curryandbeer.co.uk - Newshouse

A place to have a chinwag

The older I get, the more I cherish the simple pleasures of life. Any opportunity to get away from the nightmares of the modern world, and the latest unfathomable newspeak is more than welcome. But where do you you go to find a place where you aren’t going to be sitting next to a group of people thumbs all ablur while they feverishly tap into their latest Ipad app? Where? Why The Newshouse, of course. It’s always been an oasis of comfort, a place to de-stress and do proper “social networking” or as they used to call it having a chinwag with your mates; somewhere that’s warm and welcoming.

Under new management

So when we heard that this traditional real ale boozer was under new management, we were intrigued to learn what could be done that would improve this Castle Rock gem.

When we dropped by we were pleased to find that the new licensees, Jenny and Colin have wisely chosen to keep this real ale haven pretty much as it has always been. Jenny told me that when they took it on it was very clear to them that “if something isn’t broke then don’t fix it!”. Great sigh of relief! In this world where everything seems to be constantly changing just for the sake of change this continuity is something I treasure.

So, they’ve kept the comfortable lounge with its round the wall seating, and they’ve kept the excellent range of cask ales, and they’ve kept the warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Extending the food provision

Their contribution has been to recognise, shrewdly, that extending the food provision is bound to be a winner, and their new range of pub grub is well thought out and just about perfect. We were on our way to sample the delights of the Anoki, when we popped in, so we didn’t stay to sample the fare but I must say, I really fancy their cheese platter which looks terrific value.

Extended menu

Look at that cheese platter!

One over the Eight

In common with other Castle Rock pubs, the Newshouse supports the excellent “one over the eight” token scheme that allows a free pint for each eight tokens on your card.