Beers, boozers and breweries
An interview with Stockport-based author Matthew Curtis
Wednesday 17 January 2024
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Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and any beer lovers joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Wednesday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.
Eight days ago, we published an extract from the new book written by Matthew Curtis, who knows a thing or two about beer having visited 185 different boozers across the region.
It was a popular article on the website, and having read Matthew’s book myself, I thought it would be interesting to have a chat with the man himself, which I’d like to share with you today. If you like a pint yourself, I’d highly recommend purchasing a copy of the book, as it will give you some great ideas for different pubs to visit across Stockport and the surrounding areas. You could even visit all 185 like Matthew! There’s a link at the bottom of the interview.
Today’s edition is sponsored by The Crazy Cat Ladies Cheshire. If you’re working away or going on holiday and you need to leave your feline friends at home, you can be sure they’ll be well looked after. Just call 07478 697605 or email thecrazycatladiescheshire@gmail.com.
Finally, I’m currently walking every street in Stockport to raise money for mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.
Total distance so far: 46.68 miles
Total steps so far: 83,302
Total raised so far: £1,037
Total completed streets so far: 24 (Click here for the full list, which includes reports and photos from every day of the walk.)
Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.
Des Junior
You’ve sank 185 pints during the making of this book (although I’m guessing it’s probably more than that…!). How’s your body/health?
Good question and one I don't get asked often enough. I turned 40 last year and staying in shape is important to me, as I'd like to keep writing about beer for a good few years yet! I'm conscious to take alcohol free days every week, mostly between Monday and Thursday. Sometimes that's not always possible but I tend not to drink that much at home because I much prefer drinking draught beer in a pub, which makes it less challenging. My other hobby is trail running, so I run three or four times a week to keep fit and one of them, usually at the weekend, is a long muddy one through the trails around Stockport. I'm usually ready for a beer after that!
You grew up in Lincolnshire. What was that like? And can you remember your first alcoholic drink, whether it was on the park or at a school disco?
I didn't really enjoy growing up in Lincolnshire to be honest. I'm from a small village just outside Lincoln that didn't have a pub, and the pubs in the neighbouring villages weren't really up to much. But alcohol was never taboo in my house growing up and I was encouraged to taste stuff from my early teens. My first ever alcoholic drink was probably a sip of my dad’s bottle of Becks, or a glass of red wine at dinner. In my mid teens I would go to my grandma’s for lunch over the summer holidays and she'd give me a bottle of Guinness original with my soup and sandwich because she said it was good for me! As such, by the time I turned 18 alcohol was a pretty normal part of my life, but I was pleased to be able to go out and drink it legally.
You went to university in Middlesbrough, which is where you discovered your love of pints. What was the drinking culture like for a student up there?
I had a great time at uni, but drinking culture was largely based around quantity, rather than quality. I went to some of the local student pubs two or three times a week, and my favourites were The Southfield and The Camel's Hump, both chain M&B pubs but they had good jukeboxes and didn't mind students. Initially I probably drank Carling or Heineken more than anything else, but eventually I became a Guinness drinker, and when I graduated, that was when I started drinking cask beer.
You moved to London and played lead guitar in a band called Brontosaurus Chorus, touring the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. Best and worst memories from life on the road?
Oh there aren't too many bad ones... sleeping on cold floors because we couldn't afford hotels is probably the worst memory! One of my best is when we played an all day festival in Gouda, in the Netherlands. The people who booked us thought we were much more famous than we actually were, so we were treated like royalty, and the crowd were so into it, which was such a buzz. I would have loved to have gone on to be a professional musician at some stage, but it was impossible to do it self funded, so it all fell apart in my late 20s because I was living in London and I needed to earn some money!
Give us a brief history of Pellicle, your online beer magazine.
The initial idea for Pellicle was conceived by one of my best friends, Jonny Hamilton, who's a super talented brewer working at Newbarns Brewery in Edinburgh. He wanted to make a beer and culture zine that also brought in other drinks he loved, and one day we bumped into each other in a bar we frequented and he told me all about it. I had just left an editor position at an American beer mag called Good Beer Hunting, and was all at sea about what I wanted to do next. After one chat with Jonny, I went home, registered the URL, and started working on a business plan. It must have been OK because we're going to be celebrating our fifth birthday this year!
How are you finding Stockport as your new home?
I love it. My partner Dianne and I decided to leave London intentionally and we're so happy that we've ended up here. Neither of us had any particular ties to London, where we both lived for over 15 years, other than it’s where we met and grew up as young adults. We both wanted to move north, she had eyes on Glasgow and I was keen on Leeds, but when we told each other our second choices we both said Manchester, and so it was settled! I knew the city well because I had travelled here for work, and a few beer festivals over the years, and I already had some friends up here. We initially moved to Levenshulme because it's where everyone seemed to be moving, but we were drawn to Stockport because it's a bit more relaxed than Lev, plus I love being able to just walk into town. I also love how close we are to the countryside, be it somewhere like Lyme Park, or the Peaks. I also spend a lot of time running around Reddish Vale, as it's right on my doorstep.
