Took a little trip this week - associated reviews:
The Mitre, Cambridge - good old pub, excellent Nicholson’s beer.
The Eagle, Cambridge - famous pub where Crick and Watson celebrated discovering the double helix of DNA, with a back bar covered in graffiti by RAF and USAAF aircrew from WW2 and after. Drank Eagle DNA bitter, alright. Bit touristy.
The Senate, Cambridge. Restaurant. Meh, but at least it was independent, not a chain. Wine overpriced.
The Crown Hotel, Southwold. Great back bar but a bit warm, and good food. Really nice staff. Like all Southwold hostelries, range of excellent Adnams beers.*
The Sole Bay Inn, Southwold. Adnams of course, but ran out of my favourite, the basic Southwold bitter. Nice pub.
The Harbour Inn, old harbour Southwold. Brilliant rabbit warren of a pub, great fresh seafood in a very atmospheric spot on the estuary surrounded by marshes and shacks selling freshly caught fish. Devilled whitebait! Surprisingly served Adnams beers, so I had some.
The Lord Nelson, Southwold, on a trip of full of good to great watering holes my favourite, a proper old style boozer, no food served. Adnams, tasty.
The Unruly Pig, Woodbridge near Ipswich. This is a destination pub, recently voted best gastropub in the country and the food is really outstanding, priced to match. Young and very competent staff. Not really a pub, and I didn’t note the beers as this is a definitely a wine place. Requires a designated driver. Recommended for special occasions.
Obviously this research took a serious chunk of time Monday to today, but also managed to squeeze in walking tour of Cambridge - good but I reckon will depend very much on which guide you get (all ex Cambridge students); several long seaside and country side walks in and around Southwold which is a truly lovely place at this time of year but risks becoming the Salcombe of the east coast, and a visit to Sutton Hoo, where the Saxon burial ship was dug up in the late thirties, subject of the film The Dig. Didn’t really have enough time there to do it justice (had to get to the pub), very interesting but I was disappointed that none of the treasure and artefacts dug up there are on display - all at the British Museum.
*The Adnams brewery has been in the town since 1890, it’s distillery (gin) for a good few years as well. It owns a lot of property, I think all of the pubs, even an estate agency. Our guests from Chicago did the brewery tour.