#brook Pub Cambridge

[brookpub]

Desi Pub in Cambridge | Desi Pub - Brook Pub, Cambridge

When you step foot in a Desi Pub, you'll be whisked away on a gastronomic adventure. It's where the heady spices of authentic Indian cuisine and the welcoming atmosphere of a pub come together in perfect harmony. In the middle of Cambridge, you'll find Brook Pub, a model of what Desi Pub in Cambridge are all about. It provides customers with an unmatched experience that combines authenticity with innovation in the culinary world. What makes Brook Pub the pinnacle of Desi Pub's brilliance is its unique blend, so let's dive into it.

Desi Pub in Cambridge   

In Cambridge, you'll find Brook Pub, which is more than a restaurant. It's a gastronomic journey that combines the best of Indian and pub culture. You are greeted with an atmosphere that portrays a story of two worlds living in harmony the moment you walk through the doors.

Sensual Eating:

Step inside Brook Desi Pub in Cambridge and be transported to the bustling streets of India by the enticing scent of spices. The decor is an exquisite assemblage of contemporary design with selected traditional Indian touches. Modern furnishings, rich hues, and elaborate patterns create an ambience that is at once immersing and comfortable.

The diners' animated conversation and giggles set the mood for the gastronomic adventure that is about to begin. Brook Pub creates an atmosphere that promotes relaxation and companionship, perfect for discovering authentic flavours.

Traditional Recipes with a Modern Twist 

Modern Takes on Traditional Dishes 

Traditional Indian meals with modern twists are the bread and butter of Brook Pub's menu. Some old favourites are back on the menu, but with a modern spin that takes them to a whole new level: butter chicken, biryani, and samosas.

Envision yourself enjoying butter chicken sliders. It is a delectable combination of juicy chicken and buttery deliciousness, offered in a contemporary and sharing format. The chefs' commitment to both preserving history and embracing culinary innovation is evident in the food at Brook Pub.

Regional Delights: A Culinary Journey 

Indulge in a culinary journey through the several areas of India at Brook Pub. The menu showcases Indian subcontinental cuisine. Starting from fiery southern curries to delicate northern specialties.

Envision yourself savouring the aromatic flavours of a Kashmiri Rogan Josh or the zesty joys of Mumbai street-style chaat. Indulge in a delectable culinary adventure without ever leaving your seat. As each dish is a prepared reflection of the region it originates from.

Epic Street Food Extravaganza 

The vibrant Indian street food scene is celebrated at Brook Pub with dishes that are sure to please. Indulge in some street-style chaats, pav bhaji, and golgappas. That showcase the vibrant street food culture found in India's busy marketplaces.

At Brook Pub, you can immerse yourself in the vibrant and filthy world of street food. It's not about flavours, though; it's an experience worth having. It's all about savouring the riot of textures and flavours that is street cuisine in India.

Culinary Masters Behind the Scenes 

The talented chefs at Brook Pub are the secret sauce, bringing their knowledge and enthusiasm to every dish they prepare. They are artists who have mastered the subtleties of traditional Indian cuisine. Who are now using their talents to create dishes that push the bounds of taste.

Indian Spirits & Handcrafted Cocktails 

Brook Pub takes the same care in selecting its drinks as it does its food. Indian spices, fruits, and flavours serve as inspiration for mixologists as they create drinks that stress the vibrant and varied flavours of Indian cuisine. Every cocktail is a well-balanced masterpiece, whether it's a tropical fruit blend or one laced with masala chai.

The innovative cocktails at Brook Pub are only the beginning. The bar is also proud of its collection of speciality beers and Indian spirits. Indulging in a refreshing glass of spiced rum or a cold Indian lager complements the authentic eating experience and brings together the various ethnicities present in the restaurant.

Brook Pub redefines social dining 

The Power of Community: 

In addition to its first-rate food, Brook Pub helps shape the future of communal eating. Brook Pub embraces the communal nature of traditional Indian dinners. Shareable meals are promoted on the menu, creating an atmosphere where people may enjoy a variety of flavours with friends and family.

Entertainment and Events 

Not only is Brook Pub a great place to eat, but it is also a great place to celebrate culture and enjoy live entertainment. The Brook Pub comes alive with cultural activities, themed nights, and live music. Experience an immersive atmosphere that transcends typical eating with activities like Bollywood nights, live performances by local bands, or celebrations of Indian festivals.

A Cambridge Flavour Paradise: Brook Pub 

As we approach to the end of our gastronomic journey at Brook Pub, it's clear that this place has perfected the balance between old and new. It exemplifies how Desi Pubs can revolutionise the food scene by providing a fresh take on traditional dishes.

Brook Pub in Cambridge is more than a restaurant. It's a meeting place for many cultures, where the diverse flavours of Indian food meet the warmth of a traditional pub atmosphere. The greatest Desi Pub in Cambridge, Brook Pub is the place to go for an unparalleled experience in authentic and inventive cuisine. Thanks to its culinary masters, its prepared menu, and its lively atmosphere.

[watchliverugbyscreeningbrookpub]

Watch Live Rugby Screenig at The Brook Pub | World Cup 2023

The Rugby World Cup 2023 will feature the greatest rugby players in the world competing in a high-stakes tournament. The tournament is a spectacle that brings countries together every four years in the purpose of friendly competition and sportsmanship. Watch Live Rugby Screenig at The Brook Pub. Let's go into the specifics of this much-talked-about happening World Cup 2023.

Watch Live Rugby Screenig : World Cup 2023 

Countries and Cities Taking Part in World Cup 2023:

Twenty countries will compete for rugby's highest honour at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Rugby superpowers like New Zealand, South Africa, England, Australia, and France are among those taking part, along with other formidable competitors from throughout the world. The games will be played in multiple French locales, showcasing the country's enduring passion for rugby and its distinguished sporting history.

Why the Rugby World Cup Matters:

The Rugby World Cup is more than simply a competition; it's a festival honouring the way that rugby brings together people from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. It gives athletes a chance to show the world their tremendous talents, dedication, and sportsmanship on a global stage. In addition, it promotes international goodwill by providing participants and spectators with unforgettable experiences.

The Rugby World Cup is a chance for the host nation to show off its hospitality, facilities, and dedication to the sport. It unites people and spreads a spirit of celebration and anticipation throughout the host towns.

Watch Live Rugby Screening at The Brook Pub Cambridge:

The enthusiasm of the Rugby World Cup 2023 among residents of Cambridge, England, is about to reach new heights. The Brook Pub near Mill Road in Cambridge, will host an exciting live screening event from September 8th to October 1st, 2023. So do not miss a chance to Watch Live Rugby Screenig at The Brook Pub, Cambridge.

An exceptional game-watching experience is guaranteed at The Brook Pub near Holiday Inn express, thanks to its cutting-edge screens and an ambience that captures the pure essence of rugby. No matter how serious or casual a rugby fan you are, you should be here.

Why Watch Live Rugby Screenig at The Brook Pub

Atmospheric Immersion: 

You can feel the excitement and anticipation the moment you enter The Brook Pub. The atmosphere of the tavern is meant to make each cheer and tackle feel real.

Fine Dining: 

Get your fill of delicious food and drinks to add to the excitement of the game. There is a wide variety of food available, from traditional pub fare to gourmet specialties.

Group of Fans: 

Come together with other die-hard rugby supporters and commiserate about the ups and downs of the sport. The energy of the crowd enhances the show in unexpected ways.

Convenient Spot: 

The Brook Pub in Cambridge is conveniently located on Mill Road, giving it a great place to watch a game without having to travel far.

Savoring the Game:

Rugby fans from all around the world are getting excited not only for the thrilling matches that will be played in 2023, but also for the delicious treats that will be served at this year's Rugby World Cup. The food at the World Cup, like the sport itself, is a celebration of cultures and flavours from all around the world.

Delectable Dishes from Around the World: World Cup 2023

New Zealand:

Hangi: 

Meat and vegetables are slow-cooked in an earth oven, a traditional Mori cooking method, until they are tender and full of flavour.

Pavlova: 

Pavlova, a dessert made of meringue and topped with whipped cream and fruit, is a crowd pleaser.

Japan:

Sashimi and sushi: 

Traditional Japanese fare, including the likes of sushi and sashimi, will undoubtedly be on the menu.

France:

Pastries and Croissants: 

Croissants and other delicate pastries are a hallmark of French patisseries, and it's hard to resist their buttery sweetness.

South Africa:

Biltong: 

Biltong is a type of dried, cured beef that is quite popular among rugby fans because of its delicious, savoury flavour.

Boerewors: 

Grilled to perfection and accompanied by a variety of condiments, this South African sausage is a culinary staple.

Australia:

Pot Pies: 

Australians love these savoury pork pies made with flaky crust and devour them while watching the game.

Drinks to Quench:

New Zealand:

Sauvignon Blanc: 

New Zealand's world-class Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect light and crisp beverage to enjoy while watching the game.

Ireland:

Guinness: 

Many rugby fans can't watch the game without a pint of Guinness, a powerful and velvety beer.

 Argentina:

Malbec: 

Malbec, the flagship red wine of Argentina, has a rich, fruity flavour that goes well with grilled foods.

Japan:

Sake: 

Try this Japanese rice wine, made in everything from dry to sweet varieties, for a true sense of Japan.

England:

Cider: 

Ciders made from apples are a popular beverage in England and are often seen as a lighter and more refreshing alternative to beer.

Brook Pub Drinks: World Cup 2023

Come celebrate the arrival of the Rugby World Cup 2023 with some of the finest British Pub Food and Drinks at the Brook Pub near Mill Road. We like providing our guests with a wide selection of the finest wines, gins, whiskies, Best Pitcher’s and cask-conditioned beers. You may support your team with your loved ones at your side.

Watch Live Rugby Screenig at The Brook Pub which is just one of several events we'll be showing here at the bar. The Facebook page will be the place to find out about all of our upcoming activities.

