G’s back inthe kitchen

rhythm and boozeFood, Booze, Bands & News - Issue 6 - March/April 2011

Having spent the last two years

running The Cellar Bar, Giovanni

Grandinetti has returned to catering

and has taken over the kitchen of

The Ostrich Inn.

Open 11.30am - 4pm then 5pm –

8.30pm Monday to Friday and

11.30am – 7pm on Saturdays; the

menu offers a Thursday night curry

club, an ‘express menu’ - centred

around paninis, wraps, jacket pota-

toes, pastas and salads – with tra-

ditional roasts available on the first

and last Sunday of the month be-

tween 12pm and 5pm.

In addition to traditional ‘pub grub’,

the new menu will offer dishes with

a Mediterranean flavour, reflecting

the award winning chef’s birthplace

of Calabria in southern Italy.

Speaking of the new venture, Gio-

vanni said: “I’m looking forward to

getting back into the kitchen, I’ve a

few ideas up my sleeve that I know

my customers will love.”

For more on Giovanni’s Kitchen @

The Ostrich Inn, turn to page 9

Giovanni Grandinetti preparing the kitchen for his new venture at The Ostrich Inn.

BUY ONLINE or AS A DOWNLOADBY MAIL ORDER FROM METALONROCK.TVOR AS A DOWNLOAD FROM iTUNES / 7DIGITAL

“This compilation paints a good pictureof the versatility and eclecticmusic coming out of the city.”- Mass Movement Magazine

"A wonderfully well presented snapshotof Peterborough rock, punk and indie.” - Peterborough Evening Telegraph

This Is Peterborough Thrice

The third and final instalment in the

This Is Peterborough series of

compilations contains tracks from

21 established, up and coming or

been and gone local bands.

With stunning cover art by Lee

Mason, the 12-page booklet

contains sleeve notes from Allen

Adams, Steve Rolls and Marcus

‘Modboy’ Best.

Out 21 March 2011

Upon this Rock......‘n’Roll

ALE MARY

A beer brewed to commemorate

Robert Scarlett, the sexton who

buried Katharine of Aragon 475

years ago, has proved so popular

that it will be available all

year round.

Old Scarlett is brewed by Castor

Ales and came about after a con-

versation between brewer Duncan

Vessey and Brian Gascoyne,

landlord of The Crown Inn,

Lincoln Road.

Speaking at the beer’s launch, held

in the pub on 21 January, Brian ex-

plained: “I have an interest in local

history and the Old Scarlett story is

so fascinating that more people

should know about him.

“I spoke to Duncan and it was de-

cided that a special ale to mark

Katharine of Aragon’s anniversary

would be a nice way to commemo-

rate him.”

Dying two months short of his 99th

birthday, Robert Scarlett buried two

generations of Peterborough’s pop-

ulation and is said to have provided

inspiration for the gravedigger

in Hamlet.

Using hops from New Zealand to

give the ale a distinct flavour, Dun-

can said: “The dark colour reflects

the trade he mastered during a long

life that would be considered re-

markable even in this day and age.”

Calling it “a vivacious little number”,

The Dean of Peterborough, The

Very Reverend Charles Taylor,

pulled the first pints for an invited

audience that included Peterbor-

ough Museum’s Stuart Orme and

the mayor Keith Sharp.

Having never pulled a pint until

now, the Dean joked that effort

needed to operate the hand pump

“explains why Bet Lynch was the

shape she was.”

Originally planned as a one-off, it

was even served after a talk at the

Cathedral entitled The Life and

Times of Old Scarlett where Dun-

can decided: “That it’s a such a hit,

we’re going to have to make it

a regular.”

In addition to The Crown Inn, the

dark bitter with a fresh fruity taste is

also available at The Ploughman,

Werrington and The Ostrich Inn.

More information on Castor Ales is

available at www.castorales.co.uk

The Very Reverend Charles Taylor, the Dean of Peterborough, and Castor Ales’ Duncan Vessey enjoy a pint of

Old Scarlett at The Crown Inn, Lincoln Road.

