Posted:  Monday 17 August 2009

North East Associates
Summer Pub Lunches

- May, June & July 2009 -

Readers, here we are again - the gourmets of the North East.

Normally it's sunny May, 'not today' wet, windy and cold on the 5th.

The pub beckons and with it warm nourishing grub, 'not today'.

The Marquis of Granby on Lobley Hill, Gateshead has a new kitchen, that does not work.  We sit and drink (slowly), chat and look at the menu.

Every ten minutes we are assured the kitchen is in operation, after 50 minutes the chat is drying up, grumpiness sets in even though we are sitting in a lovely room with a picture window view of the car park!

We then hear the immortal words "it's working", doom and gloom disappear as after a further 30 minutes meals start arriving.  The food is very good, I am having double haddock and chips with mushy peas and the usual condiment - real ale - not bad for £10.50.  At the end, myself and 24 other diners make the most of an unusual pub lunch.

June arrives, it's the 10th with warm sunshine, a beautiful day in South Shields at the Sea Hotel.  It's situated on a concrete island between the hoppings and the boat lake (prime location).
After the debacle of last month, how many will attend?  Would you believe it, 27 diehards showed up, I am overwhelmed.

The Sea Hotel gives us a fantastic reserved room, the staff are excellent and the food is extremely good, I had home made steak and ale pie with a pint of ale to keep it company - £11.
All together a great day out - yipee!!

A nice finish to the meal - a walk of a mile to the end of the pier, and then a mile back! For some!!  ed.

The year moves on rapidly, it's July the 9th and again warm and sunny.
We are at the seaside once more, this time North Shields at the Magnesia Bank.
The name comes from the fact is was previously a bank but no one knows the Magnesia bit (pity that).
The turnout is average at 26.

Reading this article you may think it's the same people attending these lunches at 25, 27, 26, however I can assure it's not.
When you compare the names of the attendees you see we have at least 50 different lunchers.

It's time to go, thanks for looking in, we'll talk again soon.

Signing off,

  Keith Stokoe

P.S.  Did you get the May 4th joke from last time?

P.P.S.  Hoppings = fairground rides

P.P.P.S.  The thumbnail picture on the 'News' page is of the bandstand in S. Shields South Marine Park, not a UFO!

(ph  17/08/2009)

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