Posts by Glynn Davis
Desert Island Pubs – Robert Thomas, founder/owner of Remarkable Pubs
Robert Thomas, founder/owner, Remarkable Pubs 1. Earliest Memory of a Pub In 1947 and before the IRA blew up Nelson’s column my parents emigrated to Dublin for a year or so from Bristol on an ill-fated business venture. My father had bought two shops, one of which housed the family above, opposite ‘O’Reilly’s’ pub located…
Read MoreDamm re-launches Eagle Brewery in Bedford
Spain-based family-owned brewer Damm officially re-launched the Eagle Brewery in Bedford after acquiring the historic site in 2022 and investing more than £70 million in a complete modernisation of the operation. Visitors to the re-launch, including Beer Insider, enjoyed a tour that boasts a state-of-the-art canning line and an additional brewstream that almost doubles capacity to 1.8 million hectolitres per year, with a…
Read MoreWonderful transformation of The White Horse & Bower
The beautifully tiled exterior of The White Horse & Bower pub in London’s Pimlico is thankfully matched by an equally impressive interior that shows clearly where owner Shepherd Neame has spent almost £1 million on a major transformation. The textured wall paper in the back dining room is even more of a feature when you…
Read MoreBook Review – The Good Beer Guide 2026
Fifty three years and counting. It’s that time of the year for the launch of CAMRA’s latest edition of The Good Beer Guide (GBG) when we can see if our favourite pubs have made the cut in the new publication. When I first bought the guide back in 1988 it was a slim-line 352 pages…
Read MoreDesert Island Pubs – Matt Snell, CEO of BoxPark
Matt Snell, CEO, BoxPark 1. Earliest Memory of a Pub I grew up in a pub, so all my early memories were in smoked-filled public houses, in Sheffield. The video juke box had just been invented and we had one in the games room, which made it feel like something from Back to the Future.…
Read MoreStriking out at The Sun Tavern
On an early Monday evening as the sun flooded into The Sun Tavern in London’s East End the tube strikes clogging up the city outside seemed very far away. They drifted even further into the distance after a few of the bar’s cocktails. What was previously something of an old geezers bar, I was told,…
Read MoreLet’s be more crisp with pub snacks
The hanging basket-adorned Cross Keys pub in Endell Street in Covent Garden was a regular stop-off point for me before heading for an Indian meal at the sadly long-gone Neel Akash restaurant (replaced by Sainsbury’s in Hanway Street). Another plus point was that it also stocked the rarely seen roast turkey and stuffing crisps from…
Read MoreGood news for pubs
Whenever my family and I venture out into the country on short breaks, my priority when booking the accommodation is the close proximity of a pub. This caused slight issues on our recent cycling trip, as the lovely Horse & Jockey in Manton, Rutland, was about 50 metres away from the Airbnb that I’d booked,…
Read MoreBook review – ‘Ale City – St Albans’ Beer History and Remarkable Pubs’
St Albans is a city I’ve visited infrequently even though each time has involved thoroughly enjoyable forays into its wonderful pubs. I’m not sure why I’ve not been more often but I’m definitely planning to return very soon as I’ve just completed reading a new book on the history of the city and its pubs.…
Read MoreDesert Island Pubs – Simon Potts, CEO, The Alchemist Bars & Restaurants
Simon Potts, CEO, The Alchemist Bars & Restaurants 1. Earliest Memory of a Pub I have one of those memories that has perhaps been forged more from my Dad’s retelling over the years – we were on the Isle of Mull on the annual holiday that we took with another couple of families. One day…
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