[devouringcambridge]

Sunday Roast at The Brook

I'm not an expert, but to me, the concept of a Sunday Roast is as British as afternoon tea or adding 'innit' to the end of all your sentences. There are so many pubs that offer this quintessential British cuisine, but today, I'm reviewing the Sunday Roast offered at The Brook. Located on Mill Road, The Brook is a cozy-sized pub with a warm atmosphere and some delicious ciders available...but how does their Sunday Roast hold up?

British Top Side Roast Beef with Horseradish Sauce (15 pounds)

I had such MIXED FEELINGS about this Sunday Roast. It was a roller coaster of emotions served up with a half-vat of gravy on the side. Some bites had my eyes rolling back in my head with ecstasy. Other bites belonged in the frozen aisle of a discount grocery store. Because of this, I'll rank each item, individually, from worst to best.

6. The Vegetables

I adore roasted veggies. Throw some broccoli, carrots, onions, and cloves of garlic on a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, toss some salt and pepper on top, and chuck that baby into the oven and I am more than happy. But these veggies had no tales to tell - they were bland, flavorless, steamed, and unhappy. Just like me after eating the lifeless carrots.

5. Top Side Beef

Seeing as it's called a Sunday ROAST, you'd think the meat would be the star of the show. And while it looks quite nice in the picture, the beef was so dry that I had to resort to dunking it into the gravy in order to make it palatable. It also didn't have much flavor beyond the gravy itself, which leads me to...

4. The Gravy

Solidly fine, and served with a generous portion. However, could do with more of a flavor PUNCH. As it was, I used it mostly as a moist-maker.

3. The Stuffing

And all of a sudden we jump from 'solidly fine' to 'oh my god, I wish I could ask for seconds.' The stuffing is invisible in this picture, and was a surprise to me. In fact, now that I'm writing this, I'm wondering if I got a different roast than the one on the menu...perhaps a holiday offering? Because stuffing isn't mentioned in the description, and I'm just realizing that there was no horseradish sauce in sight, either...hmm, well, all's well that ends well, because I'm glad for the swap. This stuffing was moist and packed with flavor - it tasted of salt, herbs, and garlic, and had a dense, crumbly texture. My only complaint was that there was such a small amount - it hid beneath the potatoes, a noble treasure.

2. The Yorkshire Pudding

My first bite of the Sunday Roast was a chunk of the fluffy, soft Yorkshire Pudding - and I can't be certain I didn't moan. It's been six months since the last time I had a Yorkshire Pudding, and I now realize that that is far too long. Honestly, I know a lot of people rag on British food, but the Yorkshire Pudding deserves to be appreciated internationally. I just wish I could describe it better, for those who've never tried one. It's almost like...the love child of a souffle, a pancake, and pita bread...but also different from all of those things. The texture is NEXT LEVEL. So freaking fluffy. And the perfect vessel for soaking up pan sauces and gravy. Ugh, I would have traded the beef for another Yorkshire Pudding with no hesitation. And honestly, the Yorkshire Pudding was probably THE best thing on the plate...but, they're also pretty hard to get wrong. Put a Yorkie P on my plate, and I'll be happy almost always. Although, I won't take away from The Brook here - they do a particularly good one.

The Roast Potatoes

After tasting the sad veg, I feared the potatoes would also be steamed and unseasoned. Instead, The Brook said 'try the best fucking roasted potatoes you've ever had, ye of little fucking faith.'

Crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside, these taters were perfectly cooked. Flavorful on their own, they verged on orgasmic when slathered in gravy. And I don't even usually LIKE roast potatoes!

So, now, hopefully, you see why this Sunday Roast is hard to rate. How do you compare the worst steamed veggies I've ever had - even the ones in elementary school had salt on them - to the fucking best roast potatoes I've ever had?! It's madness. Madness! While the stuffing and the Yorkshire puddings also pull their own weight, I will say, because the meat is supposed to be the focal point of a Sunday Roast, I'm going to have to give this particular roast at The Brook a...

Rating: 6 out of 10 Gravy Boats

Honestly, if I had just been handed a plate of Yorkshire Pudding and Roast Potatoes, the score would have been much higher...although I'd be eating nothing but carbs. Still. Some things in life are worth every bite, while other things - like the dry beef - are barely worth chewing.

[thebrookblog]

The Brook Local Pub Mill road | Sports Pub in Mill Road | Late Night Pub Cambridge

As we all are aware that Cambridge is a home for some best Universities in the World. It’s a place that also attracts a lot of tourists for its heritage, Culture and Fashion making it as a Fashion hub. These are the factors that introduced British pub culture to the people and the world. It’s very common for everyone to find drinking spots at every corner of the city following the old traditional methods.

The Brook local pub offers Cambridge customers a unique drinking experience.   It’s warm and cosy environment is quite popular with the locals and tourists alike. We offer one of the best Cask Ales also known as Cask-conditioned beers that undergo secondary fermentation in the barrel and using a hand operated hydraulic pump, the beer is drawn up from the cellar into the glass. One important thing is that the beer should never be flat. We also serve wide variety of Gins with Superior fever tree tonics, some great Whiskies, Rums and an excellent selection on Wines.

For more information please see the link below:

https://thebrookcambridge.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-brook-local-pub-cambridge-sports.html

[pittrarebooks]

Anxiety and Stress by Susan Lark: Advice for Coping with Anxiety from the 1990s Popular Psychology Text in Archives & Special Collections

This blog post was written by Taylor Brooks, a student employee in Archives & Special Collections. 

I am a Psychology/ Social Work major and I chose to write about this topic because it hits close to home for me. As a student, anxiety levels can increase, so I wanted to bring some light to this topic and help give ways to cope with it. 

Anxiety is something that most people deal with at some point in their lives. Anxiety can mean a person is in a state of being uneasy, apprehensive, or worried. The feeling of anxiety can often make a person feel that they are powerless in a situation. It is one of the most inevitable parts of life. There are many different types of anxiety, according to the Diagnostic Statistics Manual-3 (DSM), including social anxiety, generalized anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and many others.  

(Above) Cover of Anxiety and Stress by Susan Lark, 1993. Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System.

In the 1993 book Anxiety and Stress by Susan Lark, held by Archives & Special Collections, Lark explains some of the risk factors of anxiety. “These include physiological imbalance, genetic factors, family programming, major long and short-term life stresses, and personal belief systems.” Self-evaluation can help people become aware of possible risk factors based on lifestyle habits, as well as the existence of health problems that can trigger anxiety symptoms.  

Lark goes over many ways you can better your anxiety. In her book, she shows how eating healthier foods can play a role in preventing and relieving anxiety and stress. Breathing exercises help because you are getting more oxygen into your body and allowing your body to regulate itself. If you do breathing exercises while having a panic attack it can help, give you something else to focus on and be able to calm down. Physical exercise can help “discharge physical and emotional tension that accompanies a vigorous session of exercise directly and immediately reduces anxiety and stress.” 

(Above) “Monthly Calendar of Anxiety Symptoms” worksheet, page 46,  Anxiety and Stress by Susan Lark, 1993. Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System.

Currently in 2022 the CDC estimates 9.4 percent of children, ages 3-17, have been diagnosed with anxiety. Anxiety symptoms are common in all children at various times and circumstances. Anxiety interferes with cognitive processing. “It is possible that a child or adolescent might be miserable and show significant social maladjustment but maintain acceptable school performance.” 

Work Cited 

Cambridge University Press. DSM-III: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition. 3rd ed., The American Psychiatric Association, 1985. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, April 13). Anxiety and depression in children: Get the facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 12, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/features/anxiety-depression-children.html#:~:text=Anxiety%20and%20depression%20affect%20many,diagnosed%20anxiety%20in%202016%2D2019. 

House, Alvin. DSM-IV Diagnosis in the Schools, Revised Edition. Guilford Publications, 2002. 

Lark, Susan. Anxiety and Stress: A Self-Help Program (The Women’s Health Series). Westchester Pub Co, 1993. 

[viviansternwood]

if a modern au bellarke fic was set in England

So @arysafics brought up the fact that those of us who aren’t American have to always stress about getting contextual details right in Bellarke fics. 

It made me think, what would a Bellarke story be like if it was set in England?

For a university AU, Clarke would be going to Cambridge, not Harvard. Which means Bellamy would have to be going to Anglia Ruskin University (which is also located in the city of Cambridge) because, raising Octavia, he wouldn’t have had the time to get the kind of grades that get you into Cambridge. Alternatively, it could be Oxford and Oxford Brookes.

Bellamy wouldn’t need to juggle three jobs to be able to support himself and Octavia, and he wouldn’t need to take any years out to earn money for Octavia’s university degree, too. Because in England anyone who wants to can go to uni and get student and maintenance loans.

With maintenance loans, the lower your income, the more you get, which means Bellamy would 100% qualify for the maximum. He’d be able to live reasonably well on that, especially if he had a part-time job. And he’d also be able to get maximum bursary from his university.

Clarke would have no loans though, her parents would pay for everything, obviously.

But Bellamy also wouldn’t have to worry about medical insurance for himself or Octavia because we have NHS who treat everyone the same, money or not. <3

He would probably have to rent some sort of flat (unless Aurora’s parents leave her some sort of a house in a will) because no one here can afford a house without a mortgage unfortunately.

Instead of having house parties, they would all be going to clubs (or pubs) because, reminder, legal drinking age is 18.

They definitely wouldn’t have any classes together because Clarke would probably be doing medicine or art, and Bellamy something like history. People here do a degree and not a major, so you only really do your own subject and that’s it.

University accommodation is 99% single rooms, so the whole Octavia or Raven as Clarke’s roommate trope wouldn’t be possible. They could be flatmates though, because self-catered accommodation here is flats mostly.

As adults, they probably wouldn’t be living in London because no one can afford that in their twenties. 

They’d be getting “takeaway”, not “takeout”.

Also, besides pizza, burgers, chinese and all that, they would also be eating fish and chips from time to time because, who doesn’t love that? (Oh and don’t forget cheesy chips.)

For burgers though, Byron would Clarke’s favourite place.

While on the topic of food, I’m sorry but Clarke really strikes me as someone who would love marmite and toast (and with cheese). Bellamy would absolutely hate it though.

