The White Swan - Town Centre Pub of the Season

Back in 1989, the pub was a tied Wards House run by Bryn & Val Todd - assisted by the highly efficient Steve & Rhona behind the bar. After Bryn sadly died in 1999, the pub (like so many) went through a succession of licensees/managers. Whilst some tried harder than others, none really succeeded in getting the pub back on the town’s real ale map.

When we heard back in 2010 that Francie Marron (the experienced and popular former licensee of both the Hogshead and, more recently, the Horse & Groom), was not only proposing to take on the White Swan but also to introduce the excellent locally brewed Glentworth beers, the fortunes of the pub seemed at last to be about to be revived.

Francie was true to his word and, in keeping with the aims of CAMRA’s LocALE campaign, an ever-rotating Glentworth beer has been on sale since he became licensee. Black Sheep Bitter is also regularly available. The icing on the cake for cask beer lovers is that both real ales are on offer at a very reasonable (indeed) £1.95 per pint; moreover it is hoped to hold this price until the autumn.  We owe Francie a huge debt for restoring the White Swan to its former glory (and for promoting locally brewed real ale at such a favourable price).

This Pub of the Season award also reflects the hard work of the friendly and efficient Nikki Steel who has managed the pub (including the all important cellar duties) on a day to day basis - ably assisted behind the bar by Jo, Carla & Kirsty. The previously restricted opening hours have been extended to 10am to 11pm Monday to Thursday, 10am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon until 10:30pm on Sundays. There can be no greater tribute to a pub than the fact that two confirmed ‘epilogue drinkers’ were so impressed with the atmosphere, the friendly welcome and of course the consistently high standard of the beer served that they were prepared to modify their hitherto almost ‘sacrosanct’ drinking hours to fit in with the former earlier closing time.

The pub, the last of the 19 which once adorned Frenchgate, is long and narrow and was once renowned for having the highest bar in England (in the front tap room). Sadly this notable feature was removed several years ago, but Francie does have plans to reinstate it (and would be very grateful if anyone could assist with photographs of how this once looked).

A range of quality coffees and tea are available all day, with very reasonably priced food (including a ‘Two Meals for £6.99’ offer) until 18:00. It’s planned that live entertainment will be provided in the lounge on Friday and Saturday evenings.

The Imperial Club, Mexborough - District Pub of the Season

Who would have thought that three friends having a chat over a pint or two would lead them to producing a successful club and brewery? Re-opening the Imperial Club in Mexborough in December 2010, Frank Hoyland, brewer Gary Sheriff and Eric Butcher have combined their talents and turned the Imperial into a lively entertainment club and award winning brewery, placing the establishment firmly on the real ale map and club scene.

The 5-barrel plant brewery (uniquely hidden behind the club’s stage curtain) has already won several accolades. The regular brews are Imperial Bitter, Imperial Blonde, Imperial Stout and Bees Knees (brewed using local honey supplied by a regular customer) plus occasional ales.

The club offers a family-friendly welcoming atmosphere serving beers brewed in the on site brewery. Changing guest beers, traditional ciders and foreign beers are also on offer. Home cooked pies and food is served on Wednesday and Saturday evenings with a very good carvery on Sunday lunch times. Families are welcome at all times.

In keeping with its traditional club roots, an array of regular entertainment takes place during the week. The bar area is decorated with various musical instruments and memorabilia. An excellent addition is the popular Sunday evening brass band concerts which feature renowned brass bands.

As part of their first anniversary celebrations, the Imperial held its own beer festival inviting new breweries under 12 months old to showcase their beers. This festival will be an annual event, in the first weekend in December. The Club is situated in Mexborough directly opposite the bus station, and within a ten minute walk of the railway station.

At the front of the club is a large patio area, which  does act as a sun trap, weather permitting!

The Eden Arms - Town Centre Pub of the Season

The Eden Arms has an impressive range o fgood quality cask ales.  They always have 3 cask ales on, as well as staff who always seem very friendly and knowledgeable about their beers.

