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Well, The Inn sprung to life last week with Easter travellers returning and the skies reopening after the volcanic ash shutdown. And when I say sprung to life, I mean roared in with customers descending like hungry and thirsty locusts onto a crop of tasty vegetation! Rosie is very nervous as stocks are low and she is worried we might not make Thursday without something running out. Bombardier was a great success, as was our St George’s Night Dinner. Wee had a great meal and ramblings about what it is to be English, a good old singsong and a raffle and auction which raised £400 for Help For Heroes - a great evening.
The Bombardier was so popular that it only lasted 24 hours and we then went on to Otter bitter from Devon, which too has been much appreciated and is almost gone as I write, on Monday evening. The price we have to charge for our beers is a great bone of contention and despite being what I consider to be ridiculously expensive still doesn’t make us anywhere near what it should. Up in the lakes, really good beers from small independent breweries were about £2.60 to £2.80, before the last budget. Us? About £3.30, and they were making a better margin than us. Ho Hum! Despite the prices we sell good amounts of real ale and it was great to see three young diners, late 20’s I guess, having Otter Bitter with their lunch on Sunday. The flavour of ales can be really good with food - ever tried it? Go on, give it a go.
On Saturday we held a ‘You the Jury’ wine tasting lunch to taste 8 Italian wines to see whether you thought they ought to be on the winelist. We had a good turnout - about 40 people - and I have tabulated the results below.
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Price
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Average
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On List
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On List
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Score
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????
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Prosecco
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Sparkling
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£27.50
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7.769231
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Yes
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Gavi di Tasserolo 2008
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White
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£24.95
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7.307692
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Yes
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Colli di Luna Vermentino 2007
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White
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£24.99
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6.076923
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No
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Roero Arneis 2007
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White
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£24.95
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7.769231
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Yes
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Dolcetto do Dogliano 2007
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Red
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£35.00
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7.192308
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Yes
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Carmenere Piu 2007
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Red
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£27.50
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7.384615
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Yes
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Rossi di Montalcino 2006
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Red
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£35.00
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7.692308
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Yes
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Chiant Classico 2006
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Red
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£37.50
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6.923077
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No
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For £30 per person including wine it was good value and good fun too.
Tomorrow I am off to London to face a panel of interviewers for the BII Innkeeper of the Year finals. I am not sure what they are looking for so I can’t really do any revision, whatever will be, will be, as it says in the song. I am really surprised and pleased to have got to the last six and will just be my jolly self on the day - wish me luck!
Later in the week, on Thursday, we have a Golf Day at Worplesdon. There are still a few slots if you fancy a game, just give us a call at the pub. After that, the first May Bank Holiday when the landlord, that’s me, might just take on all comers at Boules if the weather is good enough. Fancy coming down for a toss? Why not, the weather will be lovely, we hope!
Hope to see you here over the weekend, if not, very soon,
Happy drinking and eating
Gerry
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