Pub ScrawlFestival season is on us once again

with the King’s Lynn Literature

Festival to be held over the week-

end of 11/13 March at the Town Hall

on Saturday Market Place. Guests

speaking over the weekend include

Paul Bailey, Christopher Bigsby,

Lindsay Clarke, Robert Edric, So-

phie Hannah, Rachel Hore, DJ

Taylor and Scarlett Thomas. For

full details regarding times and

prices go to www.lynnlitfests.com

Oundle Festival of Literature runs

from 12-20 March and amongst the

many events held around the town

are talks by crime-writers Mark

Billingham and Michael Robot-

ham (Friday 18), Roman adventure

writer Simon Scarrow (Saturday

19), historian Michael Wood (Sat-

urday 19) and historian John

Julius Norwich (Monday 14). At

fine local establishment The Ship

there is a free poetry night on Sun-

day 13 with local bard Nick Perry

and London poet Philip Wells in an

evening entitled Fire v Water. This

starts at 8pm. For full details about

the entire festival, including dates,

times and prices go to

www.oundlelitfest.org.uk

Speakeasy is back at The Brew-

ery Tap on Wednesday 2 March at

8pm when the headline act will be

Pete the Temp. The next event will

be on 23 March with Tim Wells and

Steve Larking. Admission for each

evening is £4.

Stamford Arts Centre hosts regu-

lar Literature at Lunchtime talks on

the first Tuesday of each month. On

Tuesday 5 April the book is The

Good Earth by Pearl S Buck, fol-

lowed by the film of the book. Then

on Tuesday 3 May the book is Pyg-

malion followed by the film My Fair

Lady. The talks start at 12.30pm

and admission is £5.50, while the

films start at 2.30pm with admission

at £5. The Arts Centre has a nice

spacious bar downstairs (serving a

Wytchwood beer last time I was in)

but strangely they’ve built a new bar

in the art gallery, reducing exhibition

space and security for the exhibited

work. No one seems to know why

this has been built, were there is-

sues about disabled access to the

downstairs bar?

John Clare Cottage in Helpston,

next to The Blue Bell, is hosting a

poetry workshop on Monday 7

March from 4.30 pm to 7.00 pm.

The subject is Poetry and Environ-

ment and the evening is lead by Dr

Sam Ward (University of Notting-

ham) and poet Cheryl Moskowitz.

Subjects discussed will include en-

closure and nature, and how this in-

fluenced both John Clare and poets

today. This is part of the British Li-

brary’s initiative Literature in Con-

text. Entry to this event is free, but

places are limited so you will need

to reserve a ticket. For information

contact Clare Cottage by phone on

01733 253330 or by emailing

events@clarecottage.org

Also at the cottage on Saturday 9

April, members of Poets United will

be reading their work between 1-

2pm and 3-4pm. This is a free

event, but normal admission

charges apply for the Cottage.

Poets United meet on the first

Tuesday of the month at the PCVS

building on Lincoln Road (roughly

opposite Geneva Bar) from 8pm.

For full details ring Viv on 01733

340560.

The Broadway Theatre has re-

opened (don’t know what the bar is

like yet) and on Sunday 20 March

actor and brewer Neil Morrissey

will be talking about his life. Tickets

are £19.50/£21.50 (depending on

where you sit).

Peterborough Libraries is hosting

another author evening on

Wednesday 23rd March at the

Central Library. Judith Allnatt

makes a welcome return to discuss

her novel The Poet’s Wife, which is

about the wife of John Clare. The

evening starts at 7pm (so you can

go along to Speakeasy afterwards)

and tickets cost £3 (concessions

available) from Waterstones book-

shop, Central Library or by ringing

01733 864287.

In the middle of a triangle formed by

Sawtry, Yaxley and Ramsey lies the

Great Fen Project. On Friday 1

April they are hosting an evening of

storytelling at The Wildlife Trust’s

Ramsey Heights Countryside

Centre (PE26 2RS) with Anne

French and Rachel O’Leary, the

subject of which is Human Nature,

our relationship with the wild. It

starts at 7.30pm and admission is,

a suggested donation of, £5 per

person or £3.50 concessions.