The Pub is the only member of the Ember Inn group in Doncaster and they are committed to cask ale. Needless to say, the pub has Cask Marque accreditation. Their beers are continually changing recently including Greene King IPA; Shepherd Neame Spitfire; Everards Tiger; St Austell Trelawny;  Orkney Dark Island;  Keltek King; Adnams Green Bullet; Maxim Double Maxim; Yorkshire Terrier; Leeds Pale; Worthington Red Shield, and Suffolk Strong Vintage Ale.

In the Doomsday Book this area of Edenthorpe was known as Stirestrop. During the late 19th century, the  Edenthorpe Hall became the residence of Lord Auckland, the son of William George Eden, and 'Edenthorpe' was adopted as the new name for the district.  From being a village with no public house in the 1950s, 5 licensed premises have been created with the Eden Arms the most recent addition, adjacent to a major supermarket and a new housing estate. The pub caters for diners and the food can be recommended.  There is an excellent menu which is very reasonably priced.  Food is served all day, every day, up until 10.00pm!  They also have themed nights during which, as well as the normal menu, special deals are offered, some of which come with a free drink.

The Carpenters Arms, Westwoodside - District Pub of the Season

“A popular village local that takes an active part in community life”. That’s how CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide describes the Carpenters Arms, Westwoodside, which has won our Doncaster District Pub of the Season Award for the second time.

The first time was in Summer 2007, just 18 months after Bill and Ellie Alexander first took over. As newcomers to the licensed trade, they quickly made their mark on the local real ale scene. Locals and visitors alike were impressed by the range and quality of their cask beers. At the time, “the Carps” offered four ales and had plans to expand that.

There are now five ales, with plans to add a sixth hand pump. Wells and Young Bombardier and Caledonian Deuchars IPA are always on offer along with an ever-changing range of guest ales from all over the country. Brains’ Reverend James is a particular favourite with the regulars. It flies out” says Ellie. The variety of the pub’s beer range is partially because of a change in suppliers to MolsonCoors. It’s also thanks to Idle Brewery’s Brian Cooper with his extensive range of contacts. Quality is as important as range though, and the fact that this pub is a regular in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide is proof of that.

As the village’s only pub, “the Carps” has always hosted community events. This has increased since 2007. Like many pubs, it has regular quizzes and karaoke nights. The pub also hosts events which support a whole range of local and regional charities. Last year £7,103 was raised for the Lincolnshire Air Ambulance. The driving force behind this is Bar Manager Bev Higgins, who Bill and Ellie are quick to credit as a key player in the pub’s success. Bev has registered “the Carps” as a charitable organisation for the LAA and her energy has driven many fund-raising events.

If you want to experience this pub at its best, try visiting around teatime on a Friday. There’s a real buzz about the place as the locals relax after a week’s work, enjoying the beer and bar snacks.

The Salutation- Town Centre Pub of the Season

“Without the cask there’s no pub” is a message all CAMRA members will agree with. It’s also the rule Sue Bee, licensee of the Salutation, applies to running her pub.  So it’s no surprise that her pub, the Salutation, has once again won our Doncaster Pub of the Season award.

In winning this award, Sue is following a family tradition. The Salutation last won it three years ago when Sue’s daughter Gayle was the licensee and Sue was working for her. Now the roles have been reversed by what Sue calls the “mother-daughter tag team”.

The Salutation is one of Doncaster’s oldest and most popular pubs. Situated on South Parade, it has been in its present location since 1778, and was at one time a coaching inn when the Great North Road passed through the centre of town. The pub has a long and varied history which will merit an article of its own in a future issue of Donny Drinker. Sue hopes to one day research it in detail when she finally has the time.

In the meantime though, Sue is fully occupied running the pub, and the first thing which comes across on meeting her is her absolute belief in cask ale and its role in pubs. Sue describes the Salutation as “a constant beer festival” and no wonder. Six cask beers are available at all times in a pub which turns over 20 barrels in a typical week. Black Sheep Bitter is the one constant beer in a range which usually features two dark beers, two light or pale ones and one session ale.