 Clarke and Bellamy would start arguments on Facebook with people who are pro-Brexit and would absolutely hate Theresa May.

For the whole Abby Griffin as a politician trope, she’d probably be Secretary of State for Health.

And she would most definitely not work for the NHS, she’d go private because it pays more.

Clarke would work for the NHS if she’s a doctor, though. 

Bellamy would have no problem qualifying as a teacher here because you can find a position that pays you during that year you qualify.

He’d really enjoy teaching year 7s all about ancient Greece and Rome. 

Feel free to add more! <3

[lewishamledger]

Smells like team spirit

Monday night is the best night of the week for TV for a good part of the year at least... well, it most definitely is if you like quizzes. 

Apart from all the usual tea-time favourites, you can regularly tune in to BBC2 from 8pm and enjoy a double-whammy of Only Connect (brilliantly hosted by Victoria Coren) swiftly followed by the long-running University Challenge (acerbicly chaired by Jeremy Paxman).

Obviously, Goldsmiths will always be the team that I support due to local loyalty but as soon as they went out of the competition in the current series, I had to find a new team to follow and that team was Imperial.

The college have a decent enough pedigree having won in 1995-96 and also in 2000-01, and this year, they’ve made the semi-finals at the very least. This team is strong right across the board and they’re all hugely likeable.

Their captain is a local lad done good – the mild-mannered and bespectacled Caleb Rich - who is studying Controlled Quantum Dynamics.

He seems proud of the fact he’s from the blue borough, as he always states he’s from Lewisham on every round he’s appeared thus far.

‘I was born in Brockley and brought up there until I went away to university - I was at Oxford before Imperial. The area has definitely gone up market in recent years.

‘I actually applied for University Challenge a few times when I was at Oxford. The one year that I didn’t make it onto the team, they made it onto TV so it didn’t quite work out for me.’

This series however, he made it through to be in Imperial’s final four.

‘Luckily I managed to come back and do it again. The first round was a written quiz with quite a few people taking that. There were around 40 people when I was there and I think there were a couple of other days when people could do it.

‘And then the second round was a buzzer round so they invited the best people back to play a few match-style rounds and I was picked from that.

‘I’d never met the others in the team before. We didn’t really know each other - I think maybe the guys doing computer science might have met - but we then trained a lot together. We watched a lot of old episodes and played along. We also went to Manchester three times to visit the studio and we definitely bonded over the process.’

Caleb’s other team mates are Richard Brooks, from Stockton-on-Tees, who is studying mechanical engineering. Then there’s Conor McMeel, from Dublin, studying computer science. The other member of the team is somebody who is talked about a lot on social media and he’s definitely one of my favourites - Brandon Blackwell (though he doesn’t use his surname on the show). He hails from Jamaica, Queens in New York City and is studying computing.

As a regular viewer, Caleb seems the perfect choice as captain. Don’t get me wrong, there have been some really great captains with strong personalities in recent years - like Eric Monkman and Bobby Seagull - but with Mr Rich, it’s quite refreshing that it comes across that it’s all about the team rather than a personal focus just on him. It seems he got the job as captain because of this.

‘When we were doing the team part of it they said I was quite good at communicating, getting ideas from people and working with them.’

And does he look online at what people are saying about the contestants?

‘I do look at Twitter. We get some nice comments but I’ve seen it when others have been criticized. I saw one female contestant writing a whole thread about what was being said about her and it was horrible. It’s a real shame when that happens – it would put people off.’

Since we spoke, the first semi-final has taken place where Corpus Christi beat Durham so that leaves Caleb’s team to face another Cambridge institution – Trinity. I asked him if the fact that Imperial had gone so far in the competition meant there is a new-found awareness of him and his team-mates?

‘I do get recognised at Imperial when I’m around campus. I don’t know if anyone has recognised me when I’ve been around Lewisham.

‘I have spotted others who have taken part - there’s a girl in the Courtauld team (who Imperial beat in the quarter-finals) called Collinge who works in Brockley’s Rock and I think she might live in Lewisham as I’ve seen her around quite a lot.’

And what else does he get up to locally?

‘I do quite a lot of pub quizzes – I’ve done the quiz at The Orchard on a Sunday a few times as well. It’s a good quiz and it’s well written but it’s quite hard!’

And it turns out he hosts one locally as well.

‘I run the one that usually takes place at Skehan’s. There’s me and another guy called Dan who organise it every other week.’

In the meantime, we’ve got at least one more appearance from Caleb on TV to look forward to.

‘Our semi-final is going to be on 13 April (this coming Monday). I can’t say how we did but looking back, we were pleased how well we did as a team throughout the series. There’s been a lot of good teams like Corpus Christi. Durham were very good as well.’

If it does end up with Imperial leaving the competition at the semi-final stage, as any follower of the England football team will know, there’s no shame in being a losing semi-finalist.  

[jamesginortonblog]

Submitted post. Thanks for your contribution!

Grantchester 

This month signals the start of the third series of hit ITV show Grantchester. But what do we really know about the village that has become the stomping ground of a ‘crime-fighting’ vicar, played by James Norton, and a war veteran turned police detective in Robson Green?

Well, Grantchester which lies just a mile outside the city of Cambridge plays host to a number of famous pastimes which adds to its quintessential Englishness. These include the Boxing day-barrel race that brings all the local pubs together for a tradition that dates back to the 1960’s.

The village also boasts the highest concentration of Nobel Prize winners including Rupert Brooke, Lord Byron, Virginia Woolf and Jeffrey Archer.

To further accentuate its charm, Grantchester is home to some of the county’s most distinguished sites which have become central to the television show’s storylines. The Orchard that first served tea to Cambridge students in 1897 became a central hub for the writers of the show in the early days, as they would ride bicycles to the garden rooms from Cambridge station.

Moreover, the most romanticised and sought-after spot that spreads itself across the marshlands of the village is the meadows. In the show, you will often see Reverend Sidney Chambers peddling past the banks of the river Cam, which when the sun shines, is a hot bed for punts, picnics and swimmers to enjoy, as well as to write songs about (see Pink Floyd’s song of the same name).

However, perhaps the most famed feature falls to the grade II listed Church of St. Mary and St. Andrew. The building features heavily in the series and has the tradition and authenticity that sums up the idyllic village that is clearly embracing the present, but is still rather blissfully pinned to its past.

http://www.quitegreat.co.uk/

[brookpub]

Brook Pub Christmas Special |  Special Christmas Starters Cambridge

It's the right time to give in to your desire to celebrate and rejoice! On Christmas Day, as you meet with loved ones, a spectacular display of appetizers will set the tone for a beautiful meal. Brook Pub Christmas Special starters range from delectable finger foods to sophisticated appetizers and are sure to put your festive table centre stage.

Brook Pub Christmas Special

Unique Christmas Starters Cambridge:

It's the right time to give in to your desire to celebrate and rejoice! On Christmas Day, as you meet with loved ones, a spectacular display of appetizers will set the tone for a beautiful meal. Brook Pub's choice of Christmas Day starters ranges from delectable finger foods to sophisticated appetizers and is sure to put your festive table centre stage.

Cranberry Brie Bites:

These miniature treats are the perfect marriage of sweet and savoury, thanks to the combination of tart cranberry sauce and smooth Brie cheese. Puff pastry encloses a flavor explosion that will have your visitors begging for more.

Smoked Salmon Crostini:

Smoked salmon is a sophisticated addition to your Christmas appetizers. Top crisp crostini with herbed cream cheese, smoked salmon pieces, capers, and a sprig of dill. It's a fancy treat that's surprisingly simple to make.

Caprese Skewers:

These festive skewers are a great way to add colour to your holiday spread. Prepare toothpicks by alternating cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil leaves. Simple, yet incredibly wonderful.

Spiced Roasted Nuts:

Spiced roasted, warm and fragrant nuts are a traditional Christmas appetizer that can also be enjoyed as a delicious snack any time of year. Roast your favourite nuts perfectly after tossing them in cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little honey.

Pomegranate Goat Cheese Crostini:

The creamy goat cheese on these crostini is topped with jewel-like pomegranate arils, making them a light and refreshing appetizer. All senses will be awoken and impressed by the explosion of flavours and textures.

Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto:

These bundles of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus are both visually appealing and delicious. Asparagus and prosciutto make a great textural contrast when roasted to the point where they are both soft and crunchy.

Shrimp Cocktail Shooters:

These elegant prawn cocktail shooters give your visitors a taste of the sea. As a visually stunning and refreshing appetizer, serve iced prawns in shot glasses topped with a tangy cocktail sauce.

Butternut Squash Soup Shots:

Serve individual bowls of butternut squash soup to your holiday guests to keep them warm. These shot-glass servings of warm soup are adorable and set the tone for the rest of the meal.

Brook Pub Christmas Day Starters Menu:

During the holiday season, Brook Pub is incredibly proud to provide meals and experiences. Let's look at how these beautiful Christmas appetizers and best pub drinks that  are made so you can appreciate the effort that goes into each one.

Spiced Pulled Chicken & Winter Vegetable Soup with Buttered Bloomer -

Our Spiced Pulled Chicken & Winter Vegetable Soup is a symphony of seasonal flavours beautifully prepared to embrace you warmly. Picture delicate pulled chicken, slow-cooked to perfection, combined with a cornucopia of winter vegetables, all simmering in a rich chicken broth laced with our unique blend of seasonal spices.

But adding warm, buttered bloomer slices takes this dish to the next level. Each piece, lavishly slathered in smooth butter, provides a luxurious counterpoint to the hearty flavours of the soup.

It's more than just a bowl of soup; it's a celebration of the winter season's bounty and the pleasure of savouring those moments. To fully experience how this beautiful dish may delight your taste senses and envelop you in the season's warmth, please join us at Brook Pub. 

 Festive seafood trio

Smoked Salmon, Mini Prawn Cocktail, and Crab Cake Ensemble with Brown Bread -

Try our Seafood Symphony, a delectable trio that will whisk your taste senses away to the shore and the ocean's warmth. Savour the sophistication of smoked salmon in paper-thin slices, the zing of a little prawn cocktail, and the savoury perfection of a hand-formed crab cake.

