A Stedders Guide

ONE PUB ONLY? White Lion CRAWLING FROM RAILWAY STATION TO THE GROUIND? William Cobbett in Farnham, then train to Aldershot, Garden Gate and Red Lion SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT William Cobbett
Garden Gate Church Lane East GU11 3BT Tel: 01252 321051 Guv'nor Cally Brown F Home cooked pub grub 6-8 Mon – Fri, None on Saturday, 1 – 3.30 Sun S Heated smoking area in garden SP TV BM D O 4.30 -12 Mon – Thu, 2.30 – 1 Fri, 12 -1 Sat, 12 – 10.30 Sun At a time when pub landlords are so full of doom and gloom it was like a breath of fresh air to chat with Cally in the Garden Gate. This pub has her enthusiasm written large in everything she has done in the short time she has been in the pub. The Garden Gate is a pub in Greene King style with the extra caring touch of being cared for by someone who knows the atmosphere is all important. The pub is curiously divided into two spaces off the same bar; one room has the feel of being a private reading space, a place to bring your paper, a place to hold a meeting. The other is the real locals meeting bar, I suspect the bar chat being the pulling factor for the regulars. The locals are of the professional classes with a few ex army residents thrown in. The music held at the pub tells the story of this great little pub. It is bluegrass or folk at the Garden Gate, nothing too raucous, no doubt the regulars wouldn’t stand for it. The pub has recently been recognised by the local CAMRA award givers, the beer quality was exceptional on our visit. We chatted for far too long with Cally and Martin, the Stoke affiliated new regular. We left with a few questions still on our mind. Cally appears to have a hub cap fetish if the award winning garden is to be believed. The other was “How do we get a copy of the pub calendar when it comes out? I want to see Debbie with the chain saw. BWV 24.9.09 Davenports Highland Whisky Ale, Greene King Abbot, IPa Stedders
Hop Blossom Long Garden Walk, Farnham GU9 78X Tel 01252 710770 Guv'nor Jim McDonald- Good F Delicious chef designed food. Cass is an ex Savoy chef 12 – 2.30 everyday S Outside tables literally on the street SP D O 12-3, 5-11 Mon – Thu, 12 -12 Fri, 11 -12 Sat, 12 -11 Sun The Hop Blossom has a perfect location for those who wish to have the Farnham sophistication with some real town, back street credibility. It is essentially a street corner pub found up a back alley off Castle Street. Mick and I arrived early evening and found a pub with large numbers of small female groups happily supping a pint or two post work or maybe pre restaurant. As with all Fullers pubs it is brass and wood that fills the familiarity function key but the pub has been curiously extended through a “Palm Court” side room that leads to a detached room for diners and those who value seclusion. It appears to have a committed regular crowd, far removed from any thoughts of football, but more likely to commit to watching a game cricket or traipsing along the line to Twickers. Matt behind the bar was in full cheeky chappie mode; apparently he attracts the eye candy, while Ben does the same for the rock chicks. Farnham certainly feels very different to Aldershot and here it is so plainly obvious when we asked about the events that were the special times in the pub. Morris dancing, a folk club and occasional live music plus Irish jam sessions are crowd pullers. In October the town has a food festival in which the pub plays its part. Jim obviously runs a great locals pub, he is an Arsenal fan, indeed an Alan Smith groupie perhaps. BWV 24.9.09 Castle Rock Hemlock, Fullers Chinook, Discovery, ESB, London Pride
Red Lion Ash Road GU12 4EZ Tel: 01252 323050 Guvn’or Jeanette and Shaun McKernon F Cooked by Jeanette and Tracey’s fair hands the pub has a great reputation for food, especially their themed food nights. 5.30 - 8 Mon – Wed, 12 – 2.30, 5.30 – 8 Thu – Fri, 12 – 8 Sat, 12 – 3 Sun S Feature smoking shelter in a pleasant courtyard garden CP SK BM P D O 3 – 11 Mon – Tue, 12 – 11 Wed – Thu, 12 – 12 Fri – Sat, 12 – 11 Sun The Red Lion is literally an unmissable choice for the traveller to the nearby Recreation ground. This largish street corner pub lies on a triangular plot on the main road from bypass to ground entrance and has room to accommodate plenty who wish to join in the pre match banter. Shaun is a landlord in the old style, a local who has come to run his local. Jeanette is the archetypal landlady, quick to join in conversation and keen to make the customer feel at home. The pub is one of those that caters for all types, it appreciates that to be at the centre of a community, and this one surely is, you have to offer a bit of everything. While it was sad for the lately bereaved, to host the funeral wake is exactly what makes for a “cared for” impression. After all, the pub has plenty of space, room enough in the five separate areas off a long bar to allow private conversation or indeed, group jollity. The pub was rebuilt in 1928, having once been the town jail. It has no evidence of its past, being in the architectural style of the roadside inn. Big screen football, poker nights, live music and a menu tailored for footie fans, all make for a simple, honest boozer. It is the obvious last stop before the game for the real ale crawler. BWV 24.9.09 Charles Wells Bombardier, Fullers London Pride, Sharp’s Doom Bar