A wide range of breweries are featured too. When I visited the pub to research this article, I was given a tour of the cellar where ales from smaller breweries such as Titanic were ranged alongside more established names such as Adnams and Everards. “Our most popular beers are those from bigger breweries like Adnams and Everards,” says Sue. “Our customers have confidence in them. But some of the local micros like Thorne are proving popular too”.

I can’t mention the cellar without congratulating Sue and her staff on their recent success in winning the Innserve Regional Cellar of the Year Award.  CAMRA also chose the Salutation’s function room as the venue for this summer’s Yorkshire Regional Meeting. And of course, it’s the traditional venue for our branch’s Annual General Meeting.

Sue believes in running a traditional pub without gimmicks. Food is served all day every day and sometimes there’s live music. One of her regular features over the past couple of years has been a succession of 'Meet the Brewer' evenings at which customers learned about the brewing process from a whole range of familiar names.  Now renamed “An Evening With…” breweries such as Saltaire and Fuller’s are lined up to come and explain the stories behind their products. As Sue explains “Our customers have now heard about how beer is brewed many times. We thought they might like to hear the stories behind the breweries instead”.

Haxey Gate Inn - District Pub of the Season

It’s a mile from the nearest village and no buses stop there. There isn’t even a footpath along the road leading to it. Despite all these obstacles, it’s a successful pub which has just won our Doncaster District Pub of the Season Winter award. Congratulations to the Haxey Gate Inn and its licensees, Mark and Lynne Mason.

For those who don’t know it, the Haxey Gate Inn is situated on the A161 between Graizelound and Misterton, just inside Nottinghamshire and about 200 metres outside Doncaster and District CAMRA’s branch area. It’s only the second time an ‘out of area’ pub has won one of our awards. However, we felt this pub is a neglected gem which deserves recognition.

Although it isn’t easy to get there, the Haxey Gate has a lot going for it. Situated by the River Idle and the nearby Misterton Golf Course, it’s popular with anglers and golfers alike. “We serve as the unofficial club house for the golf course and Haxey Quays Caravan Park” says Mark. The pub has an excellent reputation for good quality meals which are served all day. Among other things, it provides breakfast for the Boggins on Haxey Hood Day. The pub also offers accommodation in the form of eight en-suite letting bedrooms.

Of course, the reason for our award is the beer and this is something Mark and Lynne have promoted solidly ever since they took over in 2007. Four cask ales are always available, with at least one from Bateman’s of Wainfleet, Lincolnshire always on offer. Mark gives two reasons for this: “When we first arrived, Bateman’s really looked after us as lease holders at our first pub, the Crooked Billet at Owston Ferry. They gave us a lot of help with pumps and other equipment.  I also think it’s important that a pub should have one regular beer”.

Over the last four years the Haxey Gate Inn has been a showcase for Bateman’s ales. At various times the entire range has featured – and always in good condition. There has also been an interesting range of ales from micro breweries, thanks in part to Idle Brewery’s Brian Cooper and his extensive contacts. It’s a good advert for CAMRA’s LocAle policy, too, as local micros are often featured. Mark and Lynne’s policy is to cater for all tastes so the beer range always includes one dark beer, one light one and a seasonal ale.

The Haxey Gate has held successful beer festivals over the last two August Bank Holidays. The pub’s location proved no barrier to drinkers who made sure all the featured ales sold out. In fact, at the time of writing, 315 different cask ales have been available at the Haxey Gate Inn since Mark and Lynne arrived. It’s surprising that this pub hasn’t yet featured in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide but we hope that this award will make up for that.

Cask Corner - Town Centre Pub of the Season

Where else can you find a coffin in the corner, an ironing board suspended from the ceiling, sawdust on the floor and up to 10 cask beers for sale? The answer is in Doncaster CAMRA’s Pub of the Season for Autumn 2011 - Cask Corner on Cleveland Street.

