Pub News
some of these in the next edition, but who knows? In addition, the Fenman in Stanground has been demolished and it will not be long before the Solstice in Peterborough city centre disappears too. It is not all doom and gloom, though, as I am informed that the Packhorse in Northborough, which was going to be on the closure list, is due to re-open once the renovations are completed, and Deeping St James now has a micropub, the Thirsty Giraffe in Manor Way, which is closed for renovation as I write this but is due to open again this month serving local brewery ales. Finally, here is a tip for gourmands who are prepared to spend a bit more for top quality food: The Willow and Brook in Apethorpe is producing fabulous food in a safe environment with the bonus of Nene Valley ales on pumps. Bill Taylor Alun Thomas adds...... I’d heard favourable reports about the Red Lion in West Deeping, so Tina and I called in early in January for a spot of lunch. A pleasant experience! Local couple Frazer and Emma King (aptly for a pub based on King Street) have been landlords since last April and they offer a cosy yet roomy bar with a separate restaurant. More importantly – their house ale is King Street, brewed specifically for the RL by Deeping-based Hopshackle Brewery! It certainly drank very well on my visit.
Up the A15 to Bourne and the news that the Masons Arms, in South Street, was due to reopen on 6th January. The pub had been closed for a year, but new landlords Richard Gutteridge and Sabrina Iredale are “really happy and excited” about the reopening. “We want to restore it to what it was before, a good, community-feel pub” said Sabrina – who is also the landlady at the nearby Five Bells in Edenham as well as the Cock Inn, Werrington. At last there’s some good news from the East Northants part of the Branch area! The Queen’s Head in Bulwick (this Branch’s Pub of the Year in 2013) should be open by the time you read this, after being closed for the best part of a year. Guy Kersey is the man at the helm and it sounds as though he knows what he’s doing. Guy (who hails from Market Harborough) and his associates also run the Carington Arms in Ashby Folville, near Melton Mowbray, and the Dewdrop Inn at Hathern, near Loughborough as well as a restaurant in Leicester. Guy expects the bar to be open from February 15th with food available from March. Encouraging news on the ale front – Bass is to be complemented by LocAles from Grainstore and King’s Cliffe, just up the road. Once the food is up and running, diners should be in for a treat – running the kitchen will be Masterchef finalist Andrew Greasley! Guy and Andrew promise “classic British dishes with a twist – at affordable prices”. I live in Stamford, as you know, and two of my daughters live in Bourne so I pass the Toft House Hotel regularly and it’s invariably in darkness. Don’t know what’s happening there; it’s been an occasional stopping-off point for a decent pint over the years.
A Warm Welcome In West Deeping Visit our website for up-to-date news: www.peterborough.camra.org.uk
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022
BEER AROUND ‘ERE
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