ALE Winter/Spring 2005 No. 316 : Next section

Pub News

Cambridge news roundup

A warm welcome to Nancy McLaughlin, the new landlady of The Mill, Mill Lane, Cambridge. Nancy is a Canadian who came over here to set up a restaurant but fell in love with the pub trade. Before moving to Cambridge she had run pubs in Hull and Leamington. Nancy is very keen to get The Mill back on the real ale "map" and is currently offering five cask beers - Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Fullers London Pride, GK Morlands Old Speckled Hen, Theakstons Old Peculier and Wychwood Hobgoblin; from March these should be supplemented with three changing guests. Old Rosie "real" cider is also served. The food menu will also see enhancements in the early part of the year. Nancy's aim is to see The Mill once again operating as a proper community local helping "keep the traditional British pub alive."

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Welcome also to Steve and Hayley, who have taken over at The Portland Arms, Chesterton Road, Cambridge. This is their first pub and they are keen to stamp their own mark on the place whilst offering something for everyone at the same time. The public bar is no longer an "internet café" but the live music will thankfully continue. At present there is a somewhat reduced beer range from the previous regime but hopefully this will build up again.

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Greene King have bought The Anchor in Silver Street Cambridge from the Laurel Pub Co. At the time of writing it was being refurbished but will be open again by the time you read this.

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Another Laurel pub, The Hogshead, facing Parkers Piece, has changed its name to The Avery and on a recent visit was selling only GK beers, so may also have been bought by them. The new name refers to its previous incarnation as Avery's weighing-machine factory.

Isaac Rejuvenated

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Greene King have recently converted several of their managed houses to tenancies, amongst them The Sir Isaac Newton on Castle Hill, Cambridge. In charge since November have been Trevor Holmes and Richard Giles. Trevor ran the nearby for 15 years, whilst Richard has run several pubs in London along with The Kings Head, Hadstock, which he got into the Good Beer Guide during his tenure.

When it was a managed pub, The Isaac had a poor reputation for its real ales but this has changed completely. Richard is a keen real ale drinker himself so it's been in his own interests to ensure the beer is in tip-top condition. Currently on the bar are Greene King IPA, Ruddles County and a changing beer from GK's guest list; a fourth pump may be added. The Isaac remains a sports-oriented pub but Trevor and Richard intend to attract a greater cross-section of customers than before. The County Arms always had an excellent reputation for food, so Trevor's arrival has seen a quantum leap in quality here.

Outside Cambridge

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The Chequers at Fowlmere has changed hands and is now looked after by father and son Roger and Paul Beaumont from London; the business cost them some £850,000. They don't intend making any significant alterations at the pub which is renowned for its food but has also appeared regularly in the Good Beer Guide.

All information is believed correct at time of going to press. If our spies have got anything wrong, please contact the editor, who will be happy to print a correction.

ALE Winter/Spring 2005 No. 316 : Next section
Cambridge & District CAMRA