I have to visit a lot of pubs in my line of work. I know, it’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it. But it’s not all beer and roses, or even pub lunches. As the Managing Editor of The Publican magazine I’m often analysing pubs from top to bottom for different projects or judging them for awards.
Guest Blog by Daniel Pearce, Managing Editor, The Publican magazine
The pubs that stand out tend to be those which are run by wonderful people, in great locations and with great food and drink.
One pub I visited recently certainly ticked at least the first two of those boxes, and I strongly suspect it would have ticked the third if only I’d had time to find out. I aim to put that right with a visit with my family in the near future, despite the fact that it is over an hour from where I live.
The pub, the Bat & Ball in Hambledon, Hampshire, is also a fantastic example of what the Inn England campaign is all about – pubs which England can truly be proud of, attracting customers from home and abroad with a proposition that is truly unique to our country. I’m pleased to see it is already listed on the website.
What’s so special about the Bat & Ball?
The fact that I got lost driving to the pub through places such as the Meon Valley, the Buster Hills – amazing evocative names and places – tells you everything about its location. With views to die for, it as quintessentially English as the field opposite it.
And here lies the history that has truly put the pub on the map. The pub is adjacent to a cricket pitch – in fact it was once the clubhouse of the Hambledon Cricket Club, one of the first cricket clubs in England and the birthplace of many of the laws of the game.
Inside many artefacts and testaments to its fascinating past adorn the walls – a real attraction for cricket lovers. And yet…I suspect that most customers don’t go there after watching cricket nearby, or to take in the museum-like cricketing memorabilia. The genuine friendliness and classic ‘warm welcome’ of the licensees Jason and Sandra is surely what keeps them coming back.
The food also comes highly recommended, although I’d be lying if I said I’d experienced it firsthand.
If it’s one thing I’ve learnt from visiting a lot of pubs it is that however good the location, however good the food and drink…none of that counts for anything if you get a cold welcome when you enter the place, or if the barman fails to look you in the eye. And as much as any pub deserves their place on the Inn England site because their location wilI attract a customer for a first visit, it is the service and the friendly welcome that will keep them coming back again and again.
We run a campaign of our own called Proud of Pubs, which seeks to promote the positive face of the pub trade, both within the trade as a means of highlighting best practice, and outside the trade to show customers how proud of the nation’s pubs they should be. The Bat & Ball, once again, ticks all the boxes.
Why not give it a visit and see if it ticks yours?
Visit www.InnEngland.com/ and tell us about your favourite pub.
Guest Blog by Daniel Pearce, Managing Editor, The Publican magazine
Have you seen the new Winchester Cricketing leaflet and website which features this pub and its history in relation to cricket?
Posted by: Kathleen McCulloch | August 14, 2009 at 01:06 PM