Snack Happy....

Ok, this is something a bit different as I take you to Huddersfield and the Colne Valley and then to Newcastle. Some live stuff written about the place I am sat in as I am away for a few days. So more random I suppose, some of it more like a diary, with a recurring theme of snacks....

Last Wednesday, a group of us who either work, rest, and/or play in the Grayston Unity and Meandering Bear in Halifax headed out for the afternoon to the nearby Colne Valley. We were heading to Marsden which with the ongoing Huddersfield Station works involved catching a train to Mirfield and a 35 minute wait to catch our connecting train. Needless to say, we made the most of our wait, wandering over to the nearby Navigation for some refreshment. Back at the station we boarded the train and after a journey of around 15 minutes, we were duly decanted at Marsden on what was a bright, sunny, and warm day for early October.

Down the hill to the Riverhead we went after a short diversion along the canal to view Tunnel End where both canal and railway disappear under the Pennines. This was my first visit for a year or two during which the pub has been refurbished and the on-site brewery moved and given a prominent position in the room to the side of the bar. The bar also featured more Riverhead-brewed beers than at any time since founder Phil Holdsworth sold the former independent brewery to Ossett. We didn't linger long inside here, instead taking our beers outside to sit on the tables overlooking the gurgling confluence of two streams much beloved by the local duck population.

We finished our beers and headed back to the canal to walk the two and a half miles along the towpath to Slaithwaite. It wss pleasant walking as always along this lovely stretch where nature holds sway. Every now and again a train would pass on the line up the hillside, disturbing the bucolic calm. Somebody had googled and found that the Zapato taproom about half way into our journey was open, so we had a stop and enjoyed a pint sat in the still-warm sunshine. Resuming our walk to Slaithwaite, on arriving we then made a flying visit to the Hideaway for a quick half on the way up to the station, after which we caught the train in to Huddersfield for the main event of the day. 

We were off to the Sportsman for the Huddersfield International Crisp Festival, which was a follow up to similar events over the past couple of years. They have proved to be very popular and have attracted interest from across the country and beyond, as well as the media. Basically John the landlord here is a massive fan of pub snacks and had the great idea of bringing crisps and snacks from around the world to this little corner of Huddersfield and create a festival in their honour. And so, with not a Walkers in sight, alongside Bradford's Seabrooks (now owned by Japanese brand Calbee who had their own wares on display), there were loads of other crisps from across the UK including such brands as Pipers, Kent, Yorkshire, Slabs, Tayto, Made for Drink and Listers, crisps from various European countries and around the world including Mexico and China. The ones from Lithuania seemed to have been popular as most of them had already sold out. The 8 of us bought several different bags for us to try and evaluate. I was particularly keen to sample Brets, an artisan crisp maker from France who I read about in Pellicle recently and who have attracted a cult following. And very good they were; the Aoili and Fried Onion varieties that I tried, probably the best of the day. We washed them down as you would expect with several decent beers. It was a great evening, with a tasting event pairing crisps with wines and beers taking place in a curtained-off room. I did leave though thinking that I didn't want another crisp for a while!

Enjoying the Crisp Festival

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I am sat in the Free Trade Inn in Byker, Newcastle, drinking a half of Smog from Donzoko, who have recently re-located to a site on Stepney Bank not far from here. I arrived about half an hour ago. First thoughts, where is the Almasty, no Echelon on the pump beside the Jarl which occupy the left hand side of the bar that as you come in that has been here for years? That slot is now occupied by Two by Two whose brewery tap I have just walked from. I ordered a pint of Jarl(6.5) when I got here but it is probably the least impressive beer of the night. Unless it is a hangover from having some great beer at Two by Two.

This is Azacca Mosaic

Back at Two by Two, some great cask in the form of a 4.7% hazy pale featuring two of my favourite hops, Azacca and Mosaic, which produce some amazing, juicy citrus flavours in a very well-balanced quaffable beer which belies its ABV. This was my 3rd visit here, and my best yet, there was a great atmosphere from a decent crowd. Surprisingly the taproom has been removed from the Good Beer Guide after a couple of years to make way for the High Main, a Wetherspoons on the main drag in Byker adding to the Brinkburn Street Brewery Tap as another dubious local inclusion. And while I am thinking about it, whither the Cumberland Arms these days? It seems to have been abandoned. Meanwhile, I am currently suffering from food coma from a portion of loaded fries sold by the evening's food purveyor which had everything on it including the kitchen sink.

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I have just arrived at the Crown Posada. Presumably to create a sort of ambience it is in semi-darkness. So as I could not see what the cask beers were, I asked the lass behind the bar. Ossett, Timothy Taylor, she started. No chance, I thought, I come all this way.... A couple of IPAs from Wylam sounded better, but when I found one was Jakehead - a very fine but very strong beer - I ordered the other which is decent. But in this light I have no idea what it is.

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I had arrived in Newcastle about 3.30 this afternoon and once I'd got parked up, checked in, and dropped my bag off, I was off out. The nearest pub to my hotel is the Broad Chare, and I normally call in for a pint when I land in the toon. Today was no exception. The house beer, brewed by Anarchy, Writer's Block, was on great form, crisp and refreshing, and just what was needed after a longer than average drive (Rating: 8/10). I am delighted to see the Broad Chare back in the Good Beer Guide; despite its reputation and accolades for the restaurant it is still a welcoming place if you just want a drink. I did try some food as well; the bar snacks are not surpisingly excellent, and the scotch egg with its meaty shell nursing a soft yolk was delicious. The staff here are great and the atmosphere is relaxed. One of my favourite places to visit in this fine city.