What’s your favourite pub in Stockport?
This is a tough question. You'll probably find me in Heaton Hops more often than anywhere else, and I often nip over to Reddish Ale. The Runaway taproom is mega, and I love a late evening session up at Ye Olde Vic. The Petersgate Tap is another fave, but if I had to pick one "proper" pub out of the lot, it would be The Magnet.
What’s your favourite pub anywhere in the UK?
My two favourites are The City Arms and Cafe Beermoth in town. There's so many to choose from, but those are the two places I gravitate towards the most. Around the UK I love The Ship and Mitre in Liverpool, Whitelocks in Leeds, Newcastle's The Free Trade Inn, Kays Bar in Edinburgh, plus Shakepeare's and The Rutland Arms in Sheffield. Back in London my favourites at the moment are The Sutton Arms, and The Robin, a new pub from Nick Bailey, who used to run The Southampton Arms (also a great pub). I love pubs, so it's impossible to just pick one!
Top five celebrities you’d choose to go on a pub crawl with?
I'm assuming I can pick dead or alive here, so I would love to go on the lash with Anthony Bourdain, Bernard Sumner, David Lynch, Bob Mortimer and Caroline Aherne. That would be an intensely brilliant day.
I’m no expert, but my analysis of the UK pub scene would be that old man spit and sawdust pubs have no chance anymore. New ones that serve fancy ales and fancy food have got a fighting chance. Is that fairly accurate?
It's a lot more complex than that, but I'll try to keep it simple. I still think proper boozers are essential parts of the community, and depending where they are in the world, they have a better chance of survival. A spit and sawdust pub could thrive in Stockport, but put it in a country village and you might as well start writing its obituary. The issues, which affect all pubs, is that inflation based cost rises, business rates, rent, VAT, everything, have made it close to impossible to run a viable hospitality business, and I consider all pubs to be at threat unless the government steps in to help. I doubt this current government will do anything, but I hope the next one will. My wish is that they create a Minister for Hospitality. It's the fourth largest economy in the UK now, and needs better government support to ensure its continued survival.
On a separate note, the other issue that doesn't get talked about much is tied lines, and how a handful of massive pub companies dominate the market, and consumer choice. You wouldn't know that Heineken owns 2,700 pubs, or Stonegate close to 5,000, because they don't advertise that they own them. There's also plenty of pubs that have tied lines, because a certain brewery owns the cellar equipment. It's one of the biggest things the independent beer and brewing industry is struggling against, and it's largely a problem that none of them can really do anything about.
Why do you like pubs so much?
How long is a piece of string! Pubs form an important place in my life. I work from home most of the time (although I’m writing this in a pub, as it happens) and so home is a place forever associated with my job, as well as life admin, the dishes and the washing, etc! The pub provides a space where I can put that to one side and just relax, whether that's by myself, or with good friends. I just couldn't imagine life without going to the pub, often, because it does so much good for my general mood and wellbeing.
Why do you like beer so much?
Again, it's hard to explain, but beer is something of an obsession for me. I think I'm a bit more chilled out about it these days, but everything about it, from the farm to the glass, simply fascinates me. I also think that beer is incredibly culturally important in terms of the UK, and so I write about it like someone might write about food, wine, sport or whatever, so that culture can be shared with those who are interested enough to read about it.
What’s your best hangover cure?
It depends on the severity but I find an egg barm, strong black coffee, a couple of ibuprofen, glass of water, can of Rubicon Mango and a walk or a run tends to sort it. Basically throw everything including the kitchen sink at it, and hope it doesn't stick around too long.
What do you like to drink when you’re having a night in?
Depends! I like lots of other things other than beer: red wine, whisky, sometimes I'll whip myself up a negroni. But sometimes I just have a couple of cans, on those rare occasions I don't go to the pub.
Click here to purchase your copy of Matthew’s book.
If you need to leave your cats at home, enjoy the peace of mind knowing they’ll be well looked after by The Crazy Cat Ladies Cheshire
If you’re away from home for a lengthy amount of time, you want to be safe in the knowledge that your cats are being well looked after. As you can see from the review above, The Crazy Cat Ladies Cheshire will do exactly that for you.
They have a full range of packages available, starting from just £9 per day.
For further details, please call 07478 697605 or email thecrazycatladiescheshire@gmail.com.