Booking is essential, so ring

(01487) 710420 or go to the web-

site at www.greatfen.org.uk/events

Some more information regarding

the reading group at The Wortley

Almshouses, they meet on the first

Thursday of the month (so 3 March,

7 April etc) at 7.45pm. Pop along

and find out what the next book will

be. Any other reading groups meet-

ing in pubs? Drop me an email at

cardinalcox1@yahoo.co.uk

As I’ve covered the literary side of

writing in this column, I thought I’d

mention novelist Tim Wilson as

this issue’s local hero. Tim has had

getting on for thirty novels pub-

lished and also runs writing courses

in the city. So not only does he

know about the technical stuff (plot,

character, etc), but also all about

the business of getting books pub-

lished. If you’ve always wanted to

write a novel, go into City College

Peterborough, Brook Street and

ask when Tim might be running an-

other course.

Cardinal Cox is an enthusiastic am-

ateur drinker. His poetry collection

A Sack of Midnight, inspired by the

ancient Welsh legends of the

Mabinogion, is still available from

Hilltop Press, 4 Nowell Place, Al-

mondbury, Huddersfield, HD5 8PB,

England.

by C

ard

ina

l C

ox

In Fergie we trust!

“The Messiah returns to lead the

masses to the Promised Land.”

Maybe a little over the top but

it’s exactly how Jamie Jones felt

when it was announced that

Darren Ferguson would be

returning to London Road.

The old place had gone a bit flat

under Gary Johnson, and here was

our chance to get behind the club

and the team under the third great-

est manager this club has ever

seen (after Turner and Cantwell).

Well in some ways it has worked

out as I write this in early February,

and I for one am full of belief that

this season can still be a success-

ful one.

However, no-one can deny that our

defending still requires an awful lot

of work and at times the team looks

terrified as soon as an opponent

gets into our penalty area which is

never a good sign.

Under Fergie Mk1, this time of year

would see us kick on and start to

batter teams and whilst the Lee

Mack attack will still score a few,

can we really see the team holding

together and making it into the au-

tomatic slots? Really? Honestly?

Console yourselves in the knowl-

edge that Posh are undefeated in

the play-offs (as we are in games

against Liverpool) and look forward

to another season in the Champi-

onship. Come on folks, this is the

place to see goals galore, hence

SKY putting us on TV three times

this season. More goals scored

than any other team in the league,

and almost the most goals con-

ceded as well. Come along and

give this amateur blood pressure

testing a chance.

Fergie and Darragh will have learnt

their lesson from last time and will

buy the right players and every-

thing will be ok.

We can all look forward to a bright

Peterborough future built around a

successful Peterborough United,

with the city, its good people and

local business all behind The Posh.

The ground will be re-built to a

20,000 capacity, the fountains in

Cathedral Square will work, Town

Bridge won’t be closed for any

more repair work and the sun will

shine for the Beer Festival.

Darragh Macanthony and Darren Ferguson prior to Ferguson’s reinstatement. Image © www.theposhpics.com

You can hear more from Jamie on all things Posh related by listening to the un-official

Posh podcast

Standing On The GlebeAvailable to download via itunes and www.standingontheglebe.co.uk every Monday.

Cock-Inn on gas

A Werrington pub has found the

ability to “smile again” thanks to the

dedication of its new licensees.

Over the last couple of years, The

Cock Inn lurched from one man-

ager to another, occasionally clos-

ing for unspecified periods.

Driving past the pub one morning,

Gill Edwards noticed a “for lease”

sign attached to the building and

the fulfilment of her and husband

Chris’ long-held dream started to

take shape.

Engineers by trade, the couple

have both worked for Perkins En-

gines before Gill left to set up an

engineering consultancy business

and Chris moved to a Market Deep-

ing based company.

“We were aiming to go into the

business once the children had left

school,” explains Gill, “but with the

Cock Inn being local and having

some money to invest we decided

to put it into the lease and renovate

the pub.”

Taking over in November, the cou-

ple closed the pub for a week and,

with the aid of friends, family and fu-

ture employees, were able to com-

pletely refurbish the place.

“It was hard work, with early starts

and late finishes, as many people

driving past will testify.”