White Lion 20 Lower Farnham Road GU12 4EA Tel: 01252 323832 Guv'nor Ian Andrews S Heated courtyard to rear SP TV JB with a mod bias P D O 1-11 The White Lion is the must do real ale pub in Aldershot because, unlike most others, it offers a local brew from a CAMRA award winning brewery. Take care to check the opening times because exhaustingly the walk out from town would be pretty frustrating if you arrived and could only view from outside. The bar is a very neat and clean cut drinking space with timber floors and terracotta walls. Homage is paid to Ian’s passion for all to do with scooters and the mod scene. The memorabilia is tastefully located on every available wall space and includes Vespa pots above the bar. A great thing about Aldershot was the charming bar staff. Jess was a great example of this; knowledgeable about the ale on sale and keen to suggest alternatives for our real ale hunt with a cheery and slightly mischievous air. The pub is home to the A5 club and they bring 20 + scooter mates to the pub at weekends. The clientele are a friendly, mixed crowd of locals and artisans from nearby factories. One advantage is that it is located on the main road from the bypass into town and a 15 minute stroll to the Rec. Music is offered live every two to three weeks or so, nothing too heavy, reflecting the attitude of the pub, nothing seems to much hassle here. It may not be rammed on lunch times of the match but that, to me is a great plus. Time and space to drink quality ale in a relaxed atmosphere is almost perfect. BWV 24.9.08 fff Alton’s Pride, Dazed and Confused, Moondance, Pressed Rat and Warthog Stedders
William Cobbett 4 Bridge Square, Farnham GU9 7QR Tel: 01252 726281 Guv'nor Peter Rolfe F Burgers / chips, good simple pub food 11 – 2.30 weekdays, 11- 4.30 Sat, 11 – 6.30 Sun S Heated yard CP T V JB D 4 pool tables upstairs O 11-11 Mon – Thu, 11-12-30 Fri, 11-12 Sat, 11 -10.30 Sun The William Cobbet is probably as I imagined a home counties country town pub to look. Flag stoned floors, low wooden beams and located in a back street that idles its way from station to town centre. It should not, however be misjudged as a sleepy little place. It has five separate drinking areas that caters for all the generations as they mature from machine obsessions, through romantic courting, middle aged rambling and on to self re-assuring familiarity. It is positively quirky in its decoration housing near the bar a space set aside fro a spider tank complete with Chilean Red, not necessarily for the wine connoisseur. We arrived from the station, an easy two minute stroll and soon found Gary to be a top barman and conversationalist, all that is West Ham is not necessarily hard work. Peter found a great pub for his post shipping lifestyle some 28 years ago and the pub reflects a long tradition for those who like a proper community pub. The pub offers live music most Wednesday, showcasing local talent. To the rear there is a large courtyard that backs on to the railway line, a great sun trap for a pre match pint if you fancy a leisurely lunch before catching the train to Aldershot or beyond. The choice of ale is good, offering two standard regulars and up to three rarer choices from microbreweries. This would be my pub of choice if I wanted to spend the evening in Farnham, perhaps staying in a local bed and breakfast to get the later night experience. BWV 24.9.09 Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Courage Best Bitter, Fullers London Pride, Hammerpot Martlet, Palmers Tally Ho! Stedders
This was the totally focused quest for full representation of pub choices around Aldershot, for visits to the Recreation Ground, aka EBB Stadium, which has recently rejoined the ranks of Football League venues, and it’s Hampshire’s third club. About accommdation, suffice it to urge a clear and certain booking of a convenient, hopefully town centre establishment when staying in this area, probably in Farnham, over the Surrey border, but only a couple of miles and a short train ride away. Stedders’ attempt at a keenly arranged tour was foiled at the first hurdle: the White Lion didn’t open until 1pm and we were there dropped there by the taxi at noon. But a townwards wander down Ash Road got us to the Red Lion, where we entered the portals intermixed with funeral attenders. It turned out that the deceased was a lady particularly keen on French singing, so we had to endure an especially chosen cd, apparently on a loop, for the entire duration. We did have a most fulsome chat with the owners, Jeanette and Shaun McKernan. They would welcome groups of fans and already lay on a football meal for £5. Having heard from them that the White Lion opened at 1pm, and, crucially, offered a selection of brews from the Triple fff Brewery at Alton, down the road, we did the return hike to said hostelry to be served and informed by Jess, the young barmaid – she’s been there two years. My Alton’s Pride was a welcome 3.8% hoppy bitter and my sample of Stedders’ Pressed Rat and Warthog, a dark mild with the same gravity, was good, too. It’s a scooter pub, too. Then we embarked upon a wander and short (and free, thank you number 4 driver) bus ride to achieve our next pint (Courage Best) at the curiously named La Fontaine, on the way failing to gain access to the Royal Staff, reputedly excellent though modestly-dimensioned. It opens at 4pm and we were well short of that and by then in need of nosh. These are the two pubs closest to the visitors’ entrance to the ground up the hill, away from the town centre. After peering at the green turf as far as we could (not much – it was enclosed, appropriately like