Norfolk & Beer: Those Pubs Of The Day

Before I forget and get carried away with Ratebeer Euro Summer gathering articles, there's a few things left to write about my Norfolk trip. Plenty of pubs were visited; only a couple were genuinely disappointing, a few were missed out on due to their reduced opening hours. But there were some absolute gems; here's the best of the best from each day.

Sunday - The Bull, Walsingham - OK, they still don't serve hoppy beer, it's still pricey, it still gets ram-packed with pilgrims but... there's something about dropping off your luggage, arriving here for opening time and sitting outside in the sun with a pint of Aspalls. That's when I know the holiday has truely begun.

Monday - The Jolly Sailors, Brancaster Staithe - no hoppy beers (again) but a decent pint of their own brew (Brancaster Best). Rooms to suit all needs - cosy bar, TV room, dining area, conservatory, large beer garden - and the tastiest whitebait I've had in ages

Tuesday - a dead heat between the Victoria, Holkham and the Three Horseshoes, Warham. The former had an almost-colonial feel in the lounge bar and a great beer selection (Wolf, Dark Star, Adnams, Woodfordes). The latter was an eighteenth-century gem crammed full of knick-knacks and bar games (Norfolk Twister, anyone?), beers served on gravity, proper cider from Whin Hill and the best chicken suet pudding I've ever tasted.

Wednesday - The George, Dereham. On the edge of the town, the George was an ideal spot for a long lunch. Smart-looking hotel bar with no pretentions, hearty snacks, top quality Grain Summertime and some of the least-miserable bar staff I've met.

Thursday - Ugly Bug Inn, Colton. Tucked away down lanes that seem destined to end in a cowshed. With a comfy bar and dining room overlooking the gardens, this was a treasure of a pub to find after a long hot day at the Norfolk Show. The beers were of cracking quality; excellent Beeston Worth The Wait and Humpty Dumpty Reedcutter. Wonderfully engaging landlord who was happy chatting about the beers and the Royal Norfolk show, brought over the specials board over for us to peruse and found the time to say goodbye when we left. The food was superlative; huge portion sizes (Bec's fish pie could have fed her three times over) and my seafood salad had a great combo that included fresh Lowestoft smoked salmon and Cromer crab. The samphire that had arrived in fresh that day was some of the best I've tasted.

Friday - Kings Head, Norwich. A stripped bare boozer redolent of some Castle Rock pubs I know. There's a small room faceing the main road with a larger one to the rear, both served by a central bar stocked exclusively with East Anglian beer and cider. Proper no-nonsense boozer that should be an essential stop off point on any Norwich crawl.

Saturday - The Plough Inn, Horbling - tucked away in a village not too far from the A52, this is just the kind of pub I hope to find for a weekend lunch. Quiet bar and the snuggest snug I've seen. Just the one cask ale (Adnams Explorer) but I'd rather they served one in decent nick than four dodgy ones. Excellent food - my half-pounder burger certainly felt weighty - so the bacon, cheese and curly fries with it made for a substantial lunch. Landlady Karen was cheery and helpful. it was an ideal pub to break up the journey home and I hope it's not another year before I return.

Pub of the week? Almost impossible to call; each of them had many of those qualities that'd I look for in my perfect pub. But the Ugly Bug is a place I could see myself returning to over and over again - particularly as it offers accommodation as well. It had that rare combination of well-kept beer, superb fresh food and genuine bonhomie. If I close my eyes tightly, I can still taste the samphire....