Wednesday Day Out Again

Caught the bus to Bristol (which was on time. Amazing, a fluke or am I time travelling again to a period when things like regular buses that arrived and departed on time were the norm and quite unremarkable?). I walked through the Farmers Market in Corn Street and bought a Pieminister PM pie for Friday's lunch. A little pricey at £3.00 but truly delicious. Then I met Pete in the Commercial Rooms and bought a pint of Vale Ale 4.3%. The service in the Commercial Rooms on a lunchtime leaves a lot to be desired. It is not uncommon to wait for 15-20 minutes to be served. The staff are rushing around but have little idea of who is next in line. So then tend to serve those who claim to be next in line. This can be very frustrating and I have seen people leave because they have been waiting too long and see people who come in after them getting served first. Perhaps a simple ticket system, like that used in supermarkets, would stop queue jumping and give staff a much better idea of whom to serve next. Rant over back to the beer. Unfortunately the Vale Ale was a little cloudy. It tasted fine. However, it put me off so Pete and I travelled on foot to the Bank. A real ale pub but most of their real ale was off I think they were awaiting a delivery. The Bank is nice proper pub, service is good and beer good. We had a pint of Severn Vale Session 3.4%. Still no active web site from this brewery yet just a page describing the ale they brew. Eager to try a beer that I have not drunk before we repaired to the White Lion on the centre. We started with a Wickwar Bankers Draft 4.0%. A beer I enjoyed. Next we ordered a Cotswold Way 4.2% again from the Wickwar Brewery we felt that tradition had to be followed and share a bowl of chips. However, chips were not on the menu so we ordered a ham and cheese sandwich. Pete had cheddar and I had stilton. I thought that these open sandwiches were a bit pricey at £3.95 each. However, the amount of cheese and ham was very generous between two very large and thick slices of delicious wholemeal bread.  They came with a ramekin of branston style chutney and a large pickled onion. Much more than just a snack. Delicious as these sandwiches were I would have preferred a bowl of chips. Next time I think that perhaps we would share one sandwich instead of scoffing one each. A very enjoyable day out as it always is. Tonight is Jim's birthday treat. More on that tomorrow.