a military institution), we reached the High Street. This flattered to deceive – not really at the hub of things, no pubs attained, and none much recommended on this occasion. But we did enjoy egg and chips, and sausage (Stedders) and bacon (moi) at Frankie’s, 'despite the paucity of the portions', followed by, not a siesta, which would have been the preference for both of us, but a taxi ride round the southern side of the town to the Garden Gate, which opened at 4.30pm, we were informed by licensee and charming raconteuse, Cally Brown at 4.34. This was a pleasantly prolix fourth pint, involving an interesting youth Martin, born in Cambridge, affiliated to Stoke City. He perplexingly disclosed a liking for the Britannia Stadium. But then he had no experience of the poor old Victoria Ground. He also drank lager. The pub is the best recommendation for long distance travelers, welcoming bunches of them who can be catered for by order, with no threat of any kind being at a distance from town and crowds, i.e. secluded, and next to a park. And it has a car park. On the wall was a good one: ‘Alcohol is the answer. I forget the question’. Cally was one of 12 local females to bear most in the forthcoming 2010 (semi-) naked calendar. For charity of course. Anyway, I do like bar persons who reveal ample cleavage. She was one such. So it was time to transfer to Farnham, leaving the Golden Lion (which, should it serve real ale, is betimes part of three Three Lions crawl – see above for the other two) and Royal Standard to surmise. There was an iconic vista of the stadium’s floodlights on the walk down from the Garden Gate to the station, the town centre being situated on lower ground. A brief and efficient hop back to Surrey gave us more choice, and, like Lancaster in relation to Morecambe, I reckon a stay in the area should include both. The Waverley, opposite the station and recommended in the local ‘News and Ale’ magazine, was closed. Over the road and up a fetching old street was the Lamb (Spitfire). But we went straight to the William Cobbett a bit further on. The 5.5% Tally Ho!was the best idea and the man and I both opted for it, rather than the alternative which would have been fresh to our palates, the 3.8% IPA Taste buds must have been of dubious sharpness by then, but heavy duty ale was in keeping as we approached the home straight. There was a tarantula (a Chilean rose, in a tank) directly in my line of vision as I perched upon a bar stool. Stedders enjoyed a cigar, in the name of empirical testing of the smoking facilities – it happened in every single tavern. It was a good place and we chatted in nonchalant fashion with West Ham émigré Gary, who ran the bar. It’s an easy hour-long journey from Farnham to Waterloo and then a short trip to Upton Park, he said.The final sample was conducted towards and over Farnham High Street, and up the most scenic area of all, Castle Street, turning left to the Hop Blossom. Barman Matt was a bit disconcerted when I expressed negativity about the dusty eponymous display above our heads. There were lots of women in the Blossom, and a curious layout, with suggestions of ambitious interior design, indicative of the prosperity of the area. We did enjoy it, though, as the beer was good as well as the exchanges with the barboys. We waxed ceremonious about this, our final, pint, before the inevitable Indian meal, at the Mahaan. Then the taxi to the country where our slumber zone lay. The coda has to be our nightcap in the hotel. The Thai manager –we had actually been told by a young, brassy receptionist, seemingly fresh from a Greek island, that re-stocking was next week, had a sad range of beverages, to be downed reclining in what would be our breakfast seats a few hours later. No whisky, no brandy, certainly no ale, of any kind. Stedders chose black coffee; for me a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. Not bad, particularly as the glass was filled pretty much to the brim. I unearthed the customary sample of blended whisky from my case, to provide my companion with something to send him to sleep. Now I await the real thing: a football visit to Aldershot. The pub prize went to the White Lion for Triple fff, but the Royal Staff is unfinished business, and the ground view on the way to the station was a really Good Thing. Mick Escott Martyn Constable had started us off with:- "The White Lion(triple fff pub), is about the only real star, maybe the Garden Gate which despite being Greene King is not a bad pub, but personally I'd get the train to Farnham, Farnham, that is a lot more hopeful, in town you've got the William Cobbet, good beer but aimed at the younger set, music gets very loud late evening, in the same street you've got the Lamb, unfortunatelly it's a Shepherd Neame pub, also in the town centre is the Hop Blossom(fullers), and the Wheatsheaf(enterprise inns), that are both worth a look at but probably the best is the Shepherd and Flock on the bypass roundabout about 10 minutes walk from the station, in Wrecclesham there are two cracking good pubs, the Bat and Ball and the Sandrock, but it would be a cab job from Farnham." EBB STADIUM AT THE RECREATION GROUND

WETHERSPOONS The Prince Arthur 238 Fleet Road Fleet GU13 8BX Opening Times: Sun-Thu 9am-midnight; Fri/Sat 9am-12.30am
LOCAL BREWERY The Triple fff Brewing Company Ltd 3 Magpie Works Station Approach Four Marks Alton Hampshire GU34 5HN Tel: 01420 561 422 Fax: 01420 560 159 www.triplefff.com SURREY / HAMPSHIRE BORDERS CAMRA