Black velvet was Guinness and Cider in the Arctic Ranger. The Arctic Ranger... A bloke used to come round with seafood. He made us ill, but we still ate his cockles and mussels the next weekend.
A bloke in a white jacket used to do the same in the National. If he timed it right we'd all buy because we'd had too much to drink to turn him down. Too early and he sold nothing because we all knew what the result would be.
Is/Was the Cockle man a purely Hull thing? I remember it from several pubs in Hull buying them with loads of vinegar and a little plastic fork and also shrimp unpeeled by the pint. Last place I think was the Drum and Cymbals, Sally Army used to come around there collecting too.
I miss them. It was probably the food hygiene Nazis that did for them. Seafood went down really well with a few beers.
Used to happen all the time in pubs around Bolton / Wigan in the 90’s. Does it happen anywhere now? Has it just died out?
Love Champagne- been to the Champagne region in France numerous times. Epernay is a bit special. Also been to the Champagne houses Moët and Tattinger. Premium pricing because there’s a lot of manual work involved in producing a good Champagne.
Went to a Tattinger champagne night at 1884 once for Mrs Tash’s birthday Really good night with copious glasses of champagne on arrival then a different one with each course of the meal And there was a speaker talking through each one, who was Desmond Llewelyn’s son with loads of tales of life on the James Bond set Cracking night
Was once offered a whole roast chicken, still warm, in a pub. Bloke opened his coat to show me and dropped it on the floor! The shop he'd nicked it from was right next door to the pub aswell!