With warm, freshly baked brown bread, this dish showcases the sea's most excellent flavours. There's a subtle saltiness to the smoked salmon, a tangy kick to the prawn cocktail, and a golden beauty of a crab cake that manages to be both tender and crunchy.

Sautéed Creamy Garlic Mushrooms (V) with Chargrilled Garlic Buttered Sourdough -

Our Sautéed Creamy Garlic Mushrooms are the perfect starting point for your vegetarian adventure; they're a delectable combination of earthy richness doused in a silky garlic sauce. Every bite is guaranteed to be bursting with savoury mushroom flavour thanks to how the mushrooms are sautéed to a golden crisp.

This dish has an array of flavours and textures, especially when served atop sourdough chargrilled with garlic butter. The sourdough, warmed by the fire and laced with garlic butter, serves as a blank slate against which the smooth mushrooms may shine, creating a symphony of flavour that will leave you wanting more.

This vegetarian masterpiece is a celebration of flavour, freshness, and the skill of cooking, and it is available for your tasting pleasure at Brook Pub. 

Crispy Brie Wedges (V) with Cranberry Sauce-

Crispy Brie Wedges are an invitation to a world of gastronomic excess, a symphony of textures combining the velvety smoothness of Brie with the enticing crunch of deep-fried perfection. Each wedge has a golden crust that gives way to a melting, gooey interior thanks to the careful breading.

The Brie's richness plays against the cranberries' sweetness and tartness in a harmonious way in this dish, which is served with a side of delectable cranberry sauce. These Brie wedges impress any cheese lover or gourmet with their creamy, delicate flavour.

Celebrate Christmas Day at Brook Pub with Exquisite Dining!

Celebrate Christmas with us at Brook Pub, where our Christmas Day Canape Menu will surely be a gastronomic highlight of the holiday season. Treat yourself to a delicious two-course meal for just £39.99, or go all out with a three-course extravaganza for £44.99. From noon to four, wow your taste buds with a cuisine designed to make Christmas memories that will last a lifetime.

Two-Course Menu - £39.99:

Starter:

Pick some appetizers that are perfect for celebrating the holiday season. There's something for every taste, from comforting soups to refined seafood dishes.

Main Course:

Delight in our carefully selected main courses representing the best in holiday eating. Our menu features various dishes to please every palate, from classic roasts to creative vegetarian alternatives.

Three-Course Feast for $44.99:

Starter:

Prepare your taste buds for an unforgettable Christmas feast with an enticing appetizer. Our chef's dishes will be a delicious celebration of the season.

Main Course:

The main event! Enjoy a meal that goes above and beyond the norm, full of traditional holiday fare and unexpected treats. Both the purists and the risk-takers will find something they like on our three-course menu.

Dessert:

Conclude your party on a sweet note with our delectable dessert choices. Our desserts range from traditional favourites like Christmas pudding to more modern creations that are sure to please.

Celebrate Christmas with us at Brook Pub, where you'll be surrounded by good company and served delicious food. Please reserve your spot now and make us a part of your holiday plans! 

[thebrookblog]

Traditions and Culture Behind The British Food

Great Britain is made from three different countries, England, Scotland, and Wales. Each country has its own rich culture and traditions. The diverse culture tells us about their culinary traditions. Britain had played a great role in keeping its culture and food. We have Romans who bought in cherries, cabbages, and peas along with the cultivation of crops like corn. The wine was also brought by the Romans. 

The Romans were known for building good roads that made it easy for them to transport produce all through the country. Have you ever heard of Saxons, they were excellent farmers who were known for cultivating herbs? Herbs were mostly used while preparing stews. Many of us love to eat smoked and dry fish. It was the Vikings and Danes who brought this technique. In some parts of England especially the North-East coasts, we can see people still eating slices of meat as a tradition which is served on Burn’s night which falls on 25th January in Scotland. British food is always loved worldwide and British housewives would always like to prepare their favorite food with York ham. Many of us are nor aware that York ham was first smoked using sawdust of the oak trees.

British traditional food is full breakfast, Fish and Chips, the Sunday Roast, Steak, and Kidney Pie, Shepherds Pie, Bangers, and Mash. Due to diverse cultures, Britain has focused on a wide variety of foods from different cuisines of Europe, India, and other parts of the world. Several regional dishes are associated with British cuisine as it’s within the border with English, Scottish and Welsh cuisine and Northern Irish cuisines. Each place has come up with its regional dishes like fish and chips, Yorkshire pudding, Cumberland sausage, Arbroath Smokie, and Welsh Cakes.

In the 20th Century, we have seen a huge change in the food recipes as the British people had the availability of fresh products. They were willing to add other cultural recipes and also include other cultural foods from Italy and India. British food once used to be less spicy or no spice at all. As time changed they tried to use different herbs and spices to create spiced British food in this medieval area. The modern era is highly getting influenced by the Mediterranean, Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asian cuisines. We could see a subsequent fading of northern and central European cuisines.

Here in British culture, Christmas dinner is special. Turkey and Christmas pudding is more popular from the 16th century. Apart from roast turkey we also have roast beef or ham to which stuffed, gravy, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, and vegetables are served.  Christmas pudding-like Yule Log, Mince Pies, Cakes, etc. are popular with deserts.

Food Varieties Place Wise:

Anglo Indian Cuisine: It is a traditional British food like roast beef with a little touch of Indian spices such as cloves and red chilies. Fish and meat are cooked with vegetables like an Indian curry. In Anglo-Indian food, we often see the use of yogurt, coconut, and almonds. We have different flavors for roasts, curries, rice dishes, and bread.

English Cuisine: English food is associated with England. British food has distinct flavors by adding ingredients from North America, China, and India.

Northern Irish Cuisine: It’s similar to the Islands of Ireland. The Ulster Fry is a popular dish here.

Scottish Cuisine: Its traditions are uprooted from Scotland. Traditional Scottish dishes are haggis and Scotland is known for producing high-quality beef, lamb, potatoes, oats, and seafood.

Welsh Cuisine: It’s highly influenced by British cuisine. Beef and Dairy cattle are widely seen here. Meat is very closely associated with Welsh cooking. 

At the Brook Pub in Cambridge, we try to keep in the essence of British food with a touch of Indian, Mediterranean, and Italian cuisines. Do come in to enjoy our food along with our Cask Ales, Wines, Spirits, Coffee, and Teas. Our menu servers the best traditional British pub food, Indian food, and Italian food. This is the right time for you to spend your summer in our Beer garden with family and friends.

[thisdaynews]

Mayor Pete’s bestie is helping craft the Warren agenda

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/mayor-petes-bestie-is-helping-craft-the-warren-agenda/

Mayor Pete’s bestie is helping craft the Warren agenda

But in his new book,The Great Democracy, the first person Sitaraman acknowledges isn’t Warren. It’s the man she’s been battling fiercely for bragging rights in Iowa.

“Conversations with Pete Buttigieg were invaluable, and this book wouldn’t exist without them or without his characteristically thoughtful advice, encouragement, and friendship,” Sitaraman writes of the South Bend mayor.

Sitaraman ties together two increasingly hostile adversaries who are carving wider ideological and stylistic differences as the presidential primary approaches the voting stage. Sitaraman met both Buttigieg and Warren at Harvard University — Buttigieg was his close friend as an undergraduate, Warren his law school mentor. In 2012, Sitaraman was policy director for Warren first run for Senate. Six years later, he was a groomsmen at Buttigieg’s wedding.

And now he is in an uneasy position between two brawling rivals. His book publicist responded enthusiastically to a pitch to interview him for this story. But Sitaraman then asked POLITICO to go through the Warren campaign. The campaign sent a reporter back to Sitaraman.

Ultimately, he declined an on-the-record interview.

Sitaraman’s prolific writings about policy — this is his second book this year — have influenced both campaign’s platforms, formally and informally, to varying degrees.

While not technically on the Warren campaign’s payroll, Sitaraman is an instrumental figure in the senator’s policy braintrust. He has reached out to policy experts and progressive groups on her behalf, recruited talent to her campaign, and has occasionally been dispatched by the campaign to walk reporters through her plans off the record.

After the July debate in Detroit, three Warren aides remained in the spin room until the end: chief strategist Joe Rospars, campaign chief of staff Dan Geldon, and Sitaraman, who like Geldon is a former student of Warren’s at Harvard Law.

“Ganesh Sitaraman is the great thinker of the team, the one who sees context and direction,” Warren wrote in her 2014 bookA Fighting Chance,on her 2012 campaign and helping her oversee the bank bailouts in 2008 and 2009. “Like Dan, Ganesh was a close-up partner for most of these battles. Without Dan and Ganesh, the adventures would have been fewer and the successes fewer still.”

She also dubbed the Eagle Scout from Minnesota and son of Indian immigrants “an American success story.”

His influential scholarship also is emblematic of an new generation of progressive thinkers who are increasingly critical of Democratic governance in the era they grew up in and radical in their solutions.

“There should be a political history of Ganesh’s role at the center of the current political moment,” said Kenneth Townsend, who overlapped with Buttigeig as a Rhodes Scholar and Sitaraman as a Truman Scholar following college. “He’s perceptive of talent, political talent, and he’s less interested in the public-facing aspects of being a candidate, so this role for him fits.”

That lofty political thinking started in college. He and Buttigieg, who then went by “Peter,” became close friends. They were members of “ The Order of the Kong,” a joking reference to a Cambridge Chinese restaurant where the pair — along with four other Harvard students — would hang out.

After college and during the prestigious scholarships in England, their intellectual growth formalized. The two were part of a reading and discussion group called the Democratic Renaissance Project, meeting in dorm rooms and in pubs to “read [the] liberal giants of the 20th century and discuss what we can take from those writers and scholars” to “[rethink] the Democratic Party,” after John Kerry’s presidential loss in 2004, said Shadi Hamid, a member of the group.