Photo of the day
Sainsbury’s Local, Grand Central Square
It’s 2024, and I’m all for anyone choosing to be whatever they want in life. But I’m sorry Sainsbury’s, you can’t have yoghurts suddenly identifying as butties in a meal deal.
Today in SK
📚 Book club
Dog & Partridge (SK2). 7pm.
🎬 Cinema
Two films at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. Ferrari (15) at 2.30pm and 5.45pm, followed by Nyad (15) at 8.15pm. Click here for tickets.
🍺 Food and drink
Whether you like it hot or cold, head down to Coffee Block (SK1) to get your matcha fix. 8am - 5.30pm.
The Nelson Tavern (SK1) have a great range of offers throughout the week, including £4.50 for drinks off the Doubles Bar, a comprehensive range of shots for £2, and 3 for £6 on Jägerbombs. 12pm - 11pm.
Ignore the “beer police” and support your local pub in January. If you’re in Stockport today, pop into The Petersgate Tap (SK1) for a pint or two. 3pm - 10pm.
For those on a gluten-free diet, finding a nice portion of fish and chips to tuck into can be quite difficult. But on a Wednesday at Fishers of Cheshire (SK2), gluten-free meals are available. 11.30am - 2pm, 4pm - 9.30pm.
Any pizza and two drinks for £14.95 at Platform 5 (SK8). 12pm - 8pm.
Treat yourself to lunch at Mediterranean Cafe & Bar (SK23). A full range of mains, salads, jacket potatoes, paninis, baguettes and wraps. 10am - 10pm.
🎲 Games night
Enigma (SK1). 8pm. (And there’s a 10% discount on all drinks!)
❓ Quiz night
Flying Coach (SK7). 9pm. Free entry. Chicken wings for just 25p.
The Scarf My Father Wore works closely with venues on a daily basis to bring you the most comprehensive guide to all of the best offers and events taking place across the whole SK region. Click on the links below for full details of everything taking place in your area over the next few weeks.
SK1 / SK2 / SK3 / SK4 / SK5 / SK6 / SK7 / SK8 / SK9 / SK10 / SK11 / SK12 / SK13 / SK14 / SK15 / SK16 / SK17 / SK22 / SK23
Random County fan of the day #17 – Macca!
One final thing before you go… if you’re looking to learn to drive in January, or lose a few pounds after Christmas, or even get some work done at home, please contact our fantastic advertisers!
🎨 Art & Gifts: Kate O’Brien Art
💈 Barber: STUDIO26 Haircare
🪟 Blinds & Shutters: Bauhaus Blinds & Shutters
📚 Bookkeeping: Eleven Accounts Services Ltd
🍰 Cake Maker: Claire Green Bespoke Cakes and Catering
🧽 Car Valeting: Rub A Dubz Detailing Ltd
🧼 Carpet Cleaning: Pro Clean Carpet Services
🏠 Carpets & Flooring: Kingsway Carpets & Rugs Ltd
🐈⬛ Cat Sitting: The Crazy Cat Ladies Cheshire
👶 Child Health: The Sleep Nanny
🤹♀️ Children’s Entertainment: Stockport Hero Hire
🧹 Cleaning: Beespoke Cleaning
🚙 Coatings: Colourtone Ltd
🦮 Dog Training: Paws High Peak Dog Training
🚘 Driving School: CFN School of Motoring
💷 Financial Services: The Mortgage Mill
🔥 Fire Protection: Radial Fire And Security Limited
🍸 Gin: Hatters Gin
🛁 Grout Refresh & Recolour: GroutGleam Stockport
💇♀️ Hairdressing: C West Hairstylist
🛠 Home Improvements: Menzies Develop & Build
💻 IT Services: Bridge Computer Services
🪚 Joinery: SAW Contracts Ltd
👨🍳 Kitchen Appliances: SW Appliances
🔑 Locksmith: APL Locksmiths Ltd
🚐 Minibus Hire: Westfield Minibuses
🧤 Oven Cleaning: That Oven Girl
🖌 Painter & Decorator: BGM Decorators
🧱 Plasterer: Tate Plastering Services
🚰 Plumber: GTG Gary the Gasman
📕 Publishing: Victor Publishing
🛖 Roofing: ADM Roofing Services Ltd
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⚽️ Sports Coaching: UK Sports Coaching Ltd
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⚖️ Weight Loss: Slimming World Reddish & Bredbury with Shlean
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🏋️♀️ Women’s Fitness: Sophie Pavey Fitness
🧘♀️ Yoga: Greenshoots Yoga
I loved that documentary also. Such a funny and warm person, clearly loved by all who crossed her path. I'd forgotten how amazing (and how brave- think of the Bernard Manning interview) Mrs Merton was, also.
Sounds a plan!👍