Desert Island Pubs – Graeme Bunn, property & acquisitions director, Red Oak Taverns
Beer Insider is pleased to bring you the latest Desert Island Pubs column, supported by Sunrise Beverages. So settle in and enjoy reading the stories behind the selection of pubs from…
Graeme Bunn, property & acquisitions director, Red Oak Taverns
1. Earliest Memory of a Pub
I was lucky enough to grow up in Pinner, part of suburban North West London, which dates back many centuries to when it was a village way beyond London. As a result the high street was home to numerous pubs, many now sadly long gone. Each of them catered for different age groups. The Victoria was the one for 18-25 year-olds and also for those under 18, who were either lucky enough to look older or who had an elder sibling from which some ID could be borrowed! One of my earliest memories inside the pub was when I managed to persuade the doorman on a Friday night that I was indeed my 18-year-old brother. The noise, smoke, music and number of people was overwhelming but created a memory which remains as vivid today (some 35 years later) as when it was created.
2. Most Inspirational Pub to my Career
A frankly impossible question to answer with only a single pub. The pub world is littered with inspirational operators who provide inspirational venues. The one pub and operator who I am in awe of is Michael Belben and The Eagle, Farringdon. I have been lucky enough to work for, and know, Michael for almost 20 years, and during that time both Michael and The Eagle have remained constant. The original gastropub operated by the godfather of gastro pubs. A venue where food and hospitality take precedence over anything else. The chairs and tables might be on their last legs but the food is as perfect today as it was when Michael opened The Eagle in 1991. A truly inspirational venue.
3. My Current Local
I am fortunate to live in the south of Cornwall within the picturesque old harbour village of Charlestown. Being a stone’s throw from St Austell it is no surprise that the pubs are owned by the local family brewer. The Pier House is the gem of the harbour, overlooking the harbour walls and bay. Outside the tourist-dominated summer months, especially on a windy winter’s day, there is no better place to sink a couple while watching the waves crash against the harbour wall. Also being in a valley, mobile phone reception is non-existent – so no unwanted interruptions.
4. My Favourite Pub
The Queen’s Head, Pinner, is the only pub left on the high street and closest to the house where I grew up. It is the pub where I celebrated the milestone birthdays of 18 and 21, where I have drunk before family weddings, after family funerals. I spent the afternoon shell-shocked after the death of my father and did not want to go home or to his house just a few metres away. It is also the pub I would most like to buy for Red Oak Taverns, so Greene King if you are reading this, give me a call!
5. The Pub you’d like to take to the Island
Manners maketh the man. And so people maketh the pub. So, I would take any pub, provided it is filled with people, warmth, chatter, kindness, and a cracking steak sandwich.
6. The beer (unlimited supply) you’d take to the desert island?
I am an eclectic beer drinker, and freely roam along the bar. If the desert island is hot then something cold and fizzy would have to be chosen – such as Blonde du Mont-Blanc, which is a wonderfully refreshing beer from France that needs greater exposure in the UK. It is easily one of the best lagers around. If the desert island is cold then without doubt it would be Theakston’s Old Peculiar. Truly the daddy of dark beers and strong enough to ensure any cold is kept at bay.
Glynn Davis, editor, Beer Insider
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