Postcard from Norfolk -- Pub Grub

Dinner at 'The Ship' in Brancaster.  Note the bacon garnish.  There is no meal that cannot be improved through the simple addition of bacon.  In this case, liver.  A classic pairing.

It’s Friday night and at ‘The Ship’ in Brancaster every table is full of what could be described as ‘types’, although certainly not stereotypes, because these types are making enough noise for a full on surroundsound experience.

Which is no bad thing.  The background chatter is the aural equivalent of a flickering fire, making the room cosy.  Of course, it doesn’t hurt that there is the actual equiavalent of a flickering fire – a flickering fire – and that the lighting is just right, and that there are just the right number of tables spaced just so, that just being so that you are not banging elbows, conversations or opinions with the people next to you. 

This is not London.  This is a proper pub where food and drink and atmosphere are taken seriously.  That’s probably why it’s so popular.

On the table to my right a pair of mums and dads are having a dinner of weekend portions of wine garnished with a huge portion of fish and chips.  It’s good to see that having young children has not cut into their typical Friday night pattern of sodding off early from the office, flying up the M Way in their Volvo or Bald Man’s Wagon and being elbow deep in vino by six o’ clock.  The adults tuck into their wine (red for the men, white for the ladies) with nearly as much gusto as the kids tuck into their chips (dipping them in mayonnaise, ketchup is for chavs and soccer matches).

At the table next to them sit what might as well be their parents and grandparents.  The chaps are wearing white checked shirts, dark navy pullovers and a complexion that goes beyond ‘ruddy’ to a red normally associated with a warning sign.  In this case I would say the warningsign in question is: ‘you are one glass of claret away from going face down in your starter’.

Trouser of choice, corduroy.  Wellie of choice, Hunter.  Child’s name of choice, Toby, and that’s just the little girls.