Hassocks: 21st Century Station

For reasons which I won’t go into I started my train journey at Hassocks – about 9 miles north of Brighton. Hassocks is on the main Brighton line but few trains actually stop there. I expect it used to have grand station buildings on both sides of the tracks but at some point they were taken away to be replaced with some awful prefabricated structure. To call it a shelter would be unkind to other shelters. It may gleam in its Southern Railway green paint but no amount of paint is going to disguise that the fact that it looks like old cardboard boxes. The spanking new ticket gates cruelly show up what a toilet the station is – except of course there is no toilet…

The Evening Star

Gloomy February in Brighton - the station looms at the end of Surrey Street

It was extraordinarily foggy in Brighton and when I arrived it was difficult to make out the country end of the platforms. It was cold too. But the dense, prematurely dark gloom only made the Evening Star even more welcome than normal. The atmosphere was lively and predominantly male this evening. The popularity meant that we were sharing a table with two other parties – something that often happens in the Evening Star.

Dressed lightly for a gig the cold had got to me so my first drink was a coffee. You can choose from instant or cafetiere – choose the latter, it was superb.

The welcoming Evening Star

After that it was beer. The Evening Star (pub review here) belongs to the Dark Star brewery so you expect some of their beers. Tonight the cask choices were Dark Star Hophead, Golden Gate and Sussex Original, with Milton Pegasus and another couple of guests which I’ve forgotten.

Now in London (somewhere like the Harp) I’d normally opt for Hophead but here I went for the Golden Gate. After the coffee the citrus of the Golden Gate really cut through – much more so than the Hophead that Jon had.

Only a brief visit to the Evening Star this time as we were hungry and wanted to eat before the gig. So back out into the gloom.

The Basketmakers Arms

Brighton pubs are great when the sun is shining but in this dark, misty gloom they welcome you like a long lost friend. It was fully dark by the time we reached the Basketmakers so no usable pictures from my mobile unfortunately.

Delicious whitebait from a previous visit to the Basketmakers Arms

We’d chosen the Basketmakers as the food is very good – and the beer too (See my Basketmakers review). First drink was a Gales HSB while we pondered the menu. The HSB was excellent as usual although I’m sure it’s not as dark as it used to be – something I thought during a recent trip to the Royal Oak in Borough where Gales HSB is a regular guest. Comparing the colour of what we had with the HSB photo on my photo page for the Round House in Covent Garden I’d say the current HSB seems much redder.

Food-wise I opted for a delicious Haddock and Chips – good portions, and well cooked. The girl at the next table was having a whole baked camembert which I’d missed on the menu but it looked amazing. I’d imagine a whole one might be too much – you could share it with a portion of whitebait which is also good here.

Just time for another beer so we tried the Castle Rock Preservation. Lighter in character than the HSB it’s still quite full flavoured but the hops are much more restrained than the Dark Star beers from earlier.

It’s good to see that Fullers allow two guest beers at the Basketmakers now – the other was Butcombe Bitter.

Being at two out of my three ‘golden triangle’ pubs in Brighton (we missed the Lord Nelson) of course prompted discussions about which one was best. It’s a conversation that never gets resolved but for all round appeal I’d say the Basketmakers Arms was the best pub in Brighton (that I know about). They even let children in too – a mixed blessing of course.

British Sea Power

After leaving the Basketmakers we strolled down to Komedia on Gardner Street – only to bump into a few people we’d just seen at the Basketmakers. I’d never been to this venue before but I’d definitely go again. It’s not a huge venue but it’s not tiny either. The sound and view were both superb and the placing of the bar in a separate area (like the Cavern in Exeter) makes for a better experience in my opinion. The bar sold bottles of Hepworths Sussex and Iron Horse – makes a change from Fosters etc.

British Sea Power were brilliant and they played a lot from their first album as well as the new Valhalla Dancehall. A cut-down excerpt from Man Of Aran was good too. The support – Team Me from Norway were also excellent. They weaved some amazing textures and complicated rhythms in their short set and I bought their EP.

So straight out the door after the single encore for a swift walk/run back up the hill to the station. We just made the train…

Related Items

• My pub reviews of Brighton
• Post on previous Brighton pub crawl
• Google map of Brighton pub crawl

It is the first time that a London pub has won this award, and the Harp has beaten three other excellent pubs which made it to the final shortlist.

Julian Hough of CAMRA gives Bridget the National Pub of the Year Award

Those who are familiar with the Harp will know that the award is well deserved – it’s a fine pub with a welcoming atmosphere and great real ales and ciders. The pub is very welcoming and is loved by regular customers and occasional visitors alike.

The presentation of the award to Bridget Walsh (Binnie to her friends) took place at lunchtime on the 16th and I was lucky enough to be invited along.

