Desert Island Pubs – Tom McManus, commercial & operations manager, McManus Managed Pub Co.

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…

Tom McManus, commercial & operations manager, McManus Managed Pub Co. Limited

1. Earliest Memory of a Pub

I grew up in and out of pubs but one in particular I spent a lot of time in was Barratts Club. As a toddler, I was looked after by a lovely Irish lady called Ellen who used to feed me sausage and chips at the bar whilst my parents were busy, so I got very comfortable in pubs very quickly!

My first real memory of a pub though was watching the 1999 Champions’ League final at Barratts. My dad had gone to Barcelona to watch the match with Heineken and mum took me and a friend to watch the game at the pub. I was only nine years old so I was lucky to be out on a school night. As a passionate [Manchester] United fan, chanting ‘Where’s your Treble gone?’ to the three Bayern Munich fans in there at the end is definitely a defining pub memory. Barratts has always had a great atmosphere for the big games, I still go there today for live sport whenever I can. Despite SKY trying their best to price pubs out of showing live sport, I’d love to open more sports bars in the future.

2. Most Inspirational Pub to my Career

It would have to be The Brampton Halt, a pub that my Dad and Uncle bought in the early 2000s and I now have a part in running. They transformed it from a small village local into a hugely popular destination pub. One of my Dad’s biggest strengths is having creative vision when it comes to seeing what a property could become and how people will behave in a space. The original refit in 2005 extended the main building and introduced a lake with plenty of outdoor seating.

They continued to innovate by adding a marquee for private events, outdoor bar and BBQ, and most recently a kids’ play area, which has been a huge success. I really believe that a lack of investment, sitting still and not trying new things is fatal to pubs so I love to see this place continually evolve.

The Brampton Halt was also my local growing up so I got a lot of customer experience, understanding it and seeing how it developed and grew. The first GM was there for 19 years and lived and breathed the place. He had a real ‘Say Yes’ mind-set of going above and beyond for guests, an incredible work ethic and wanted to make The Brampton Halt ‘the greatest place in the whole world’! I’m definitely looking for that positive attitude in anyone that we take on now.

3. My Current Local

I live on the edge of town so have a few locals and not one that I’d say is a regular haunt, not least because I have two little girls who curtail my pub going these days. There’s a good village pub called The Bold Dragoon about 20 minutes’ walk away, next to my brother’s house, and the new owners have done a good job of bringing it back to life so I like going there. However, we have just completed a big refurbishment on The Phipps, a neighbourhood pub about five minutes’ walk away with great, food, live sport and live music so I think that will definitely become my go-to pub locally – the opening has been great.

4. My Favourite Pub

I’m a bit of a history geek so love an old pub with plenty of character – we have an 18th century site in Northampton with an epic history. They used to distil their spirits in tubs in the attic and they came down through pipes into taps behind the bar which we still have in place – I love it.

I spent most of my 20s in London and for me you can’t beat an after work beer on the street, resting your beer on a wide windowsill, outside a beautiful, ornate, tiled Victorian pub. There’s something about the way that those London pubs fill up and spill out over the streets that creates such a brilliant, unique atmosphere. There are so many that tick the box in Soho and the City but I’m going to go for either The Warrington Hotel or The Prince Alfred in Maida Vale after a day watching the cricket at Lord’s.

5. The Pub you’d like to take to the Island

I’ve been weighing up a few pubs for this, all for similar reasons, all very different sites. I’d want something that has classic interior features and feels like a pub but then an epic outside space. The first one I thought about is The Ship in Wandsworth – busy, lively, great food, strong beer selection, and great outdoor space with bar & kitchen.

The second is The Original Oak in Headingley – as a student this was one of my favourite pubs in Leeds, memories from rugby socials, Otley runs, and long days sat in the beer garden. However, I’m going to go for The Faltering Fullback in Finsbury Park. This is an awesome pub in a great area of London that I used to live in. The Fullback serves excellent Thai food, which I can eat every day forever so is perfect for the island; it has an awesome and pretty unique garden, which is beautifully kept; the original interior part of the pub is classic and has a really lovely central bar with good drinks selection; and vitally, it shows all the sport you need so I’d be very happy settling in there.

6. The beer (unlimited supply) you’d take to the desert island?

I like a Winter Guinness and a Summer lager but I think for all year round you’ve got to stick with lager. I spent two years living in Hong Kong so I think I’ll go with something that reminds me of the good times there and is also tried-and-trusted in all year round warm weather. Tsingtao and Asahi are big contenders for the title but I’m going to go for Sapporo, which is a top quality, well rounded Japanese lager, perfect in an ice cold glass and great memories of drinking this with friends at HKFC.

Glynn Davis, editor, Beer Insider

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