The carpets were replaced, walls

cleaned and repainted, fixed furni-

ture was replaced by comfortable

leather sofas, and an open log fire

was installed. A 30 seat dining

space was created from the old

pool area, by sanding and restain-

ing the floor.

“We now serve traditional home

cooked food in there, which is going

really well, especially on Sundays

where booking is advisable.”

Welcoming customers old and new

alike, the pub’s new-found success

means that Chris will be able to

give up his day job later this month

in order to work alongside Gill

full time.

The pub offers live music most Sat-

urdays, while themed evenings –

including an 80s Night on 23rd April

- take place when there isn’t a band on.

During February, the pub took part

in Febru-hairy – where customers

helped to raise money for Sue

Ryder by getting their hair cut or

growing outlandish facial hair - and

there are several events planned

for Comic Relief, which takes place

on 18th March.

Two local motorcycle groups meet

on Monday and Wednesday

evenings and plans for a quiz

night and poker league are in

the pipeline.

Gill’s always on the lookout for new

bands and anyone who wants to

book a slot should call 01733

322006, while full events listings

will shortly be available at

www.cock-inn.co.uk

The pub currently serves three real

ales, however there’s plans to re-

design the bar to allow three guests

to join regulars Wadworth 6X,

Adnam’s Broadside and Theakston

Best Bitter.

The Cock Inn, 1305 Lincoln Road, Werrington - “finally smiling again”, thanks to the dedication of licencees

Gill and Chris Edwards.

Receiving assistance from local

brewer and Andy Simmons, land-

lord of The Ploughman, customers

have commended the pub on the

quality of its beer and Gill hopes to

gain a Cask Marque award in the

near future.

In addition to changes to the bar,

plans are in place to improve the

beer garden in time for the summer.

“The external fencing is being re-

placed and seeds will be planted to

improve the appearance of the

grassed area.

“We’ll be buying new furniture, cre-

ating a BBQ area and a children’s’

play park so that everyone can

enjoy what sunshine we get in a

safe and appealing environment.”

Gill hopes that the pub will become

a valued part of the community and

has been bowled over by the feed-

back she’s received.

“Many of our customers have com-

mented on how lovely the pub looks

now.

“But my favourite comment comes

from a customer who said how sad

it had been to see The Cock Inn go

downhill and that we had finally

made the pub smile again.”

Above: The interior of the revamped Cock Inn. Below: The new open log fire and as it was (inset).

Both images on this page © The Cock Inn

R E V I E W SGiovanni’s Kitchen @ TheOstrich Inn, 17 North Street,Peterborough PE1 2RATelephone: 07775841239

Having been left a little uninspired

by The Ostrich’s previous menu, I

was pleasantly surprised by the

changes made since Giovanni

Grandinetti took over the kitchen.

Taking a look at the menu, I was

bowled over by the wide selection

of dishes that include fish and chips

where you can choose the beer that

it will be battered in.

Being one of the Sundays that he’s

open, there was only one thing to

choose - a traditional roast dinner

and deciding against chicken I went

for beef.

After a short wait the food was

brought out and Giovanni certainly

scores 10 out of 10 for presenta-

tion, with three thick slices of beef

sitting atop a bed of Yorkshire pud-

ding covered in homemade gravy.

The vegetables provided a mix of

traditional English with Mediter-

ranean influences and included

creamy mashed potato, broccoli,

roasted carrots and broccoli,

roasted peppers and onions, and

baby potatoes that had been

roasted with rosemary and garlic.

Giovanni tells me that he also oper-

ates a dinner party service at the

weekend, where he and a waitress

go round a client’s house to cook,

serve and do the washing up.

On the strength of the roast dinner,

I may well give him a call next time

I’m entertaining.

The Blue Brew by Belvoir Brew-ery, Crown Park, Station Road,Old Dalby LE14 3NQ Telephone:

01664 823455There’s been a point in every real

ale drinker’s life when the beer

they’ve ordered doesn’t taste

quite right.

It happened to me at last year’s

beer festival when a golden

coloured ale tasted just like half a

pound cheese; so you can under-

stand why I was a little reluctant to

try The Blue Brew, a 4.2% ale from

Belvoir Brewery that incorporates

Stilton whey into the brewing

process.