The day got off to a good start with a quarter page write up in the printed version of the Guardian Newspaper (online version here). Other papers carried the story too and there was even a sentence in the Sun. Binnie was also interviewed by the breakfast team at BBC Radio London.

Duncan Sambrook helps himself to some Wandle

I got to the Harp early and initially the pub was eerily quiet. Binnie was talking to a journalist from Asylum mag. By 11:15 the pub was its usual busy self, and all the CAMRA people had arrived. Julian Hough kicked off with a speech that culminated in a review of some of the comments that the CAMRA surveyors had made about the Harp. After receiving the award Binnie gave a short acceptance speech thanking the CAMRA members, the various breweries and her staff.

Once the formalities were out the way it was time for a drink. Both Sambrooks and Dark Star breweries had generously donated a cask each for the day – Wandle and Hophead respectively. Mmm, decisions, decisions… Duncan Sambrook (MD of Sambrooks) had no doubts and led the attck on the Wandle. In the end I had some of both – very nice. Some excellent food was provided by a team from the First Step Trust.

The Harp shaped cake

There was also a superb cake made by Siobhan Fitzpatrick – shaped like a Harp (the cake, not Siobhan) to represent the beautiful stained glass windows at the front of the pub. After Binnie had cut the cake we all realised how tasty it was. It was easy to spot who’d eaten some as the green glitter on the icing tended to stick to your face.

After several rounds of the Hophead vs Wandle taste test I plumped for the Wandle but only just.

If you’re ever thirsty in the Covent Garden area I recommend a detour to The Harp – you won’t regret it.

Thanks to the Harp for inviting me and for allowing me to use some of their photos – you can see more on their Facebook album page.

Other Places to Visit

• The Harp website
• The Harp on Twitter
• The Harp on Facebook
• The Harp’s collection of YouTube videos
• My pub review of The Harp

Now those of you who know me, and indeed those of you who don’t might assume that I was talking about the Dark Star beer which has become prevalent in London these days. But no! I was amazed to discover another Hophead on the street – this one from a brewery called Brewsters of Lincolnshire. Well, I had to try that.

Brewsters Hophead Pump Clip

I found the Brewsters Hophead a very bitter beer but very light, and it has a similar aftertaste to the Dark Star beer of the same name. But obviously it was a completely different beer.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that a hoppy beer would be called Hophead – after all, if the beer was called Best Bitter or Summer Ale for example there wold be no confusion because the brewery would be a key part of the name. But I was a bit confused.

A little research afterwards suggests that Brewsters Hophead might have had the name before the Dark Star beer. Anyway, the branding (pump clips etc) is totally different so I don’t think anyone would really make a mistake.

By the way, the Brewsters Hophead is a very good beer and I would drink it again – if there was no Dark Star Hophead available of course…

Annie, who runs the Dispensary, always keeps the beer well and I was sustained for the evening by pints of Dark Star Hophead and Harvey’s Best. I didn’t try the Itchen Valley Gold or the Dark Star Porter but I’m told they were good too.

If you are ever in the Aldgate area I do recommend the Dispensary for a fine pint – it’s a bit cheaper than some pubs around as well. They put out complimentary nibbles on a Friday evening too.

I was a late convert to the Harp some 2 – 3 years ago but now when in the rea it’s a must visit pub. It used to be one of the smokiest pubs in London, but that’s all changed now and the atmosphere is just people enjoying themselves.

Harp, Covent Garden

The pub is extremely narrow inside and when it’s busy (seemingly all of the time) it can be a struggle to get past the bar to the slightly larger open area at the back. There is a quieter room up the narrow stairs if you need a bit of peace and quiet. Be aware though, the stairs are almost as precarious as those at the Seven Stars in Chancery Lane.

The beer selection will never disappoint as there are 8 different beers on at any one time. The selection varies constantly apart from the two staples and on my last visit the list comprised:

• Harvey’s Sussex Best – a regular here. Almost as good as being in a Harvey’s pub.
• Sambrook’s Wandle – Hoped it might taste like the Wandsworth brewed Young’s ordinary but it’s a different beer completely. Similar colour but much fuller in taste, and maltier. It calmed down to a subtle caramel flavour.
• Dark Star Hophead – As good as you’d expect it to taste but slightly glazed.
• Dark Star Original – Such a deep, dark beer but not as intense as the Espresso.
• Morrisey-Fox Blonde – My first opportunity to try this on draught and much better than the bottles. It’s a strong golden ale – not unlike Summer Lightning but somehow richer.
• Timothy Taylor Landlord – Not tried, but another constant I believe.
• Holden’s Will O Wisp – Not tried
• St Austell Tribute – Not tried

If you’re hungry there are various sausages in a roll to eat assuming there are any left – they’re very popular. These are cooked for you behind the bar.

Update: The Harp now has a website.