“We did share this sense that the Democratic Party had lost its way and that there needed to be a bold progressive vision,” added Hamid, who is now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “One can debate what that means in practice, but that was the starting premise.”

But Buttigieg and Sitaraman took different routes in that effort. Buttigieg joined McKinsey, a corporate consulting firm he’s come under fire for working for in recent days, then ran for Indiana state treasurer in 2010, just a few years after he returned from England. Sitaraman went back to Harvard Law School, and later helped Warren with her oversight of the bank bailouts during the financial crisis and worked on her Senate run.

“If there was going to be a run for office, Peter was more of the sort who would be the candidate and Ganesh would be the mastermind, the strategist,” Townsend said. “That fit their personalities, and that reality is playing out now.”

Buttigieg told POLITICO that “Ganesh is a brilliant person” and remains a “good friend, but we keep the politics out of it.” The mayor also plugged Sitaraman’s earlier 2019 book,Public Option, which the law professor co-authored. “If you talk about public options, usually it’s a health care thing, right?” Buttigieg said. But Sitaraman and his co-author have “produced a general theory of public options that I think is really smart.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Warren and Buttigieg both back Medicare public options to begin tackling health care, though in Warren’s case she arrived there after months of conflicting answers. Warren has pledged to introduce a full Medicare for All bill by the third year of her first term.

Sitaraman is also the co-author of a 2019 Yale Law Journal article and a preceding 2018 op-ed on Vox arguing to restructure and potentially add six justices to the Supreme Court. Buttigieg was the first presidential candidate to express openness to the idea in February, and in June, he rolled out his own 15-justice court-packing plan that he credited Sitaraman for inspiring.

But as Buttigieg cut a more center-left path through the primary this fall, his proposal to reshape the Supreme Court dropped out of his stump speech (he still mentions it in questions about democratic reforms). Warren has also said she’s open to adding seats to the high court.

“I’m very grateful to the mayor for having promoted the article,” said Daniel Epps, the co-author of the piece and an associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis who said Sitarman long ago told him that Buttigieg was a rising star. “He doesn’t just float the ideas but also gives credit.”

As for Sitaraman’s work with Warren instead of his friend Buttigieg during the campaign, Epps said, “You dance with the one who brung you.”

Sitaraman’s new book speaks to some of the broader themes both Warren and Buttigieg have hit on the campaign trail. Its main argument is that the United States and large parts of the world are in the midst of an “epochal transition,” the next swing of the slow-moving pendulum of history.

This matches Warren’s oft-stated belief that Donald Trump’s victory was a symptom of decades of accumulating bipartisan rot. “A country that elects Donald Trump is a country that is in serious trouble,” she has said on the stump. “And we need to pay attention to what’s been broken, not just in the past two-and-a-half years but what’s been broken for decades.”

“I think her general philosophy and worldview has influenced him a lot,” said Professor Morgan Ricks, Sitaraman’s colleague at Vanderbilt.

Buttigieg has dabbled with similar rhetoric about Trump and the need to “win the era.”

A neoliberal era of free market capitalism and economic deregulation began in the 1980s, Sitaraman argues, and it captured Democrats and Republicans alike. The philosophical frame “came with an aggressive emphasis on expanding democracy and human rights, even by military force. Expanding trade and commerce came with little regard for who the winners and losers were — or what the political fallout might be.”

Sitaraman declares in his introduction, however, that “[w]ith the election of Donald Trump, the neoliberal era has reached its end.” He charts several possible paths forward.

Such grand pronouncements and denunciations of “neoliberalism” often draw praise from parts of the left and elicit eyerolls from senior Democratic officials who have been fighting in the trenches the last several decades.

But Buttiegieg said something similar this fall. “I’d say neoliberalism is the political-economic consensus that has governed the last forty years of policy in the US and UK,” he wrote in September in response to a question from a Twitter user. “Its failure helped to produce the Trump moment. Now we have to replace it with something better.”

While Sitaraman’s prognosis may divide people on the left, he does have allies among some Trumpian voices on the right. Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon was a passionate evangelist for the bookThe Fourth Turning, which similarly argued that a new historical era is coming.

“Sometime before the year 2025, America will pass through a great gate in history, one commensurate with the American Revolution, Civil War, and twin emergencies of the Great Depression and World War II,” the amateur historians wrote in the 1997 book. “History is seasonal, and winter is coming.”

More evidence of the overlapping relationships can be found in Buttigieg’s memoir, too. InShortest Way Home,published last February, Buttigieg noted Sitaraman’s influence in his own book’s acknowledgements, thanking him for his “expert guidance, unvarnished advice, and steady encouragement.”

Sitaraman’s name came ahead of his own future presidential campaign manager, senior advisor and other friends.

Read More

[chriskarrtravelblog]

Summer reading: British book settings

We visit the places that inspired iconic summer scenes in the works of some of our favourite authors.

It is the brightest day you ever saw. The sun is sparkling on the water… The tide is in, and the fishing boats are dancing like mad.” Charles Dickens, writing to a friend in 1841, simply loved Broadstairs and nearly every summer from 1837 to 1859 he escaped to the Kent seaside resort in order to work on his bestselling novels away from London’s bustle. 

Most notably he put the finishing touches to David Copperfield while ensconced at cliff-top Fort House – now known as Bleak House – and modelled his character Betsey Trotwood on local resident Miss Mary Pearson Strong: the latter’s aversion to donkeys passing in front of her home on Victoria Parade was transformed into Betsey’s “incessant war” against the donkey-boys. “Jugs of water, and watering-pots, were kept in secret places ready to be discharged on the offending boys; sticks were laid in ambush behind the door…”

Broadstairs in Kent with a view of Charles Dickens’ cliff-top Bleak House. Credit: Credit: Andrew Beck/Alamy Stock Photo

You can follow a town trail around Broadstairs’ cobbled squares and fishermen’s cottages to discover Dickens’ haunts, and tour Bleak House, today offering luxury B&B-style accommodation that includes the author’s original bedroom, with use of his study overlooking the fabulous horseshoe of Viking Bay. Miss Strong’s cottage has become the Dickens House Museum, where Copperfield fans will recognise the square gravelled garden and old-fashioned parlour.

With sun and warmth (hopefully) filling our days, now is the ideal time to visit the places that have inspired iconic summer scenes in the works of some of our most popular authors: from picnics on the Cornish coast with poet John Betjeman (“Sand in the sandwiches, wasps in the tea” – ‘Trebetherick’) to walking amid woods with Wordsworth.

Jerome K Jerome originally intended Three Men in a Boat (1889) to be a serious guide to the Thames, “its quiet backwaters, its sleepy towns and ancient villages”. But the tale quickly turned instead into a classic of British humour charting the accident-prone rowing holiday of the eponymous three men and Montmorency the dog. Heading upriver from Kingston, London, the heroes niggle about ‘loud’ blazers and burnt breakfasts; sense the centuries slip back to 1215 and imagine themselves waiting to witness King John set his seal on Magna Carta at Runnymede. 

Passing Cliveden Woods in Berkshire (“In its unbroken loveliness… perhaps, the sweetest stretch of all the river”) and Cookham, they rejoice in feeling “like knights of some old legend, sailing across some mystic lake into the unknown realm of twilight, unto the great land of the sunset…” and crash into a punt of disgruntled fishermen. 

You, too, can cast off for all sorts of excursions on the Thames (without the mishaps), including from London, Windsor, around Cliveden, Henley and Oxford: hiring rowing boats or picnic punts, going on sightseeing trips or themed cruises (www.visitthames.co.uk). 

And while Jerome’s not-so-doughty heroes, dampened by a little summer rain, abandon their holiday at Pangbourne, you would do well to explore further. As the Water Rat says in children’s favourite, The Wind in the Willows (1908), “there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats”.

Mapledurham House, the inspiration for Toad Hall in The Wind and the Willows. Credit: © Neil Cameron/Alamy Stock Photo

Kenneth Grahame’s tale of Mole, Badger, Ratty and Mr Toad grew from bedtime stories he told his son Alastair while living at nearby Cookham Dean, plundering his own dreamy childhood memories of the river, woodlands and wildlife; Grahame lived his final years at Pangbourne.

Summer is made for children’s adventures, and for Winnie-the-Pooh fans an ‘expotition’ to Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, where A A Milne set his whimsical tales in the 1920s, is a must. Or share a slightly later era of innocence and adventure Swallows and Amazons style with Arthur Ransome: boating in the Lake District or Norfolk Broads.  

Romantic poet William Wordsworth famously wrote of spring daffodils in the Lake District, but for a summer ramble head with him to south Wales where his ‘Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey’ recall a return visit with his sister Dorothy in 1798. 

The cult of walking tours taking in Picturesque ruins, Nature and dramatic scenes of beauty was in full swing, and these delights are still on offer today on the Wye Valley Walk through the wooded gorge along the river to the medieval abbey, with: 

“…steep and lofty cliffs, 

That on a wild secluded scene impress

Thoughts of more deep seclusion…” 

For Wordsworth, memories of such scenes refreshed the soul with “sensations sweet” long after visiting. 

A 40-mile drive from Tintern into the Cotswolds and the Slad Valley reveals another walk through unforgettable summer scenes: of Laurie Lee’s Cider With Rosie (1959), his bittersweet memoir of the sunny uplands of a vanished youth and semi-feudal way of life. 

The hauntingly lyrical book gave the world its image of the Cotswolds as the epitome of quaint, rural England, “with cattle, brilliant as painted china, treading their echoing shapes” and beech trees sunlit “as though clogged with wild wet honey”.Wander the Laurie Lee Wildlife Way through village and woodland of the Slad Valley, dotted with posts inscribed with Lee’s poetry; visit Holy Trinity Church where the author is buried and the ancient Woolpack inn where he liked to drink – real ale rather than cider!   

There is more honey and nostalgia in one of the most famous couplets in English poetry:

“Stands the Church clock at ten to three?

And is there honey still for tea?” 