This is certainly a pub with a difference. Originally the brainchild of the sadly defunct Toad Brewery, it opened in July 2010 and in just over a year has already made its own individual mark on the town centre and proved a great attraction to discerning drinkers.

The ten cask beers are sourced from a wide variety of independent breweries, including many which qualify under CAMRA’s LocAle scheme - designed to promote the availability of local beers from local breweries, thereby cutting down on 'beer-miles'. Ales from Great Heck, Raw, Acorn, Wentworth and White Rose have all featured regularly; even the highly regarded Steel City beers have been known to appear from time to time. Other initiatives have included featured ‘Brewery Months’ - most notably showcasing the fine cask beers from Thornbridge and BrewDog. Real cider and interesting premium lagers are also available, together with a hugely impressive range of 100 bottled beers from all over Europe and beyond. In short, there really is something for everyone.

The décor is probably best described as quirky. Apart from the aforementioned coffin and ironing board, Cask Corner boasts an old fashioned mangle in the window, giant knitting needles, a piano and what must surely be the largest dartboard in town. A collection of 12” vinyl record sleeves are displayed on the walls. Visitors to this pub are unlikely to forget it in a hurry.

Originally opened as a one roomed downstairs pub, there is now an upstairs cocktail bar and a separate rooftop terrace smoking area. The seating arrangement, currently offering a variety of sofas, upright chairs and even upended beer barrels, sometimes seems to change almost daily. An interesting feature is the ground level cellar at the rear, with glass windows ensuring that all can observe the well kept barrels and tantalising cases of bottled beers.

The pub has always employed friendly and knowledgeable staff, who are pleased to offer guidance regarding the cask and bottled beers on offer. ‘Taster’ samples are generally available at all but the busiest times.

To celebrate this award, the pub has increased the discount offered to card-carrying CAMRA members (and NUS student card holders) to a generous 25% off all cask beers.

Cask Corner is reintroducing a Toad Brewery initiative - the popular ‘Beer Club’ held on the last Friday of each month - where all cask beers will be on sale at £2 per pint (understandably no further discounts will be available!).

The pub does not serve food, but customers are permitted (for better or worse depending on personal opinion!) to bring in takeaway meals to consume on the premises.

Shoulder of Mutton- District Pub of the Season

When you’re out and about, do you dream of finding one of those lovely traditional country pubs with real fires, real ales and a friendly relaxing atmosphere? If so, you need look no further than the Shoulder of Mutton at Kirk Smeaton. It is just such a pub and, what’s more, has been voted District Pub of the Season for Autumn 2011 by the Doncaster & District Branch of CAMRA.

This wonderful pub has previously won a Pub of the Season award (Winter 2005/06) and was also voted our District Pub of the Year 2007. So what makes this pub so special, then? The answer is – many things. The Shoulder of Mutton is an absolute gem. As you enter there is a cosy, wood-panelled snug to the right and to the left a large lounge with real fires. It is in this larger room that most of the customers gather. The clientele are friendly, always ready to swap a yarn or two, and to indulge in witty banter.

There are always two real ales available here. The regular house beer is Black Sheep Best Bitter. If you like this beer, this is the place to drink it - it’s always in excellent condition. The guest beer is usually from the relatively new Dark Horse Brewery (located in an old hay barn within the Yorkshire Dales National Park). This is the only pub in our branch area where I’ve encountered this beer, and very nice it is too. The brewery badges the beer especially for the pub as ‘Shoulder of Mutton Ale’. Being free of tie, beers are sourced direct from the breweries instead of them travelling the length and breadth of the country before reaching the pub. This shows in the quality of the beer!

Outside, there is a spacious beer garden for alfresco drinking – complete with a covered and heated shelter to accommodate smokers – and ample parking facilities. This is also a haven for walkers as the Went Valley circular walk and Brockadale Nature Reserve are nearby.