After there I went to a new bar in a part of the city that was new to me. Luckies in Jesmond, a leafy area much beloved of students and graduates, reminded me in some ways of Headingley in Leeds. Luckies have their own brewery in Ponteland with some brewing done on site here, and virtually every beer on both cask and keg in this busy and friendly bar was from them. I enjoyed a pint of a 3.9% cask called Gold Nectar which was an enjoyable and refreshing hazy pint with plenty of flavour (7/10). I went back to the bar with a plan to sample one of the kegs, and ended up with a half of the 6% Lean on Sheena IPA, which was another great beer. Loved it here, there was a great atmosphere with people of all ages enjoying themselves. With their own house style and graphics, Luckies have managed to put their stamp on this part of Newcastle.

And so Saturday came around and it was up to the top of Grey Street to meet my daughter and son-in-law by Monument Metro Station. We were all fortified by Greggs when we met at the point where we were meeting up for a culinary tour run by Triple A Food Tours. The others had been on a couple of tours sampling food around the Grainger Market and when they saw they did one called Beer and Bait they thought it would make a great birthday present for me. And so months later, here we were. We met our enthusiastic and effusive guide, Lee, who led us along with a few others into the nearby Central Arcade to introduce us to the tour. We would be visiting 4 different places, sampling 6 thirds of beer from local independent breweries, he explained, and trying some superior bar snacks as we enjoyed our beer, or wine in my daughter's case, and as well as talking about the beers and venues which were originally not pubs, he would be bringing in some local history as well.

Now I thought for a Yorkshire lad I had a pretty good knowledge of the Newcastle beer and pub scene, but the first two stops were ones of which I was completely unaware. First off we headed into the Grainger Market and stopped at a former market stall which has been converted into an attractive little microbar by Firebrick Brewery of Blaydon. We had 4 thirds to choose 2 beers from, so the son-in-law and I ordered all 4 between us. These were Wye-Ay PA, a Geordie IPA, and then Guiseppe, a Pilsener named after Garibaldi, inventor of the biscuit*  and Italian revolutionary who spent some time in  Tynemouth where apparently the locals took to him and him to them. We also tried Toon Broon, a take on the beer that made Newcastle famous, and a Belgian-style blonde beer. This celebrates the amazing story of thousands of Belgians who came over to work in the brickworks at Birtley just before the outbreak of the first world war. War broke out and, unable to return home, they had to stay in a designated area in the town. This became a little enclave of the Belgian state called Elisabethville which had its own police and border guards. While Lee was talking to us we were enjoying a delicious sausage from a neighbouring market stall.

The next stop was totally unexpected. In a quiet and leafy corner of the city centre sits the Blackfriars, a restaurant based in a Grade l-listed 13th century former friary which was home to a group of Dominican monks. The square in which it sits is tranquil and at odds with the bustle of the city nearby.

And what is more interesting is that a tiny brewery is based here. St Dominic's Brewery started as a lockdown home brewing project for one of the guys who works here, and with favourable comments from the staff for samples he brought in to work, the boss responded and agreed to set up a brewery in the unused former chapter house within the series of buildings that make up the site. 

We were ushered up some ancient stone steps in to a tasting room where we sat  a round table which ringed a central space in which Darren from Blackfriars explained the history of the monastery, the brewery, and about the beers we tried which were a pilsener-style lager and an IPA which were both crystal clear, well-balanced and refreshing. Our food pairing consisted of truffle and parmesan fries with some home-baked bread so you could in theory make a posh chip butty! Blackfriars is a fascinating place, whilst the beer is only generally available here and at two sister sites in Newcastle. Some of the production is bottle-conditioned.

The final two places were rather more familiar. We headed back into the bustle of the streets outside, stopping at Bigg Market, once the beating heart of a night out in the toon, for one of Lee's anecdotes. We didn't linger here, we were soon moving on to the Centurion Bar at Central Station, which has many traditional features, including a spectacular ceiling, tiling, and decor. Things didn't go quite to plan here though; the place was rammed with football fans watching Arsenal v Leeds on several big screen TVs and there was a problem with the kitchen which meant they couldn't provide our food. We had our drink, though, a half of Farne Island from Hadrian Border, which was pretty good.

And so to our final spot who, Lee explained, had agreed to double up on food. We walked around to the castle, where we stopped whilst he explained some of its history. As we walked down Side to the Quayside, I was pretty sure where we were going. And I was right! It was the Broad Chare, of course, and our chosen beer was a half of Writer's Block. The additional bar snack was pork crackling and apple sauce, whilst the one we were due to have was of course the scotch egg, which was as excellent as the day before! This touch of symmetry brought the tour to a conclusion. It had been an excellent few hours in which we had visited some excellent and different places, had some great beer and delicious food, and learnt a lot of history and quirky local facts, and in our host Lee we had an entertaining and knowledgeable guide. It had been a great way to learn things about the city that I didn't know. And as the tour ended, it was off to the bar this time for a pint of Writer's Block....

*Apparently there is no evidence that Guiseppe Garibaldi himself created the biscuit of that name. Probably too busy with his revolutionary duties to spend much time in the kitchen....

 

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