Opening the bottle, I couldn’t smell

anything untoward and poured the

contents out into a glass. Although

not fully transparent it looks like any

normal chestnut coloured ale and

having a taste, was surprised how

nice it tasted.

Maybe a little too creamy tasting for

something I’d want to drink all night;

had I not known about its recipe, I

would have taken The Blue Brew

for a half-decent pint of bitter.

Eyes Wide ShutJLS featuring Tinie Tempah(Epic)The late lamented Kirsty

MacColl once said that she had

programmed the running order of

U2’s Joshua Tree by placing the

tracks in order of preference.

If this is how the JLS release

schedule was decided, then it’s no

wonder that One Shot was the third

and final single to be released from

their eponymous debut.

Thankfully Eyes Wide Shut, taken

from second album Outta This

World, seems to have avoided the

curse of “difficult third single off

an album”.

Starting off as a piano led ballad,

it quickly moves up a gear once the

beats and synth stabs kick in.

While the kids at the back of the

bus will be attempting to copy guest

star Tinie Tempah’s rap, this catchy

little number – the best thing

from JLS since Beat Again – should

be the toast of dancefloors

everywhere.

Wire @ The Scala, London02/02/11The old punks standing at the back

of the Scala are in for a disappoint-

ment; not because the bar prices

are too high, but because they have

no hope of hearing I Am The Fly

tonight – no matter how many times

they shout their request.

You see, unlike the Punk bands on

a perpetual reunion tour, our post-

Punk brethren – including Gang of

Four and The Fall – often ignore

‘the hit’ in order to write, record and

perform new material.

While much of the set is taken from

new album Red Barked Tree, it’s

not all ‘Year Zero’ with several clas-

sic songs popping up over the next

70 minutes.

Taking to the stage with the simple

greeting “Hello, we’re Wire”, they

start with new song Smash.

The band take a little while to warm

up, causing a small section of the

audience to start muttering, fol-

lowed by someone being told to

“please shut up, I’m trying to listen

to the band.”

A full-scale riot is avoided and

things move up a gear when the

band launched into 1988’s Kidney

Bingos; suddenly, Wire seem to be

on fire.

Pacifying, if not entirely silencing,

the critics and persuading those at

the front to start dancing, Wire mes-

merise the crowd with tough

chords, bass effects and a strange

clanking noise.

The first part of the set ends with

Spent, one of the rockier weapons

in Wire’s arsenal, to thunderous ap-

plause and cries of more.

The band oblige with not one but

two encores, the first containing a

cracking version of Underwater Ex-

periences – a song that they have

never managed to satisfactorily put

down on tape.

A few early problems aside, the

band’s performance was well re-

ceived and for many, missing out I

Am The Fly was the only “fly in

the ointment”.

March04 Glass Heart (BBI)

Hooker (TCI)

Monkey Boy (TPM)

The Influence (TCT)

The Malingerers (TOI)

05 Ain’t Misbehavin’ (TCI)

Dog House (TOI)

Loose Rocket (BBI)

The Nuggets (TPM)

Out of Order (TCT)

06 Rex, Lloyd & Murray (TCT)

11 Aladdinsane (BBI)

Lloyd Watson (TCT)

Sell Out (TOI)

12 Front Cover (BBI)

KickBack (TOI)

Retrolux (TCT)

Swinging the Led (TCI)

Children of the Revolution (PWF)

The Replicas (TLT)

The Returns (3HS)

The Wildcats (TPM)

13 Karaoke with Paul (TCT)

18 Daffy & The Alien (TPM)

Pulse (BBI)

Red Nose Day Events (TCI)

Children of the Revolution (BBI)

The R’n’B Band (TCT)

19 Citizen Smith (TLT)

Grumpy Old Men (BBI)

Sweet Revenge (BBI)

The Influence (TCI)

The Returns (TPM)

21 Cutting Loose (TCT)

25 Children of the Revolution (TOI)

Wayne Mills Disco (BBI)

26 Aaron Van Beeken (TCI)

Burlesque (TCT)

Country Pete McGill (SDB)

Glass Heart (PWF)