Rupert Brooke posed the question in 1912 while abroad and pining after ‘The Old Vicarage, Grantchester’: conjuring up visions of lying “flower-lulled in sleepy grass”, gazing at the Cambridge sky as hours and centuries blur. Two years later he would write of dying in “some corner of a foreign field / That is for ever England”, but ‘Grantchester’ is suffused with the idyllic summer happiness of a quintessential English village.

Brooke lived in The Old Vicarage (now home to novelist Jeffrey Archer), gathering luminaries like Virginia Woolf around him while pursuing a fellowship at King’s College, Cambridge three miles away.

Grantchester Credit: © Rolf Richardson/Alamy Stock Photo

You can walk or punt along the River Cam past Grantchester Meadows to the village and visit the church, which dates from the 14th century. Then take afternoon tea including sandwiches, cakes and scones in The Orchard Tea Garden, the pavilion where Brooke and his friends tucked into refreshments when it was too rainy to sit outdoors (booking required; the village also boasts numerous good pubs).  

For a memorable finale to your summer reading, bask in the evocative descriptions of the ‘Author’s Prologue’ to Dylan Thomas’s Collected Poems (1952):

“This day winding down now

At God speeded summer’s end

In the torrent salmon sun,

In my seashaken house

On a breakneck of rocks…”

The “seashaken house” is the Dylan Thomas Boathouse below the cliff on the water’s edge of the west Wales town of Laugharne, where the author enjoyed a purple patch of creativity in his Writing Shed in the four years before his untimely death in 1953. 

After peeking into the cluttered shed, relax over bara brith (Welsh fruit bread) and tea on the Boathouse terrace. Then revel in views over the Taf estuary as dusk hovers towards “dogdayed night” and:

“My ark sings in the sun

At God speeded summer’s end

And the flood flowers now.” 

8 For more literary travel ideas, see http://www.britain-magazine.com

The post Summer reading: British book settings appeared first on Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture.

Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture https://www.britain-magazine.com/features/history/british-literature/british-summer-book-settings/

source https://coragemonik.wordpress.com/2019/09/02/summer-reading-british-book-settings/

[lenakrruger]

National Sales Conference raises $150,000 for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation

Royal LePage professionals gathered in Halifax recently at the company’s National Sales Conference, attending several pre-conference fundraisers with the goal of raising funds for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. More than $150,000 was collected at the various events.

Royal LePage Atlantic sales reps and brokers hosted several events, including Shuttle for Shelter, driven by Don Ranni and Lori Hennessey; Shuck ‘n’ Sail for Shelter, hosted by Rosie Porter; Lower Deck pub party, hosted by Ian Angus and Toni Leroux; Halifax Hike for Shelter, lead by Paula Langille; and Halifax pub crawl, hosted by Ashley Patterson.

[banner]

Other events included the Ceilidh for Shelter hosted by Alex Ocsai and Gloria Riddall and their team at Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty in Mississauga, Ont.; Wake Up Workout for Shelter hosted by Chantelle Johnstone of Royal LePage NRC Realty in St. Catharines, Ont. a #Lindsay4Shelter selfie contest organized by The Modern Real Estate Team of Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty in Victoria; and other fundraising activities and matching donations organized by Genworth Canada; Al Daimee, Miguel Madeira and Said Warde of Royal LePage Signature Realty in Toronto; The Vancouver Island Connection agents; and Neil Bosdet of Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty with Mike Mitchell of Royal LePage Westwin Realty in Kamloops, B.C.

Kent Browne has help from his daughter Hanna Browne, broker with Royal LePage Team Realty, in auctioning off a Montreal Canadiens package at the Royal LePage National Sales Conference’s Shelter Live Auction Lunch.

Also taking place ahead of the conference was the annual motorcycle Ride for Shelter, organized by Josh Nelson and John Hripko of Royal LePage Benchmark. This year a handful of motorcyclists drove from their hometowns to Halifax in addition to completing the event’s two-day itinerary. These riders included: Anthony and Karen Boos from Royal LePage Cascade Realty in Dawson Creek, B.C.; Val Brooks from Royal LePage Crown Realty Services in Cambridge, Ont.; Carlo de Castris from Royal LePage Royal City Realty in Guelph, Ont.; and Ahmed Helmi with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Johnston and Daniel in Toronto. Together with the entire Ride for Shelter motorcycle club, more than $18,000 was raised at this pre-conference event alone.

Once the conference kicked off, fundraising for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation remained at centre stage. A group of delegates made donations to attend a VIP lunch in honour of the foundation’s 20th anniversary hosted by keynote speaker, Rick Mercer and Royal LePage president and CEO Phil Soper. Conference attendees also arrived with nearly 100 items to be bid on in both the silent auction and live auction conducted by experienced charity auctioneer Kent Browne, broker/owner of Royal LePage Team Realty in Ottawa.

All the funds raised will benefit domestic violence prevention and education programs. A special donation will also be made from this year’s proceeds to Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada to assist women and children living in Canada’s North.

The post National Sales Conference raises $150,000 for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation appeared first on REM | Real Estate Magazine.

National Sales Conference raises $150,000 for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation published first on https://grandeurparkcondo.tumblr.com/

[cosmotread-blog]

Man, 31, dies after being attacked outside Cambridge pub

New Post has been published on https://www.cosmotread.com/2018/08/19/man-31-dies-after-being-attacked-outside-cambridge-pub/

Man, 31, dies after being attacked outside Cambridge pub

Man, 31, dies after being attacked outside Cambridge pub A man has died after being attacked outside a pub in Cambridge. Christopher Frost, 31, was found injured near The Brook pub, in Brookfields, on Friday. Police were called to reports of violence at 11.35pm. Christopher Frost, 31 who...

[tonyduncanbb73]

Sorry, the State Doesn’t Want You Drinking CBD-Infused Beer

And other Boston-area beer and liquor news, updated weekly

As the Massachusetts beer scene continues its fast-paced growth, we’re tracking beer-related news bites right here: brewery openings and closures, links to interesting features from other publications, and more. We’re throwing in some liquor news for good measure, too. This piece is updated most Thursdays, and the most recent additions are at the top. Email boston@eater.com with any Massachusetts beer or liquor news that should be on our radar.

Check out our 2017 archive of beer news here, and for a more in-depth look at the scene, check out the archive of our Beer & Mortar feature series.

March 29, 2018

ASHLAND — Medfield-based, athlete-founded Zelus Beer Company — which produces “hydration-friendly” beers that are “crafted for your active lifestyle,” with low alcohol content — will open a pop-up taproom and beer garden at the Corner Spot in Ashland (6 Cherry St.) from April 13 to April 26, offering tasters, pints, and merch. There will also be a food truck onsite, as well as music and other events. Keep an eye on the Zelus website for scheduling information and updates.

EVERETT — With retail cannabis sales set to begin on July 1, one local brewery was hoping to be the first in the state to infuse beer with CBD, an active compound in cannabis that is thought to have some potential medical benefits without the psychoactive effects caused by another well-known cannabis compound, THC. Down the Road Beer Co. (199 Ashland St.) hoped to add CBD to its newly released Goopmassta Session IPA, but the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission said no: “Infusing or otherwise adding cannabinoid extract in alcoholic beverages is considered adulteration of alcohol,” which is a no-no. (Industrial hemp, however, is allowed in the manufacture of alcohol in Massachusetts under certain conditions.) Want to try CBD-infused beer? Head to Vermont and seek out Long Trail Brewing’s Medicator. In Oregon, Coalition Brewing is also making a CBD-infused beer, Two Flowers IPA.

HARVARD — Carlson Orchards (115 Oak Hill Rd.), which has been producing non-alcoholic apple cider for decades, is getting into the hard cider game, the company announced this week, thanks in part to some consultation with the Stormalong Cider team — neighbors at New England Apple Products in Leominster, where Carlson Orchards’ non-alcoholic cider is produced. “We wanted to produce a hard cider that was similar to our premium farmstand cider and ultimately decided to make an ‘unfiltered’ hard cider for increased apple taste and character,” said Carlson Orchards president Frank Carlson, via press release. The first off-site release will be 16-ounce cans of Oak Hill Blend, distributed around the state via the Massachusetts Beverage Alliance, available starting April 1. Stay tuned for a potential fall 2018 opening of a tasting room onsite at Carlson Orchards.

MASHPEE — Today, March 29, is opening day for Cape Cod’s Naukabout Brewery & Taproom (13 Lake Ave.), a seven-barrel brewhouse with lake and river views. It’s open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. today and 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. this Friday and Saturday (closed on Sunday). The opening lineup of beers includes Quittin’ Time, a “juicy” and “tropical” New England IPA; the triple dry-hopped Tides double IPA; a 3.5%-er, Stormborn Stout; and more.

SOUTH DEERFIELD — Berkshire Brewing Company (12 Railroad St.), which has been around since 1994, could soon open an 850-square-foot taproom that’ll operate a few days a week, with 20 taps, pretzels from Baked in Shelburne Falls, and food trucks outside on summer weekends. (Customers will also be able to bring in their own food.) There will be room for about 55 people inside. Why now? A recent amendment to a state law is now making it possible for the brewery — which has a pub-brewer wholesale license — to move from only offering free samples during tours to actually selling poured beer (but not packaged beer) onsite.

SOUTH END, BOSTON — Heading to the SoWa Open Market to shop and eat? It takes place on Sundays from May 6 to October 28, from 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and starting at 11 a.m. each week, you can drink some beer, too. The Power Station (540 Harrison Ave.) will become the Beer Barn, courtesy of Craft Collective, serving up a rotating selection of beers and ciders. There’ll also be lawn games, live music, and more.

March 22, 2018

Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company/Facebook

Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company

FALL RIVER — Canned Heat Craft Beer Company (52 Ferry St.) could open as soon as early May; the team plans to can (of course) and distribute the beer, and there will also be tasting hours at the space, which will include cold food and a patio. Canned Heat has been previewing some potential beers on Facebook, including Limesicle, a milkshake IPA made with lime peel and vanilla bean; Aloha Brown, an English-style brown that will be aged on toasted coconut; and a Portuguese-inspired pilsner.

HAMPTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE — Smuttynose Brewing Company (105 Towle Farm Rd.) has been sold for an undisclosed amount to Runnymede Investments, a venture capital and investment firm based in North Hampton, New Hampshire, that intends to help the brand “not only survive, but…thrive.” Former Boston Beer Company executive Rich Lindsay, who was briefly CFO for Night Shift Brewing, will be CEO.

MARLBOROUGH — Walden Woods Brewing(277 Main St.) is so, so close to opening. It was supposed to happen this past weekend, but there were some delays. Look for it within the next few weeks.

ROSLINDALE — Alas, the season is about to end for Trillium’s temporary beer hall at the Roslindale Substation (4228 Washington St.). This Sunday will be the final day; check out some details for the last few events here.

SPRINGFIELD — In a Mass. Brew Bros. blind, bracket-style tasting of 20 Massachusetts New England IPAs, the victor was a nanobrewery in planning, Rustic Brewing Company, with a brew called Hop Blind. Lots of more established breweries were included, such as Trillium, Idle Hands, Tree House, and Lord Hobo. Western Mass. apparently has a lot to look forward to when Rustic opens, focusing on New England IPAs and milkshake IPAs.

WALTHAM — Contract brand Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co. will get its own permanent home later this year, likely around fall — a 23,000-square-foot brewery and taproom right by Beaver Brook Reservation (411 Waverley Oaks Rd.). The large space will include a second taproom for overflow and private events, two patios, and a 30-barrel system, as well as an additional five-barrel pilot system for experimentation. The brand launched a few years back with the aim of producing protein-packed post-workout beers, but these days, Mighty Squirrel has moved away from those recipes, instead producing beers such as the hazy Cloud Candy IPA, Mocha Stout milk stout, and Kiwi White Belgian white ale.

WORCESTER — Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company(55 Millbrook St.), which focuses on imperial ales and lagers between 8% and 14% ABV (hence the name), has debuted its 100-person taproom; here’s the schedule for the first couple of weeks. Greater Good’s kitchen, dubbed Toast (stylized “TOAST.”), is serving up five types of grilled cheese, plus soft pretzels, hot dogs, and other snacks.

March 15, 2018

Trillium/Facebook

Trillium’s original Fort Point location

DOWNTOWN BOSTON — At the Royale over the weekend, a number of local bartenders took part in the annual Speed Rack competition, a speed bartending competition by and for women that raises money for breast cancer charities (and visibility for women in the bartending industry). This year, Tainah Soares (of A4cade in Cambridge) was crowned Miss Speed Rack New England, and she’ll go on to compete at the national finals in May, taking place in Chicago.

DOWNTOWN CROSSING, BOSTON — Democracy Brewing(35 Temple St.) — one of several exciting Boston-area brewery openings potentially slated for spring 2018 — is three months into construction and shared some renderings of what it’ll look like when it’s complete. Democracy Brewing is located in the longtime Windsor Button space.

FORT POINT, BOSTON — Trillium Brewing Company’s forthcoming Fort Point location at 47 Farnsworth St. — a move from its original spot in the neighborhood (369 Congress St.) that will result in a much larger and more awesome space — is moving along. BLDUP has a March construction update on the 16,000-square-foot project, noting that a permit has been submitted for restaurant occupancy. The two-story space, which could open by the end of the year, will include a brewpub with a full kitchen and microbrewery, bar on each floor, a room for private events, a retail shop, and two outdoor patios — one of which will be on the roof.

ROSLINDALE, BOSTON — Distraction Brewing Company (2 Belgrade Ave.) has now secured its Massachusetts farmer-brewery license, which lets it produce beer. Still in the works: a pouring license, zoning, and building the taproom.

WEYMOUTH — In addition to Barrel House Z (95 Woodrock Rd.), which opened a year and a half ago, and the forthcoming Article Fifteen (835 Washington St.) (see February 8 update below), Weymouth has even more beer on the way. Vitamin Sea Brewing has signed a lease near Barrel House Z and could open a 10-barrel brewery and taproom by the end of 2018, featuring a patio and rotating food trucks.

March 1, 2018

Greater Good/Facebook

Growlers at Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company, opening soon in Worcester

BOSTON — Prepare for beer gardens. Once the season arrives, Trillium’s popular Greenway garden will likely make a comeback this year, as the Herald reports, and that’s not all: The Greenway Conservancy is trying to find a brewery for “Dewey Square Drinkery,” a pop-up bar that would be open at least a couple days a week in Dewey Square. Stay tuned, and in the meantime, catch Trillium’s other seasonal beer garden — an indoor one — at the Roslindale Substation (4228 Washington St.)

CAMBRIDGE TO MEXICO CITY — Moe Isaza, bar manager atPammy’s(928 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge), is currently competing for his third time in the annual Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition, and he’s already made it quite far — he’ll be one of just two United States finalists competing globally in Mexico City against about 30 international bartenders on April 25. The US finalists were pulled from a field of 720 recipes submissions, narrowed down through several stages of judging and competition. Isaza’s drink is called the Poderoso and includes Bacardi Ocho, coffee liqueur (paying homage to Colombia, where Isaza was born before coming to East Boston as a four-year-old), pineapple juice, amaro, and a muddled lemon wedge.

EVERETT TO PAWTUCKET AND BEYOND — Night Shift Brewing (87 Santilli Hwy., Everett) is outgrowing its home and is now doing some contract brewing out of the Isle Brewers Guild cooperative in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, adding about 10,000 barrels a year to Night Shift’s output. And it’s the Everett brewery’s first foray into Rhode Island; it doesn’t yet distribute there, but its beers made at Isle Brewers Guild will be on tap and in cans at the Guild taproom.

In other Night Shift news, Braintree’s Widowmaker Brewing(220 Wood Rd.) has signed on with Night Shift Distributing (Night Shift Brewing’s sibling distribution arm) to take things to the next level (previously self-distributing to around 30 nearby accounts), hoping to spread around the whole Greater Boston area, not just the South Shore. Keep an eye out for Widowmaker’s Ecstasy of Gold American IPA and 50 Year Storm Double IPA around town, likely followed soon by the Donut Shop Stout.

And in other Night Shift news, Night Shift Distributing recently brought its first gluten-free brewery into its portfolio, Ghostfish Brewing out of Seattle. Four-packs began to hit Massachusetts shelves a couple weeks ago; look for Ghostfish’s Grapefruit IPA, Meteor Shower Blonde Ale, and Shrouded Summit Belgian White Ale.

IPSWICH — Privateer Rum (11 Brady Dr.) announced today that Maggie Campbell — head distiller since 2012, vice president since 2015 — has risen through the ranks again. She’s now president of the company, working alongside founder and CEO Andrew Cabot to further grow the seven-year-old brand, including doubling Privateer’s production capacity this year. (Privateer also recently debuted a new tasting room at the distillery.) Campbell is a familiar and distinguished face in the distilling world (and wine world, too), appearing on a number of boards and committees, as well as winning plenty of awards and recognition for her work at Privateer.

MALDEN — In case you missed yesterday’s news, Malden is getting lots more beer.

WORCESTER — Here’s a sneak peek inside Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company(55 Millbrook St.), set to open later this month with a focus on hefty imperial brews. The 100-person taproom will also have live music, games, and some food, such as panini and pretzels.

February 23, 2018

American Fresh/Facebook

American Fresh Assembly Row patio

SOMERVILLE — Somerville Brewing Company, aka Slumbrew, will be temporarily bringing back its outdoor beer garden at Assembly Row. “We’ll be back this summer with outdoor drinking and dining right at Assembly Row,” said cofounder Caitlin Jewell in a Facebook live video today. “We have bands and bocce and fun.” The beer garden, which was open in warmer seasons and covered up by a tent in colder seasons, was around for nearly three years before shutting down in fall 2017. A couple months later, Somerville Brewing Company opened up a full-service restaurant and bar, American Fresh Brewhouse, just down the block at 490 Foley St. in Assembly Row. Plus, there’s also the original Somerville Brewing location, a brewery and taproom in Somerville’s Boynton Yards neighborhood, right by Union Square (15 Ward St.)

In a Facebook thread, Jewell mentioned that this time around the beer garden will have “no tent, just fresh air.” She also noted that the “current plan” is that it’s just coming back for this upcoming warm season; the land is still slated to be built upon — part of Assembly Row’s seemingly never-ending development — but plans got delayed by a year.

Another beer update elsewhere in Somerville: On March 3, Winter Hill Brewing Co.(328 Broadway, Winter Hill, Somerville)will introduce its new milk stout, Large Iced Regular. The name — and the winter release date — is an homage to New Englanders’ year-round iced coffee obsession, and the stout is infused with Counter Culture Hologram coffee. In honor of the release, the brewery will be serving a special Union Square Donuts doughnut on March 3, while supplies last; the doughnut glaze is made using the beer.

February 16, 2018

Pretty Things [official photo]

Pretty Things’ Fluffy White Rabbits

BOSTON — Boston Beer Co., which is behind Samuel Adams beer as well as Angry Orchard hard cider, Twisted Tea, and other alcoholic beverages, has a new president: Dave Burwick, who will leave his position of CEO of Peet’s Coffee for the job. He’s also been a member of Boston Beer Co.’s board of directors for over a decade. Burwick succeeds longtime president and CEO Martin Roper. Meanwhile, Boston Beer Co. founder and chairman Jim Koch will continue to hold those positions.

EVERYWHERE — In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, female brewers nationwide — including plenty in Massachusetts — will be brewing beers made with a special Pink Boots blend of hops, named for the Pink Boots organization, which supports women in beer-related careers. (Sales of the hops go to the organization.) Keep an eye out for all the Pink Boots beers appearing at breweries around town later this year.

THE UK — At last, the news that Pretty Things’ rabid Boston fanbase has been waiting for! Well, not exactly. Pretty Things founders Dann and Martha Holley-Paquette have a new brewery project in the works, but it’s all the way overseas in Sheffield, England. The popular Somerville-based Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project ended in late 2015 after a seven-year run; the website, which is still live, describes it as “now an ex-project.”

