which was the name of the farm run by brewery founder Walter Hicks and can make for a pronunciation challenge. However it is a wonderful stout and a worthy member of the St Austell portfolio.

 

I was rather surprised by my choice of partner for this beer as it would not have been my first thought as a natural partner, but there is no doubt that the masterful Cornish Yarg cheese is a brilliant accompaniment. Creamy and crumbly, rather like a Caerphilly, it has a slight tangy lemon flavour and the edible nettle rind imparts more earthy and herbal flavours. The unusual name also has a history, rather like the beer - it is named after Allan and Jenny Gray who gave the recipe to Pengreep Farm where the cheese is produced back in the 1970's - Yarg is Gray spelt backwards!

 

If you live in Cornwall, then no cheeseboard is complete without a wheel of Cornish Yarg, its a lovely cheese and I'm delighted to recommend it in my blog.

 

If you are tempted by the beer and cheese recommendations here and are struggling to source either, for the beers contact St Austell Brewery direct, they have an online shop that's good value for money and all of the beers above can be purchased here.

 

For the cheese, contact www.thecheeseshed.com who are based in Bovey Tracey, Devon. They are an online cheese specialist and will be delighted to offer these cheeses or an alternative. If cheese is your thing, visit their website, they have a great selection of locally produced and delicious cheeses from the South West.