Grumpy Old Men (BBI)

Karaoke (3HS)

The Influence (TOI)

The Nuggets (TLT)

April01 The Influence (TPM)

The Overdubs (BBI)

UnLtd (TOI)

02 Daffy & The Alien (TCI)

Riff Raff (TCT)

Children of The Revolution (PWF)

The Returns (BBI)

Undercover (TOI)

03 Rex, Lloyd & Murray (TCT)

08 MLC (BBI)

Twenty4 (TCT)

The Balance (TOI)

Undercover (TPM)

09 Daffy & The Alien (TCT)

Dr A’s Rhythm & Blues Band (TCI)

Frankly My Dear (BBI)

Glass Heart (TOI)

Park Lane (PWF)

The Stereos (3HS)

15 Circa ‘73

Gin House (TOI)

Sell Out (TCT)

16 Black Rose (TCT)

Frankly My Dear (TPM)

Slide to Open (BBI)

Storm (TCI)

The Overdubs (PWF)

21 Austin ‘Walkin’ Cane (SDB)

22 Kickback (TCT)

Leon (TPM)

Retrolux (BBI)

Shane Poole (TCI)

23 80s Theme Night (TCI)

Grumpy Old Men (TCT)

Sell Out (BBI)

24 The Nuggets (TPM)

28 Open Mic (TCT)

29 Filthy Lucre (TPM)

Retrolux (TCT)

Wayne Mills Disco (BBI)

30 Porky Pig (PWF)

Karaoke (3HS)

The Guards (TCI)

31 Open Mic (TCT)

Key/Contacts

(3HS) - The Three Horseshoes,

Church St, Werrington, Peterbor-

ough, Cambridgeshire PE4 6QE

01733 571768

(BBI) Blue Bell Inn, Welland Road,

Peterborough PE1 3SA

01733 554890

(PWF) Prince of Wales Feathers, 38

Peterborough Rd, Castor, Peter-

borough, Cambridgeshire PE5

7AL

01733 380222

(SDB) ShakeDown Blues @ Castor

Village Hall. Peterborough Road

Castor Peterborough PE5 7AX.

01733 380 249

* Advance tickets available from

www.shakedownblues.co.uk

(TCI) The Cock Inn

1305 Lincoln Road, Werrington,

Peterborough PE4 6LW

01733 322006

(TCT) The Cherry Tree, Oundle

Road, Peterborough PE2 9PB

01733 703495

(TLT) The Lime Tree, Paston

Lane, Peterborough PE4 6HA

01733 708320

(TOI) The Ostrich Inn, 17 North

Street, Peterborough PE1 2RA

01733 746370

(TPM) The Ploughman, Staniland

Way, Werrington PE4 6NA

01733 327696

* All gigs start between 8.30pm-

9.30pm unless otherwise stated.

All listings given in good faith,

Rhythm & Booze can not be held

responsible for any discrepancy.

L I S T I N G S

Rhythm & Booze, Issue 6 – March/April 2011. All written material, unless otherwise stated, © Simon Stabler

Please send any letters, submissions, material for review or gig listings to simonstabler@aol.com by 15 April

THE PLOUGHMANStaniland Way, Werrington, Peterborough PE4 6NATel: 01733 327696

PUB OF THE YEAR

2011!

Peterborough CAMRA’s

An award winning local with fivereal ales available from £2 a pint!

nSky Sports

nBeer Festival - first weekend in July

nHappy Hour Monday - Friday, 5-7pm

nLive Music (see the listings page)

nMighty Mouth Karaoke every Sunday

nFunction room available for hire

nJoin The Ploughman’s Facebook group

The Crown Inn749 Lincoln Road

Peterborough

PE1 3HD

07516395905

Open: 10:00 - 00:00 Sunday - Wednesday

Open: 10:00 - 01:00 Thursday - Saturday

A Pub At The Heart Of Its Community!

nServing quality real ales

nDedicated Smoking Patio

nWheelchair access at the front

nFree pool every Thursday from 6pm

nLive poker league Monday & Thursday from 7.30pm

nKaraoke (Friday)

nSunday Roast - £9.90 for three courses

nFunction room available for hire