Sunday 25 January 2009

Ross Returns To The Red Lion

Now I know what you may be thinking...

Why, when the standard of writing on this blog has already scraped the very bottom of the literary barrel, would I resort to lame, tabloid-esque wordplay in the title of this entry? Why, you may be asking, would I feel the need to reference the current bĂȘte noire of the media, the naughty Mr Jonathon Ross of Friday evening television fame, just to draw your attention to this blog entry? Well...

To be honest, there's really no particular reason, other than a slightly desperate desire to chivvy the hit rate along on the blog. I would hasten to add that should the aforementioned Mr Ross ever find himself in the area, I'm certain he would receive a very warm welcome at the Red Lion. The Welland Valley is of course a playground for the rich and famous. Celebrity chef, and award-winning tantrum-thrower John Burton Race is an occasional (once) visitor. If the Red Lion is good enough for 'Racey' (as he's known round here), I'm sure a place in the Wednesday night skittles team could be found for Mr Ross. And should the man be forced into taking another sabbatical from his highly paid BBC position, he could probably be squeezed into the Friday night team too. This would obviously depend on his performance at the table...

Of course the real reason for this blog entry is the welcome return of award-winning cider and perry to the Red Lion from the Ross-on-Wye Cider & Perry Co.

In the absence of our own Rockingham Forest Cider, Fiona & Kevin at the Red Lion, Middleton, are keen to keep the real cider flag flying, and we're more than happy to help out. The Sam's Cider went down very well over the Christmas period, selling out surprisingly quickly considering the chilly weather. There is a widespread belief that traditional ciders like these only sell well during the Summer months, but the cider drinkers at the Red Lion are obviously made of sterner stuff than that.

The cider and perry from Broome Farm proved to be a very popular choice at last year's Welland Valley Beer Festival. The talent behind the operation, Mike Johnson, has won a hat full of awards for his fine Herefordshire ciders (this pic shows Mike with an award for his bottled cider at the 2005 Three Counties Show), and if anything the perry is even more highly regarded. A visit to Broome Farm for a sample in the cider cellar is always a pleasant experience, and you can share a little in that pleasure by visiting the Red Lion, where Ross-on-Wye Cider & Perry should be available from this week onwards for a limited period, so get it while you can.

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