British Beer and a Bucket of Blood

My friend and colleague Steve (whose fill name shall not be revealed to protect the guilty), a British beer aficionado, has kindly suggested some quality beers I should try. One must remember Beer is as much a part of Britain as bangers and mash.



Recommendations include:


Old Speckled Hen



Theakston's Old Peculiar



Hobgoblin



Black Sheep



Fuller's ESB



Shepherd & Neame's Spitfire




London Pride




Of the above I have tried Spitfire, Hobgoblin, Old Speckled Hen and London Pride. They are needless to say "Brilliant!"




The Former Bucket of Blood Pub

To Quote from the following web site: http://www.pubs.com/pub_details.cfm?ID=204 Where Floral Street meets Garrick Lane, Rose Street cuts between the two. There you'll find the Lamb & Flag, a small wooden fronted pub. At over 300 years, it's the oldest in Covent Garden, and possibly one of the oldest in London if claims of a Tudor past are true. It used to be known as the Bucket of Blood because of the bare-fist fights that were held here. Today the only fight you'll see is the one to get to the busy bar. In 1679, the poet John Dryden is said to have been attacked by hired thugs in the alleyway at the side of the pub and was nearly killed. The upstairs bar is called the Dryden Room, presumably in honour of the man, rather than his beating. It's a good place to escape to when the ground floor bar is heaving. Downstairs , there's a delightfully simple olde-worlde cosy atmosphere, created by the low beams, wood panelling and bare pine floors. To the rear of the pub is a fireplace surrounded by wooden settles. The Lamb fills up in the evenings with office and shop workers and can get a bit too busy. In the summer, drinkers spill out into the courtyard.