Secret Drinker reviews The Blue Pig in Grantham
I’m noticing a bit of a worrying trend on the high street.
It appears that for every closed former pub - windows broken and paint flaking - there seems to be a plush new gym or health centre looking help you sculpt the body beautiful.
The bench is the new bar. And I’m a little concerned.
That was certainly what stood out to me on a recent stroll through Grantham, where empty boozers like BeerHeadz, The Playhouse and Blue Bull were left dishevelled while the town centre was packed with these secretive fitness centres that lurk behind dimly-lit entrance rooms.
In my world, if I need a key fob to get into a building then I’m expecting a full English thrown in.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than in favour of people having bumps in the right places, living longer and doing their bit to take the strain off the NHS, but it’s nothing short of a tragedy to see our classic boozers, sometimes staples of the community for hundreds of years, going under and being reduced to eyesores.
By all means pump some iron, but allow yourself a drink from the pumps as well.
So, after passing these empty old pubs, I was delighted to stumble across The Blue Pig, endearingly located just off Swinegate.
The first two blokes I came across at the bar looked like they had been dedicating their lives to lifting pints instead of kilos and had some pretty impressive one packs to show for it.
But even they were chatting about the perfect alpha male.
“Reckon you could be the next James Bond?” one asked me; an impressive conversation opener which, if not said with such jollity, could have been easily misinterpreted as taking the absolute mick.
But before I could say Dr No Flipping Way he’d turned to the lady serving and suggest she could be ‘Jane Bond’, the first female super spy in the franchise.
It seemed he had a bit of a routine worked out and his mate was happily chuckling along to his words of wisdom, so I made my excuses, collected my pint and headed for a nook.
That’s the thing with these old low-ceilinged, wooden-beam-filled taverns. They look stunning but they’re often divided into smaller seating areas where it’s great to have a private conversation and catch up with pals, but doesn’t always lend itself to a vibrant atmosphere.
But thankfully, most of them were full with people and a steady flow of chatter filled the air.
On my quest to snap a few interior pictures I stumbled across a few of these enclaves where couples looked startled to spot me popping up, camera phone in hand.
I’m not sure whether they thought I was a voyeur or private eye hired to catch them in the act. Either way I didn’t hang around to find out.
Eventually I settled in the lounge area where the big screen was showing the Sky Sports news. As this was a Tuesday in the footballing world we were being updated on absolutely nothing. On loop.
So instead I eavesdropped on a couple next to me discussing some local shops that had been shut down for selling dodgy fags. Even the tobacconists are dying out as the gyms flourish.
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The Blue Pig, like the aforementioned Blue Bull, got its name from a time when people were enjoying a different culture war back in the 19th Century.
There was something of a political rivalry between the Manners family and the Brownlows in the area, with pubs choosing allegiance to a side.
The manners were Whigs and their colour blue; hence the Blue Pig and many other Blue pubs, including the Lion, Horse, Dog, Bull, Cow, Ram, Sheep, Lamb and Man dotted around the patch. Presumably most of them are doing yoga classes now.
But The Blue Pig, with its nooks, eye-catching timber beams and nice suntrap beer garden remains, even if the conversation has moved on from politics to 007 and ciggies.
And there wasn’t any lycra in sight.
The BLUE PIG, 9 VINE STREET, GRANTHAM, NG31 6RQ
DECOR: It’s a lovely old, low beamed hostelry inside, divided into several different rooms, each with their nooks. 3/5
DRINK: I went for London Pride, the Fuller’s beer, not the event. It’s a nice amber ale with a 4.7% ABV. 3/5
PRICE: £3.10. Very good value, I thought. 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: Plenty of people in and plenty of chatter, although divided up into their own enclaves. 3/5
STAFF: With the bar serving three rooms the lady serving was kept busy, but polite enough to smile at the ‘Jane Bond’ quip. 3/5
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Do you agree with the Secret Drinker or have any suggestions where he should go next? Where is your favourite beer garden? Email secretdrinker@lincsonline.co.uk or comment below.