“We always intended to end it on our terms, and we are happy to have done so,” the duo wrote on their website. “That’s why it was a project!”

The new project will be a microbrewery on the site of the Old Dairy, which, as its name suggests, was once a milk and cheese processing plant. The Holley-Paquettes will reportedly “produce craft beer in bottles and kegs for sale to wholesale customers.”

February 8, 2018

Trillium Brewing Company [official photo]

BOSTON / CANTON — No, a Trillium Brewing Company (369 Congress St., Boston; 110 Shawmut Rd., Canton)truck didn’t get “Storrowed” — that was just a fun bit of Photoshop in order to promote the brewery’s new release, a double IPA called Storrowed. The company describes it as having a “dank nose of sweaty pineapple, mangosteen, and stone fruit [and] intensely juicy flavors of overripe mango, pear flesh, notes of grapefruit pith, and a background hit of raw sugar.” For those who don’t understand the term “Storrowed,” just heed the road signs that prohibit trucks from driving on Storrow Drive. Don’t be that truck that gets stuck at the overpass. You will get stuck.

CAMBRIDGE — Lamplighter Brewing Company (284 Broadway) officially debuts its new back taproom today, February 9, doubling the brewery’s capacity and allowing it to host more private and public events. And it’s got a really great mural.

HAMPTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE — Smuttynose Brewing Company (105 Towle Farm Rd.), which has been a big name in New England’s craft beer world for more than two decades, is for sale. In a note shared by owners Peter Egelston and Joanne Francis on social media and the Smuttynose website, the duo writes: “At this time, in order for our company to continue on the path we embarked on back in 1994, Smuttynose needs someone who can provide financial resources that will move the company forward…We’re strongly committed to making sure this transition is as smooth as possible, and to help the company’s new owner or partner embark on a successful next chapter for Smuttynose and its wonderful staff. We want to emphasize Smuttynose Brewing company is open, brewing our fine beers daily and serving delicious food at Hayseed Restaurant. Many of you have asked how you can help…keep drinking Smuttynose brews and send your rich aunt or uncle our way!”

ROSLINDALE — Distraction Brewing Company (2 Belgrade Ave.) is a big step closer to opening; the brewery has secured its TTB license, meaning that the federal government recognizes it as a brewery. “In other words, we’re one step closer to transforming this raw, beautiful space into a place where our fellow Rozzidents can kick back and enjoy our beer,” the brewery wrote on Facebook late last month. “Still plenty of work to do. But we can’t wait to get our hands dirty.”

WEYMOUTH — There’s a Kickstarter campaign underway to help fund the building of an “epic taproom” for Article Fifteen Brewing (835 Washington St.), a “veteran-owned nano-brewery” that is currently in the buildout phase. The campaign ends in 10 days, and there’s about $4000 left to raise by then. The team has a lease, brewing equipment, and funds to help with the buildout but is seeking a little bit of help to get to the next step of the process. When Article Fifteen opens, it’ll serve beer “inspired by a love of hops and a proud tradition of military, fire, and medical service.”

WORCESTER — Founded in 2014, 3cross Brewing Company (4 Knowlton Ave.) made a change recently: It’s now 3cross Fermentation Cooperative. As the name suggests, it’s now a coop, owned by workers and customers (the first community-owned brewery in the state), and it’s expanding its focus beyond beer to other fermented products.

[brookpub]

Global Christmas Food Traditions | Brook Pub Christmas Food

The holiday season is the perfect time to embark on a global gastronomic adventure, and Brook Pub near Mill Road Cambridge is the perfect place to do just that. Let us help you celebrate the diversity of Global Christmas Food Traditions around the world. We've chosen the best meals from around the world, from the heady spices of India to the deep comfort of European classics, to give you a genuinely unique holiday experience. Also, let's get a handle on best Christmas dinner dishes and wines. 

Every Bite Celebrates Diversity:

The holiday season is all about giving and receiving, and what better way to celebrate than with a feast that highlights the world's many cuisines? Here at Brook Pub Cambridge, cuisine has the power to unite people from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. This concept inspires Global Christmas Food Traditions, a multicultural celebration of food and customs.

Feast Unveiled: A Culinary Journey

Indian Favourites-

Biryani: The spices, tender meat, and symphony of flavours in biryani make it a feast to savour.

Butter Chicken: Tender chicken breasts simmered in a sauce made from a blend of tomato paste and butter.

Vegetable Korma: Seasonal veggies in a rich, fragrant coconut and cashew sauce make up Vegetable Korma.

An Italian Delight-

Classic Milanese risotto: A tribute to Italian sophistication, this risotto is creamy and flavoured with saffron.

"Osso Buco": Veal shanks braised in a rich broth and served with gremolata.

Mexican Fest-

Tamales: A traditional Mexican dish consisting of masa dough pouches stuffed with savoury meats or vegetables and steamed.

Poblano Mole: Tender chicken bathed in a rich, complex sauce of chiles, cocoa, and spices.

Elegance of Japan-

Assorted Sushi: A variety of nigiri and rolls highlight the skilled craftsmanship of sushi chefs.

Sukiyaki with beef: Beef slices are simmered in a savoury soy broth with other veggies and tofu.

French Comfort-

Coq au Vin: Classic French country-style braised chicken with mushrooms, onions, and bacon, flavoured with red wine.

Ratatouille: Southern French cuisine is honoured with this vibrant stew of Provencal veggies.

Moroccan Magic-

Tagine: Moroccan-style slow-cooked stew with tender meat or veggies and a variety of aromatic spices.

Royal Couscous: Couscous with a plethora of tasty toppings, including fresh produce, chickpeas, and savoury meats.

International Spirits and Wines That Pair Perfectly:

We have carefully selected wines and spirits from some of the world's finest wineries and distilleries to go with this international feast. Professional sommeliers are available to help you select drinks that will complement the flavours of your meal.

Food Pairing with Perfect Wines:

With Christmas quickly approaching, it's time to embark on a global culinary adventure. One of the most beautiful ways to celebrate the Christmas season is through the common language of food. In this article, we will delve into the art of pairing these delicious foods with the best wines for a really festive celebration, as well as examine some of the most renowned culinary traditions from around the world during the Christmas season.

America: Turkey with Cranberry Sauce

A roast turkey is often the main course of a classic American Christmas dinner. The bird is well seasoned, roasted to a beautiful brown, and accompanied by all the fixings. Cranberry sauce is a traditional side dish for Thanksgiving because its tart flavour pairs so well with the turkey's fatty meat.

Wine Pairing: 

Roast turkey pairs wonderfully with a Pinot Noir or a juicy Zinfandel. The wine's medium body and refreshing acidity make for a more enjoyable meal.

Italy: Feast of the Seven Fishes

On Christmas Eve, Italians enjoy a seafood banquet known as the Feast of the Seven Fishes. There is a wide variety of fish, shellfish, and crustaceans, all of which can be served in numerous mouthwatering ways.

Wine Pairing:

To complement the variety of shellfish, choose a dry, mineral-driven Vermentino or a sparkling Prosecco. These wines' crisp acidity and lively carbonation do double duty by both cleansing the tongue and amplifying the seafood's inherent flavours.

Spain: Suckling Pig or Roast Lamb

Magnificent roasts, such as a suckling pig or a leg of delicious lamb, are commonplace on the Spanish Christmas table. The meat in these recipes is marinated in flavorful spices and then slow-roasted to perfection.

Wine Pairing:

Roasted meats benefit from being served with a full-bodied red wine like a Tempranillo from Rioja or a powerful Garnacha. The wine's strong tannins and blackberry aromas and flavours complement the meal perfectly.

France: Foie Gras and Bûche de Noël

French Christmas celebrations feature a variety of delectable dishes, including foie gras. This decadent treat is commonly served with Bûche de Nol, a festive Yule log-shaped dessert made of sponge cake and buttercream.

Wine Pairing:

The creamy, buttery flavours of foie gras pair wonderfully with a luscious Sauternes or a sweet late-harvest Gewürztraminer. These sweet wines are a great way to round out a meal and provide a touch of class.

Australia: Christmas BBQ

Due to the mild climate, Christmas celebrations in Australia tend to be less formal and more focused on outdoor activities, such as a seasonal BBQ. The main attractions include succulent pieces of meat, seafood, and a wide range of grilled veggies.

Wine Pairing:

The smokiness of the BBQ pairs well with the crisp, lemony flavours of a Chardonnay or Shiraz from a chilly climate. These wines are a nice change of pace and complement any outdoor meal.

Diversity in Flavours and Wines:

At Christmas, we should not only honour our customs but also welcome the diverse gastronomic traditions of the world. By delving into these many culinary customs and carefully pairing them with the most appropriate wines, we can throw a party that will be remembered for years to come. So cheers to the spirit of Christmas and the harmony of people everywhere by raising a glass and enjoying the flavours. Cheers!

Package Deals for Reserving a Christmas Party:

Cambridge's The Brook Pub caters to a wide variety of patrons since they understand that everyone has different preferences. Pick one of our meticulously prepared bundles if you want this Christmas to be unlike any other.

Package 1: 

CHOOSE 6 - £18

This package is perfect for those who are seeking a delicious variety of canapés to satisfy their cravings. With six tasty options, your guests may sample a wide range of flavours.

Package 2: 

CHOOSE 8 - £24

If you have trouble deciding between several tasty selections, the Select 8 package is for you. Your professional choice of eight canapés will create a flavorful symphony that your visitors won't soon forget.

Join Us in the Festivities:

We hope you'll join us for this extraordinary dining experience at Brook Pub Cambridge in Cambridge. We celebrate the rich tapestry of cultures and cuisines that make our planet so beautiful at our annual International Christmas Feast. Come with us on a culinary adventure that celebrates the power of coming together across differences.

Make your reservation now to join in on this once-in-a-lifetime Christmas celebration. Celebrate the wonder of the holiday season with us and our new Flavorful Canape Menu—we promise you won't go hungry or unmoved. Cheers to a plethora of tastes, and best wishes for the season!